My Year in Review is truly my favorite post to write and usually one I have fired up on KW by New Years Eve. You can read the last ten years here:
(2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014)
It's January 3rd and I'm just starting to write this post which paints the picture of how insane the year has been. Raising two toddlers (now almost 2 and almost 4) is not for the faint of heart. Throw in running my own company, and all the day to day basics of family life and trying to meet my personal needs and and I feel unhinged. Chaos aside, I hope I never let life get too busy to keep up with this blog. I hope to always have this creative outlet and diary of sorts to share with my kids one day. So let's get started wrapping up 2024.
2024 was beautiful and hard. We had some amazing weekends away, an international trip to Italy, a successful year with my company, and a new dog we welcomed to the family. We watched our kids grow a year older, watching their bond build as they turn 2 and 4 in just a few weeks. We started to slowly find a groove in parenting young kids, even if it often felt like two steps forward one step back. It was the first year both kids were in daycare (Piper starting for the first time in August) and running my business became just a tiny bit easier. For all the beauty and growth 2024 had to offer, it also came with crushing losses and heartache as we said goodbye to both of our dogs within 1 month of each other. We did our best to navigate our overwhelming grief alongside our three year old who had to learn the tough lesson of death and loss.
We've found a way forward through our sadness, eased by our new rescue dog Otto who distracts us and loves our kids endlessly. It was a year of highs and lows, highlighted month by month below.
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| Ski date with Piper at Winding Trails |
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| Lots of stroller running |
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| Piper turned 11 months old |
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| LL Bean Snowman kit |
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| Our longest stroller run, 11 miles |
January
January is always a slow month as we recover from the chaos of the holiday season. It's also the time where we lose my parents help for childcare as they snowbird down in Florida for the winter. January s often more time inside, less help with the kids, but prioritizing getting outside as often as we can. We continued our goal of visiting all the Connecticut State Parks and made a hiking "Adventure Day" at Indian Well State Park. When Whitney was in daycare, I took Piper XC skiing with the trailer at Winding Trails for her first time on the ski trailer here. We took the kids sledding, and set out on many small adventures on our local trail network. I made the postpartum goal of running Piper's age in months each month and as January rolled around, I was right on track for 11 miles and off we went. Piper was an absolute champ on an 11 mile stroller run on a cold January day and I'm wildly grateful to have my hardy little adventure side kicks, learning to love New England in all her seasons.  |
| Winter preserve hikes |
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| Piper's first birthday |
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| Piper's first birthday |
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| Piper's first birthday |
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| Celebrating their birthdays with cousins at the Norwalk Aquarium |
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| Snowy days with the kids |
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| Lake George Winterfest for my birthday |
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| Whitney turned 3 and celebrated with friends at the gymnastics studio |
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| Whitney's first real ski trip and time on a lift |
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| Whitney skiing with dad at Pico |
February
February is Birthday month as we celebrate Piper's birthday first, my birthday in the middle of the month, and Whitney's birthday at the end of the month. It's filled with birthday cake and frigid adventures and we soaked it all in this Month. We added two more state parks to our list when we hiked the Airline Trail State Park and to Hurd State Park. We celebrated the kid's birthdays with Adam's family and took a trip to the Norwalk aquarium. We packed up the car and headed north, a fun little winter trip tp Lake George for my birthday for their Winter Fest. Whitney had his first real ski day and we went up to Pico Mountain in Vermont where he fell in love with skiing, and we fell more in love with him. Riding the chair lift was a highlight and he did an amazing job on the mountain.
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| Easter egg hunt at Mary Ellen's house |
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| Easter brunch with my family |
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| Preserve hikes with Piper |
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| Girl's winter hiking trip in the Whites of New Hampshire |
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| Neighborhood easter egg hunt |
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| Date day in New York to see cars at the New York Auto Show |
March
March usually brings the end of a New England winter and we celebrated the month with Easter at a neighborhood easter egg hunt. We dyed easter eggs with friends and celebrated the promise of Spring. Olive and I hiked Bolton Notch State Park and by the end of the month, I went away on an awesome girl's winter hiking trip in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It was an amazing weekend away with a bunch of amazing women, happy to head out into the mountains in feet of snow and the cold winter temperatures. I was surprised at how good I felt on long hikes that gained in elevation and the long drive and time away did wonders. To wrap up the month, Adam and I enjoyed a date day and went to the New York Auto Show and finally decided on the VW Atlas for our (my) next car.  |
| Neighborhood walks |
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| Bernina Express Train Ride from Italy to Switzerland |
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| Hike to the Morteratsch Glacier, Switzerland |
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| Summer of jeep rides |
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| Trips to Cedar Lake |
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| Taking Olive to a bacon breakfast on her last day |
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| Trips to Cedar Lake |
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Saying goodbye to Olive
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Saying goodbye to Olive
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| Rose Garden Dinner |
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| Running to the beach |
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| Beach days with dad |
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| Trail rides with Bradley |
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| Wedding ready in New Hampshire |
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| Bamboo Chutes flume ride at Story Land |
June
June started off with our second camper trip, this time to Croton on Hudson State Park in New York. We were (yet again) impressed by the NY State Park system and enjoyed this little getaway. We spent slow weekends on the power wheel/jeep in the neighborhood, hiked our local preserve as often as we could, and watched the gardens take off. We went to a fun garden party at Ashleys and spent some time swimming at Cedar Lake which quickly became our favorite summer spot. Olive started going downhill quick with what we thought was severe doggie dementia, sundowning and up for hours during the night and suffering from severe anxiety during the day. After nearly 13 years of adventure together, we let her go at home on a sunny day at home, just a month after Marshall. We spent the rest of June in a strange dog-less haze, we build a swing set at home and spend evenings at the beach with the kids. We ended the month with a trip to New Hampshire for my cousin's wedding. My in-laws came with us to watch the kids while we were at the wedding and we had a great long weekend on Diana's Baths, Story Land, and celebrating my cousin and his husband. We spent June in shock without our dog companions, trying to go through the normal motions and enjoy the summer with the kids.
