Memories of 2017
This past year has been filled with adventures. To be honest, I think every year is. But by the end of the year, it's easy to forget what those adventures were. And it's especially easy to compare my life with the lives of others and feel inadequate. But the truth is, the adventures my family had were perfect for US. So for 2017, I tried something new. I pulled out a large mason jar January 1st, and told the kids we would try to put notes or mementos from each adventure in the jar. Then, at the end of the year, we would review what our year held. The idea was a total success! We didn't remember to put notes in every time, but we did put in quite a few. And although the plan was to empty the jar on New Year's Eve, we were out of town making more memories with friends.
So today was the day! At dinner tonight, we opened the jar and Honeygirl read out each memory. What fun it was to remember each one. Smiles, laughter, and dreams of making some happen again. It was perfect.
Here was our list:
1/1 - Night skiing + Sparky's Pizza 12:30-9:30 Dad, Honeygirl, and Aaron
1/2 - Saw SING at Cinetopia as a family (tub of popcorn $8.50)
1/5 - dinner date at Jerusalem Cafe
1/12 built a snowman with neighborhood kids and went sledding (snow day #6)
1/21 - Family day at Mt Hood Meadows. Night skiing for Dad, Honeygirl, and Sweet Pea. Mama and Gracie sat in the lodge and took too many bathroom breaks to keep count. Agh!
January: went to a birthday party at Kid's Club
January: swim lessons for Honeygirl and Sweet Pea
1/28-29 Overnight date in Portland...happy hour at Portland City Grill, LaLaLand movie, and breakfast at Mother's
2/25-3/4 - HAWAII!! Beach..shave ice..snorkling..dolphins..Dad's friend..Big Island with Gramma, Papa, Uncle Paul and Aunt Barbara. Rented a house with gorgeous view
3/10 School talent show: Honeygirl entered a painting. Sweet Pea did a skit with Corbin
3/31-4/3 - Visit to GG. Saw Rumbles, Paul/Mary, Swerzo family, Ruth-Anne. Visited Englunds and met Lily!
4/4 Spring Break - playdate with Elise
4/15 Boss Baby movie at the theatre
4/27 - Mama and Gracie to the zoo. Nora the polar bear was super playful!
5/27 - got OMSI membership, saw Art of the Brick exhibit + laser movie madness show in planetarium. Fire drill while we were there! Missed the One World One Sky show but went on a walk.
7/1 - The Englunds (minus their dad) came for the night. We went to the park and listened to Oddessy
7/2 - Cannon Beach for the day...met the Martin family to play on the beach. Dug a giant hole together. Ice cream at the Coach house
7/4 - BLBB family camp for the day... zipline, boating, tubing (1st time for kids!), Bike parade, all the cousins! Then s'mores and fireworks at Uncle Mike's house (just the 9 of us - Mike and Debbie were out of town).
7/18 - OMSI + One World One Sky planetarium show
7/21-23 1st overnight camping trip as a family, with Stephen and boys at Manchester State Park
summer: YMCA swimming with Martins
7/22 - ferry ride to Seattle for ice cream on our camping trip
End of July - week of Royal Ridges day camp for older two girls
8/1 - Gracie's water birthday party with friends, but not sisters
August - week at CBCC with lots of extended family and friends (Bells came too)
End of August - went to the zoo to say goodbye to Nora the polar bear
8/5 - surprise happy hour double date at Portland City Grill for my birthday with Martins
10/6 - 1st time renting a car! Trip to Jenness Park with the girls for mother/daughter retreat. Flew to SAC, then drove 4.25 hrs farther. Great weekend with Jana Alayra
10/29 - OMSI with the Sutters
11/3 - Sweet Pea got picked for the 3rd time this school year in the positive paw drawing! Got to take a stuffed animal to school on Friday
11/22 - Bells in town for Thanksgiving and stayed with us
11/24 - OMSI with the Bells + One World One Sky planetarium show
November - helped friends move and paint old house
Beginning of December - Singing Christmas tree as a whole family after brunch at Mother's
12/13 - ZooLights and the train with Popi and Grammie. We found all the hidden lillies!
12/23 - swimming as a family at the YMCA.
12/24 - Christmas Eve breakfast and presents in the morning with extended family
12/24 - candlelight service at church - all three girls were candle lighters this year!
