And just like that, we’re wrapping up 2022! Every year, this is one of my favorite posts to write. I’m not typically as good at looking back as I am at looking ahead (hello: goals, one little words, and New Year’s resolutions) but this point of reflection and doing it almost every year is such a good reminder of the highlights that have made up the moments of the last twelve months. Some of it has been tough, but the good often overshadows that by a long shot. 2022 was so very sweet, and I’m looking forward to all that 2023 holds.

January

• Callahan started off the year eating real food!
• We celebrated Chloe’s 8th Birthday.
• I chose engage as my word of the year and was not as pumped about it as I have been for other words.
• Our family got into the routine of work and daycare after maternity leave, time off for COVID, and the holidays.
• Callahan got to play with snow for the first time.
• My camera roll was absolutely FILLED with videos of Callahan playing in his Jolly Jumper.
• We got to see my college bestie Tricia and her family at a wheelchair basketball game at Mizzou.
• Kevin started his new job with the College of Business at MU.

February

• SO MANY SNOW DAYS. Basically every Thursday of the month we worked from home.
• Callahan giggles and giggles. Kevin and I officially dubbed February as the month of giggles. Some of the sweetest moments of my life – I could cry thinking about it.
• We had a company-wide retreat and celebrated all of our accomplishments of 2021. I am so passionate about this company and my role in all of it that things like this really pump me up for the new year.
• Callahan started swim lessons at the rec center in town. He was the youngest, but one of the best in the water. He absolutely loved it.

March

• Callahan had his first tooth pop through!
• We started going on LOTS of walks as it became nicer outside and there was more light in the evenings. Since 2020, I’ve walked at nights while talking on the phone with my mom, but that stopped when I was super pregnant and never regularly got started back up, so I was glad to build this back into my routine. Often I talked to Callahan, we sang songs, or pointed out the animals we saw. Our neighbors have horses and he’s a big fan.
• We spent lots of time in STL with family.
• My team at work went to a Breakout Room – we broke out in the nick of time.

April

• I visited the State Penitentiary for a ghost tour – such a fun thing to do in mid-mo!
• We hosted a baby shower for our sweet friends Taylor and Jeff!
• We celebrated Easter and Callahan got to wear one of Eric’s old sweaters from Scotland. My mom kept a few items from when we were children and it was absolutely precious on him!!

May

• We celebrated my first mother’s day! We went to Starbucks, walked around Shelter Gardens, and then went to Flat Branch patio for dinner.
• My brother, Eric, graduated from Mizzou and we hosted a little gathering at our house!
• My peonies started to bloom! It was a rough year for them due to the extreme heat and lack of rain – but we still had a couple to bring inside.
• Callahan started crawling and scooting around the house.

June

• Willow turned 3 years old!
• I planted a tiny container garden on our front porch and got several handfuls of tomatoes. I have big dreams of expanding the garden in the future, but this will do for now.
• Callahan continued to be a swimming machine and we took every opportunity to hang out in a pool.
• We celebrated Kevin’s first Father’s day.
• We took family photos with a few of just Callahan for his one year photos – he was starting to pull himself up at this point, too.

July

• We visited Sarah and Cole for the Forth of July! Cal was a huge fan of their outdoor swing and is looking up to John in almost every photo I have of the two of them together.
• We celebrated Lindsey and Jacob’s wedding in St. Louis. This was Callahan’s first time wearing actual shoes.
• We tried a fantastic sushi place in St. Louis for Ellie and Eric’s birthdays.
• Callahan and I spent a weekend together while Kevin is out of time for his annual guys trip – this year they went down to Branson. A week later, Kevin spent the weekend with Callahan while I traveled to Scottsdale, AZ for Ellie’s Bachelorette party.
• While in Scottsdale, I visited the Desert Botanical Garden and it was such a fun contrast to the Botanical Gardens we have in the midwest.

