2016: Year in Review

So.... I know it's 2018 now, but apparently I started this post on New Year's Eve 2016 and then totally forgot about it halfway through. So you're getting two belated Christmas letters this year! Have fun!

2016

Hey, everyone! It's been a long long time since I've blogged, but it's New Year's Eve, and one way I like to celebrate the year that's passing is my "Belated Christmas Letter", so here we go-- from one end of the year to the other, with lots of pictures along the way!

January

So much has happened this year that January feels like so long ago! One of the highlights was that Michael got to be in a Lego competition at the new Legoland Discovery Center at the Great Lakes Crossing Mall. He made it all the way to the top ten!

The last ten seconds of the first round. They still have this on display in the discovery center!

The final build. All the kids loved it!

I got to try restoring a Chatty Cathy doll, which was a lot of fun, and talked more about it in this blog post. Goofer Bean displayed a bourgeoning love of food, climbing, and mimicking Michael and me. She also got endlessly cuter.

Snacks!

February

February was a month of ups and downs. We had the stomach flu of death and bad colds all around, and I struggled and stressed out about housework. On the other hand, Goofer Bean took her first steps, had her first conversation with me, and decided it would be fun to draw with crayons instead of eating them.

Pretty girl at the playground.

March

March was a big month... my baby girl turned 1! I made her a cake and a fancy dress, we had a party and a visit from Michael's parents all the way from South Dakota! Also Goofer Bean's first ER trip (she was fine, thankfully), but I don't like remembering that as much, so I'll post the pretty pictures now.

Her very own birthday chair.

And her new baby doll and party dress!

And a tasty cake to boot!

April

Michael had a birthday, and I threw him a party! It didn't end up being as much of a surprise as I was going for, but we all had lots of fun! Goofer Bean started cutting teeth (yes, almost a month after she turned 1!) and continued stealing our hearts through her ever growing personality. I got a chance to make some art, my hair officially grew waist long, and also I started Rhymes with Finesse Studios over on Facebook with high hopes of it becoming a thriving internet business, but I let other things take priority and now it's just sort of... there. You're always welcome to check it out and see if there's anything there that you like, but it's definitely more of a hobby than a business for now.

Handsome McHandsomeface at his not-quite-surprise party.

The first photographic evidence of Dollbaby's first two teeth!

I drew Supergirl!

May

In May, Michael and I did some totally cool cosplay for Free comic book day. The most notable part of the month, though, (for me) was my golden birthday! I turned 27 on the 27th, and Michael made sure it was super special. Goofer Bean continued to learn and grow like crazy, and we all had fun watching her discover favorite songs, games, and toys.

Cosplay is fun!

Me after my golden birthday party, in the crown Michael got for me.

June

June was pretty average. Goofer Bean learned fought naps, but learned lots of new words, and I made her a pretty new top that you can read about here.

The three of us looking all fancy.

And Dollbaby looking super cute in her new top!

July

July was the month of our Hardy Clan vacation, along with teething and life with no air conditioning. We made it through with the help of Goofer Bean's baby bathtub out on the balcony, and plenty of popsicles for us and frozen green beans for Goofer Bean.

Little Point Sable, Handsomeface, and me.

Dollbaby checking out the waves.

Beembeans!

August

This was a nice quiet month of playground time, walks to the river, and plenty of cold snacks. A few bumps in the road with colds and sleep regressions for Goofer Bean, but overall, life was good.

Watchin' the water

Watermelon is serious business!

September

Goofer Bean had her half birthday this month, and I attempted to start "preschool" with her. It didn't last long, but it was fun while it did!

First day of school!

Dollbaby's 1/2 birthday

Puddlestompin' fun!

October

Of course, the highlight of October was taking Goofer Bean trick-or-treating for the first time, but there were plenty of other good times too. Michael entered another Lego contest at the Michigan Renaissance Festival, and won first prize! Free Ren Fest tickets for next year; woohoo! And I finally got a car! Yay! And there were numerous bright moments sprinkled liberally about. Yay October!

Michael with his prizewinning build.

Fancy Ren Fest facepaint!

Fall picnic fun!

Trick or Treat!

November

November... Election month. Quite the uproar, but that's all I'll say about that... There were plenty of joys to go around! We took part in two Thanksgiving celebrations (one of which I even hosted!) so we got to see almost all our relatives in the span of a month. It was lovely. And Goofer Bean's vocabulary boomed, which is always super fun. Plus I started getting ready for Christmas! Woohoo!

LEAVES!!!

Goofer Bean, keepin' it classy with her fancy glass of sparkling juice.

Goofer Bean and her Great Grammy Sheetz. So much love!

December

Most of December was a whirlwind of getting ready for Christmas... and then, of course, Christmas itself and the aftermath. It was a lovely holiday season. I made Goofer Bean a Pikachu costume, which she adores, started making a custom Supergirl doll for Michael, which he (hopefully) will adore, and I got a doll from him, which I adore. All was merry and bright and lovely.

Christmastime Wonder

Pikachu costume off...

...and Pikachu costume on!

So, all in all, it's been a good year. See you next time, and thanks for reading!

Happy (belated) holidays, everyone!