12/29 - pedicures with christmas money for mama and Sweet Pea
This list is not exhaustive; it's just the things we remembered to write down and add to our jar. I know there were other trips to the zoo, other fun outings, and special memories that for one reason or another we forgot to write down. But the jar has already been emptied of these memories and new ones from today have already been added. I think this is a fun new tradition we will continue! I can't wait to see what all 2018 holds!
So today was the day! At dinner tonight, we opened the jar and Honeygirl read out each memory. What fun it was to remember each one. Smiles, laughter, and dreams of making some happen again. It was perfect.
Here was our list:
1/1 - Night skiing + Sparky's Pizza 12:30-9:30 Dad, Honeygirl, and Aaron
1/2 - Saw SING at Cinetopia as a family (tub of popcorn $8.50)
1/5 - dinner date at Jerusalem Cafe
1/12 built a snowman with neighborhood kids and went sledding (snow day #6)
1/21 - Family day at Mt Hood Meadows. Night skiing for Dad, Honeygirl, and Sweet Pea. Mama and Gracie sat in the lodge and took too many bathroom breaks to keep count. Agh!
January: went to a birthday party at Kid's Club
January: swim lessons for Honeygirl and Sweet Pea
1/28-29 Overnight date in Portland...happy hour at Portland City Grill, LaLaLand movie, and breakfast at Mother's
2/25-3/4 - HAWAII!! Beach..shave ice..snorkling..dolphins..Dad's friend..Big Island with Gramma, Papa, Uncle Paul and Aunt Barbara. Rented a house with gorgeous view
3/10 School talent show: Honeygirl entered a painting. Sweet Pea did a skit with Corbin
3/31-4/3 - Visit to GG. Saw Rumbles, Paul/Mary, Swerzo family, Ruth-Anne. Visited Englunds and met Lily!
4/4 Spring Break - playdate with Elise
4/15 Boss Baby movie at the theatre
4/27 - Mama and Gracie to the zoo. Nora the polar bear was super playful!
5/27 - got OMSI membership, saw Art of the Brick exhibit + laser movie madness show in planetarium. Fire drill while we were there! Missed the One World One Sky show but went on a walk.
7/1 - The Englunds (minus their dad) came for the night. We went to the park and listened to Oddessy
7/2 - Cannon Beach for the day...met the Martin family to play on the beach. Dug a giant hole together. Ice cream at the Coach house
7/4 - BLBB family camp for the day... zipline, boating, tubing (1st time for kids!), Bike parade, all the cousins! Then s'mores and fireworks at Uncle Mike's house (just the 9 of us - Mike and Debbie were out of town).
7/18 - OMSI + One World One Sky planetarium show
7/21-23 1st overnight camping trip as a family, with Stephen and boys at Manchester State Park
summer: YMCA swimming with Martins
7/22 - ferry ride to Seattle for ice cream on our camping trip
End of July - week of Royal Ridges day camp for older two girls
8/1 - Gracie's water birthday party with friends, but not sisters
August - week at CBCC with lots of extended family and friends (Bells came too)
End of August - went to the zoo to say goodbye to Nora the polar bear
8/5 - surprise happy hour double date at Portland City Grill for my birthday with Martins
10/6 - 1st time renting a car! Trip to Jenness Park with the girls for mother/daughter retreat. Flew to SAC, then drove 4.25 hrs farther. Great weekend with Jana Alayra
10/29 - OMSI with the Sutters
11/3 - Sweet Pea got picked for the 3rd time this school year in the positive paw drawing! Got to take a stuffed animal to school on Friday
11/22 - Bells in town for Thanksgiving and stayed with us
11/24 - OMSI with the Bells + One World One Sky planetarium show
November - helped friends move and paint old house
Beginning of December - Singing Christmas tree as a whole family after brunch at Mother's
12/13 - ZooLights and the train with Popi and Grammie. We found all the hidden lillies!
12/23 - swimming as a family at the YMCA.
12/24 - Christmas Eve breakfast and presents in the morning with extended family
12/24 - candlelight service at church - all three girls were candle lighters this year!
12/29 - pedicures with christmas money for mama and Sweet Pea
This list is not exhaustive; it's just the things we remembered to write down and add to our jar. I know there were other trips to the zoo, other fun outings, and special memories that for one reason or another we forgot to write down. But the jar has already been emptied of these memories and new ones from today have already been added. I think this is a fun new tradition we will continue! I can't wait to see what all 2018 holds!
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