2016 Year in Review

Happy New Year!

Well, 2016. That was... well. It was a year to remember, and very possibly regret. And who knows what's coming for us in 2017. Life, for sure, in all its horrendous, glorious beauty. I don't really expect anyone to scroll through 30 pictures of my family in 2016. I did this for myself, mostly. Because WOW, it is all blur.  So it was helpful to scroll through memory lane (ie, our ridiculously bloated iPhoto folder) and try to punctuate our year. 

So here we go... 2016.

January. Happy New Year! We have no idea what we are in for! HOORAY!

February: ALL of winter happened at once, in one weekend snowstorm. This is us taking the subway to go sledding, as one does when one's car is buried under 4 feet of snow. (aside: I've never seen a group of people as gleefully attacking snow drifts as my West Indian neighbors did that day. Take THAT Winter!)

 March:
Still holding to our monthly date night, a habit that, alas, we did not finish the year strongly on. Here we are selfie-ing at the Whitney Museum.

That time they both had strep. 

City childhood. Climbing poles instead of trees.

April: Daniel is the star of his Hip Hop dance recital. Then he decides he doesn't want to take dance class anymore because tween.

 Lily turns 6! Daniel turns 10!

May: Is is summer yet?

June: I made a card with this photo for all her teachers with the caption "We Made It!" because PHEW. 

 July: Family Photo! Family Birthdays! Why is everyone yelling!?!

 Is it summer yet?

Proof that yes, I make my children do school work during the summer.
'Cause summer days are L-O-N-G.

I turned 40! Lord help me, I was an emotional wreck over this. Also I cut all my hair off.

Hubby turns 40! He takes it so much better than me!

 Summer! Road trip clowning around.

August: Maine. I could look at this view forever.

Lily charms her way into the band at our local fair.

 country childhood.

 city childhood.

 summer!!!

Labor Day Weekend: We visit beloved family on the West Coast and LILY IS A FLOWER GIRL.

 

Many, many years of joy for our beautiful sister and brother-in-law!
(Lily: that was the best day of my life!)

 The pilots invited Lily to explore the cockpit on our way home. This was not terrifying at all.

 September: New classroom! New grade! New everything! All the weeks after I snapped this photo on the first day back at work is a blur.

 My wonderful husband got me a Saturday morning yoga session at the local museum. 'Cause I might have been a teensy bit stressed out this Fall.

Celebrating Meskel with a tiny bonfire

 

October: Obligatory walking in Nature and Admiring Foliage.

November: Campaigning.

 Joyously voting for the First Woman President! gulp.
Photos of the slow drunken nightmare later that night are unavailable.

 Sigh.

 Happy Thanksgiving! ("Hi, my name is Lily and I eat about 6 foods, but one of them is Peking Duck. Go figure!")

 This is happening next June. Goodbye little boy, hello middle schooler! Hold me.

December: Merry Everything! Praying for Peace and a bit of sanity for 2017. 

Happy New Year dear Internets.