August

• Callahan turned 1 with a party and a smash cake. We loved hosting our family for lunch and celebrating our boy – he got a few notable outside gifts like a water table and tricycle.
• Callahan transitioned to a new “toddler” classroom at daycare and they got him down to one nap a day!!
• Jon Acuff came to talk about his new book Soundtracks at VU and I got to see him speak a few times throughout the day. I loved the book and what he had to say delved into those topics even more thoroughly.
• My team at work took a trip to TopGolf in STL. We had a great time chatting on the bus and eating lots of food once we got there – the actual golf was secondary. I need some practice.
• We spent lots of evenings going on walks with the tricycle around the block.
• I turned 31!
• Callahan took his first steps, was cruising around the furniture and standing on his own.
• Kevin started teaching a business lab class for college students!

September

• Eric & Ellie are married!!
• I revamped my wardrobe and started getting excited about fall clothes.
• I am offered a new role at work and my former team threw a surprise “You’re Dead to Us” party.
• We celebrate Kevin’s cousin Jessie and Rian’s wedding in STL.

October

• Callahan’s experienced a Mizzou Homecoming for the first time as well as a tailgate at Kevin’s office.
• We took a trip to a local pumpkin patch, where Callahan was mainly interested in moving the pumpkins around and taking off their price stickers.
• We started making stops at the park on the way home from daycare. He loves the swings and picking up the mulch.
• Walking boy! Callahan is fully walking on his own.
• My work hosted a Fall Fest at Shyrock’s corn maze. He mostly enjoyed watching the other kids and trying to put corn in his mouth.
• Lots of family visited!
• Callahan started bringing more artwork home now that they are outside less often and man is he proud of his work. I just Love how he points and smiles at it on the fridge. Now I know why parents keep every single thing their children touch.
• Callahan dressed up as Blue for a couple quick pictures on Halloween, while Kevin and I dressed up as pirates for our friend’s annual costume party. I have to say – this may have been our best costume to date. Jury’s out.
• Taylor Swift released a new album ‘Midnights’ and I subjected my family to a weekend full of listening through every single one of Taylor’s albums so I could rank my favorite songs and albums. More to come on that.

November

• We did another round of family pictures for our Christmas cards. It’s crazy how much Callahan has already grown since our last photos in June. Each time, I ask for them to be taken in the same location and it’s sweet to see how our lives have changed since we started taking them when we were newly married. Such a sweet picture of this life we are building.
• I traveled to Kansas City for my friend Taylor’s baby shower!
• Callahan’s first hugs and kisses for his toys and us, which meant that I was a puddle on the floor for the entire month.
• We took Callahan to Barnes and Noble for the first time (Kevin and I love that store) and ended up with several new books, which we read to him while he sat in front of us.
• Callahan’s first thanksgiving meal was a huge hit – especially the sweet potatoes, carrots, and fruit.

December

• We put up Callahan’s Christmas “bubble tree”. I took Callahan to Hobby Lobby in November and he lost his mind over the transparent and translucent ornaments (so you know I had to buy them).
• We celebrated the holiday season by going to Living Windows in the District, visiting Santa, driving through Veterans United’s Holiday Lights display, stopping by the Magic Tree at The Crossing, going to Warm Springs Ranch to see the Clydesdales, and starting the next generation on the tradition of visiting Candy Cane Lane with Kevin’s Grandma.
• Veterans United hosted a fantastic holiday party, once again!
• We celebrated Kevin’s birthday by going to The Diner and having a mini scavenger hunt for him to figure out his gift.
• We got a fisher price slide from a co-worker and kept it in the living room for most of December – just something a little fun to do when outside isn’t really an option.
• We sent out my favorite Christmas cards to date.
• It was a lovely Christmas in St. Louis – Callahan’s favorite gift this year was a Dyson vacuum that actually picks things up. Win-win for Mom.
• Callahan had his first haircut! He is looking EVEN more like a toddler and less like a baby after that.
• Cole and Sarah came in town to celebrate NYE!

Cheers to 2023!