2011 Was A Good Year

I know I'm late with this post. I know most good bloggers posted their lists last week, yesterday, last month. I know. But guess what? This is real life and I'm just writing this out now. So just go with it.

2011 was a good year. It started out peeking out from the darkness of a terrible loss and ended by shining a light on the possibilities of a new year ahead.

Here is a look (in photos) of my favorite year yet!

January

We spent the first month of the year with good friends. Gearing up for a new year and setting ourselves up with a positive perspective. Little did we know what was just around the corner.

February

This!

March

As the sun started to roll in, we ventured out to explore.

April

We headed out west to spend some time in our second favorite city, LA!

We played in castles with dear friends.

Took in the view.

Ate yummy things at the farmers market, after a workout. Ahem... (That's right. I worked out on vacation.)

And I got really into veggie burgers.

May

We found out we were having a boy!

And I started to look more like this:

June

There was a short lived (albeit delicious) obsession with thai iced tea italian ice. Yum.

Dining outside with pretty friends.

Belly!

Birthday fun :)

Cooking and baking every day.

And growing, growing, growing...

July

It was HOT and we tried to spend as much time as we could at the beach.

I made (and ate) gazpacho almost every day.

Friends enjoying margaritas while I drink water with lime. Womp womp.

More belly!

August

I started to look and feel more like I was in my third trimester. And also I was hot. ALL the time. Since I felt like a house, I dyed my hair red. Woot!

Our baby shower! Made possible by my sweet parents :)

A few more walks on the boardwalk.

September

As we got closer to the big day I was running out of clothes but I refused to buy any more maternity clothes so I came up with little outfits such as this one, when my bestie Shannon came up for the day. Interesting, no?

I made my own nutella! Really!

Husband celebrated his birthday in Greece! (Not really, just a Greek resto.) Wish...

I got really into pumpkin foods. Such a pumpkin kale smoothie. Healthy and delicious!

Pumpkin mac and cheese! Not quite as healthy but most definitely delicious. Nom Nom.

One of my last midwife appointments before our little butterball was here.

And then the waiting began...

October

He's here! Phoenix Hudson was born at home by the light of the moon. 

The very first photo:

We became parents...

fell in love with him...

and all at once, our whole new life began.

November

This month, our little sack of potatoes decided to stop being a newborn...

and become a funny little baby!

December

This is my favorite photo, out of all the hundreds we took this month. Our sweet boy. His very first Christmas. By the light of his very first tree.

2011 was not a year without challenges and tough decisions. But nothing compares to the joy and wonder that becoming a parent brings. Seeing the whole amazing world through your child's eyes puts all things into perspective and with that teaches you what to hold dear. 

I am so grateful for all these moments and the many more not captured on film. 2011 was the most life altering year of my life and I can't wait to see what's to come in 2012. 

Probably more italian ices and mac and cheese.