2018 In Review!

I've been failing at blogging.

I told myself that I'd at least get Silas's monthly photos up with a little blurb about how he's doing and growing.

Yeah, the last one I did was 8 months. So it goes.

So here we are on New Years Eve.

We stayed home, because #parentlife.

Silas is in bed, and we are watching football.

I figured now was as good of a time as any to do 2018 in review!

January:
January involved me being VERY pregnant, and many trips to Labor and Delivery to stop Silas from appearing too early. This resulted in the nurses knowing my name and info the second I walked in. We also celebrated Chad's birthday on the 31st.



February:
...came roaring in starting at about 6:30am on the first when my water broke. Silas was born at 8:19pm that night! We were overjoyed that he was finally here! The rest of the month I was on maternity leave and we were navigating new parent life!

March:
Mid-way through the month I headed back to work with Silas in tow. It was a rough few weeks adjusting to having 4 little ones who needed me all day!

April:
...was the month of SLEEP TRAINING. We were at our wits end with his frequent night wakings and us both holding down full time (plus) jobs! We started Babywise with Silas, and it was a lifesaver! Total game changer! Silas also got the chance to meet my grandparents on the Kregel side! There is something so special about seeing your grandparents hold your baby! We were also able to take Silas to Circus Flora. Even at his young age, he loved it!

May:
We celebrated 6 years of marriage! My nanny kids got out of school, so we adjusted YET AGAIN to life with 4 kids home all day! We also took Silas to his very first Cardinals game. He was a trooper and even fell asleep for a while! We ended the month with hosting our Memorial Day BBQ.

June:
June was our first family vacation with a baby! We headed to the Lake of the Ozarks for Summer Regionals! It was certainly an adjustment bringing a little one! We also went to see Shania Twain for my birthday, which was the 10th.

July:
July took a more serious turn as we said goodbye to my beautiful grandma, my dad's mama. It was a wonderful week overall spending time in Texas with our extended family and celebrating the life she helped build for our family. Silas also took his first boat ride on the Lake! We also celebrated his dedication at church.

August:
August was back to school for the big kids, so we had yet another adjustment! Chad got the opportunity to go to the PGA Championship. We also crossed a concert off of my Concert Bucket List...LUKE BRYAN!!

September:
This month's excitement was split between taking Silas to his very first Mizzou Football game; a family tradition we hold near and dear! He also began swimming lessons, and he LOVED them!

October:
In October, we went to the Lake for Chad's 10 year class reunion and Silas got to see Daddy ride in the parade! We also went to our first Chiefs game. Silas loved it and didn't want to miss a second! He stayed awake for the ENTIRE game!

November:
FAMILY CRUISE!! Hello, road trip with an increasingly active little guy! We had so much fun and Silas did great! Chad also hit another milestone in his career, reaching Level 3! Silas and I are so proud of how hard he works to provide for our family!

December:
This past month was filled with Christmas preparations and family time! We hosted one side of Chad's family, as well as got together with the other side. We also had all 3 Dunham boys over for the evening to play! It was quite a house-full but so fun. Silas LOVED Christmas! I don't think he entirely knew what was going on, But he knew it was WAY exciting and didn't want to nap at all!

Wow. What a year!

Intermixed with all of these big moments were countless "smaller" but equally as beautiful moments:
(multiple foster dogs, spending time with our church, friends joining the parent club, etc). and the most lovely group of moments of all, seeing our sweet boy grow and learn!

People are exactly right when they say to "enjoy it, because it goes fast!"

We're already starting to prepare for Silas's first birthday!

2019 is gearing up to be a big year and we can't wait to see what it brings!