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| Blow up waterslide afternoons |
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| Low-tide beach days |
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| Lake days |
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| Playing at home |
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| July beach days |
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| Boat rides in Norwalk |
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| Summer hikes |
July
July was a hot and humid month, and we spent a few weekend's blowing up the inflatable slide and inviting friends over. We checked out the newly opened museum in New Haven. Beach and lake days continued through the month, and we made it down to Norwalk for a boat day with my in-laws. We took our third camper trip, this time to Rhinebeck New York where Whitney really started swimming at the campground pool. We happily went with our normal routine of stroller runs, trips to the barn, time in the garden, and slow weekends at home.
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| Beach days |
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Piper's first day of daycare
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| Piper's first day of daycare |
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| Anniversary weekend in Charleston, South Carolina |
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| Anniversary weekend in Charleston, South Carolina |
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| Anniversary weekend in Charleston, South Carolina |
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| Our new rescue dog Otto |
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| First day of "school" |
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| Family beach day |
August
August was an exciting month as Piper started camp/daycare for the first time. Adam and I headed to Charleston, South Caroline (kid-free) for our anniversary and spent a few days exploring the city. We decided our lives were not the same without a dog and quickly signed the papers to adopt a 9 month old Doberman from Texas. Otto became a beloved addition to our family and we spent some time getting to know him. State Park adventures continued to Garner Lake State Park. Camp ended and the official school year started with both kids in school at Shoreline Early Learning Center. Fair season started and we kicked off the season with a trip to the Haddam Neck Fair.
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| Dairy Queen ice cream run |
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| Cousin's camping weekend at Hammonasset |
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| Family trip to Norwalk |
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| Work trip to Nantucket |
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| Fall trip in the Whites of New Hampshire |
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| Conway Scenic Railway |
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| First Halloween party |
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| Moween State Park |
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| Collis P. Huntington State Park in Redding |
September
In September we ventured over to two state parks, Rocky Gorge State Park in Newtown and Haddam Neck State Park in Haddam. We also met the cousins at Hammonasset State Park in Madison for the annual cousins camping trip. Work brought me to Nantucket and I instantly got the "hype" of this picturesque New England island. We went back to New Hampshire, back to Story Land for a second time and Diana's Baths with another family, enjoying the late summer weather. Otto and I explored a new state park, Collis P. Huntington State Park in Redding and we ended the month with a trip to Moween State Park, just the kids, Otto and I. We kicked off the Halloween season with our first costume party with friends.
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| Hike with friends in Durham |
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| Adventure Fridays at Hopeville Pond State Park |
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| Apple picking at Bishops Orchard |
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| Mountain biking adventures with Whitney's new seat at Kingdom Trails in Vermont |
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| Fall fun in Vermont |
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| Leaving Olive and Marshal's memory at Dog Mountain |
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| Hiking in Vermont |
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| Fall fun in Vermont |
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| Campsite in Vermont |
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| Fall at home |
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| Batman and his bat |
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| The bat family costume |
October
October is my favorite month of the year and I started it with a hike with a friend and our dogs in Durham. The kids (and Otto) and I checked out Hopeville Pond State Park and loved this quaint little area. I got a new kid attachment seat for my mountain bike and Whitney and I set off on some mountain biking adventures together. We went apple picking at Bishops and enjoyed New England's best season. We ended our camping season with one last trip, this time to the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. We biked, played in the leaves, and shed some tears at Dog Mountain where we left photographs of our beloved dogs. We joined a pumpkin carving party, went to the kid's halloween parties at school, and went trick or treating in the neighborhood as a family.
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Election day
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| Solo hiking day at Mt Chocorua, New Hampshire |
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| Piper growing up fast |
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| Preserve hikes with Otto |
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| Barn days with Bradley |
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| Thanksgiving |
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| Meeting Santa on the North Conway Scenic Railway |
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| Piper's first real ride at Santa's Village |
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| Santa's Village New Hampshire |
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| Santa's Village New Hampshire |
November
I started the month off with a solo trip up to New Hampshire. I hiked a 10 mile loop by myself on a gorgeous sunny day before starting off on a work project through Maine. I took the kids with me to vote and we celebrated Otto's first birthday with a dog party with the neighbors. We hiked in the preserve and just enjoyed the slow season of November before the holidays truly kicked off. On Thanksgiving, I ran my annual five mile run with the kids in the double stroller, and we stayed local for Thanksgiving. The day after Thanksgiving, we packed up and headed north with the neighbor's family, kids and dog. We went to Santa's Village and enjoyed another ride on the Conway Railroad as everyone jumped right into the magic of Christmas.
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| Cutting down our Christmas tree |
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| Donations for families in need |
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| Christmas Eve in Norwalk |
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| Christmas Eve Piper |
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