2016: A Year in Review

28 December 2016

As I suspected, having June born in January was such a treat for my logical brain, as demonstrated so beautifully by this post. What a treat to watch her grow from a nugget in my belly to the cheerful, funny, sweet little girl she is today in just a few months!

There will never be another year like this one, the year in which we welcomed our first child, and though sometimes that makes me feel like the sobbing emoji… it’s okay. The best is yet to come! Here are a few highlights of this very special year on Em for Marvelous and in our lives.

january-2016

Well, pretty much the first thing we did in the new year was have a baby!! (Oh yes, I did share my 2016 guideposts and vision board first.) June was born on January 7th, leading me to share “notes” from my hospital stay as well as the meaning of her name. John and I also celebrated our 11th dativersary, and I posted the first of many Marvelous Mama interviews!

february-2016

I celebrated a very sweet birthday with friends and chocolate raspberry cake in February. June also met her cousin Tegan and the rest of my family – such a wonderful week!! As we rounded out our first six weeks, I shared two more posts with newborn tips and tricks.

march-2016

The best part of March was celebrating Easter as a family of three! June also got to spend some time wearing matching headbands with her buddy Milly :) Even once John went back to work, I enjoyed every bit of maternity leave, especially our daily afternoon walks around a local lake!

april-2016

In April, we headed to Charleston for a last hurrah of my leave. We had the best time staying downtown, walking the city, and eating delicious food, all with Junebug in tow! My Mom came to stay with us for three weeks as I transitioned back to work, and we all took a work trip to Atlanta. We also planted our vegetable garden and picked strawberries! I wrote about thanking our postpartum nurses and our baby favorites from the first six weeks.

may-2016

May brought more work road trips with my Mom and June, including to the fabulous Greenbrier in West Virginia. We also had several visits from family, and we celebrated my first Mother’s Day! I shared my pregnancy book recommendations.

june-2016

Good golly, look at those rolls!!! June’s first June was more of the same — visitors and road trips, for work and for play. We had the best time in the mountains with the Henrys and clocked a new family record of six trips to our local u-pick blueberry farm in just a few short weeks — one of the best things we made time for all year. You can see much more from this month in the first installment of June’s video series, June in June! :) On EFM, I shared our five month baby favorites and our summer fun list, of which I’m happy to say we accomplished much!

july-2016

July! What a month! We spent the week of the Fourth on our beloved Island, and despite June’s first terrible cold, it was wonderful. We made another New England road trip just a few weeks later, this time for a friend’s wedding and a week with John’s family in Connecticut. In between, we celebrated that great Southern holiday: Cow Appreciation Day!!

august-2016

What a treat to spend a week in our hometown in the summer, showing June all of our favorite activities and places from growing up! We had the best, best time. On the blog, I told you about Lisa’s baby shower and a fun date night idea.

september-2016

The most exciting event in September was our first family camping trip!! We are already itching for the next one! We also enjoyed lots of al fresco meals, neighborhood walks, and playground swings. I shared our eight month baby favorites, all of the articles we’ve read in Articles Club, wisdom from four years of marriage, and we chatted about signature family dishes.

october-2016

In October, we marveled at the flooding from Hurricane Matthew (June from inside foul weather gear), had lots of family singalongs, spent the weekend in Asheville with my sister and her boyfriend, and donned the foul weather gear again to dress as a lobster, lobsterman, and seaweed for Halloween! Some of my favorite posts were written this month, including three posts on how to slow down time, a favorite home improvement, and the best cooking playlist.

november-2016

So many celebrations in November, including the magazine launch party, Thanksgiving with family and then again with friends, birthday parties, and more. You all helped me vote on a Christmas card, I shared how we plan our yearly budget, and we talked about Christmas traditions.

And finally, December. We drove overnight to spend ten days in Connecticut with our beloved family, and it was as sweet (and crazy – three cousins under three!) as we could have hoped for.

Friends, thank you for reading. I just love y’all – sharing with you, hearing from you, getting your opinions, and seeing what you’re up to. It is a joy to write here, and I can’t wait to see all the adventures 2017 will hold!

2015 year in review
2014 year in review
2013 year in review
2012 year in review

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December 28, 2016 7:47 am

I can’t believe sweet June is almost one! It’s been so fun to be new mamas together this year! :)

Sarah Shaneyfelt
December 28, 2016 8:13 am

What a sweet year!
MeetTheShaneyfelts

December 28, 2016 9:17 am

Happy 2017, Thomas family! 2016 looks like it has been a marvelous milestone year for y’all! :)

Natalie
December 29, 2016 11:07 am

What a wonderful year!!!

December 29, 2016 1:45 pm

What a marvelous year!! Loved following along all of your adventures!

December 29, 2016 3:20 pm

What a year!! Incredibly grateful for the blessing of seeing you and John become parents this year…and that we got to soak up your wisdom every step of the way!

December 29, 2016 3:59 pm

What a fun year! I have loved following along with your posts! Happy 2017 to you and your family!

December 29, 2016 8:53 pm

What an amazing year, Em! I’ve loved watching you become a mama and have especially loved doing it alongside you. Cheers to 2017 and many more incredible adventures, friend xoxo

December 30, 2016 1:11 pm

I’ve absolutely loved following along on your blog this year, Em!! I’ve especially loved seeing how beautifully and graciously you’ve become a mama to sweet June! :) Happy 2017 to you and your precious family!

Rob
December 31, 2016 10:46 am

Such a wonderful boon to add June to our families and spend time with all three of you throughout the year.

January 2, 2017 8:54 am

What a beautifully full, rich year! Sending love and wishing you all the very best this year. (And counting down the days until the second installment of June in June comes out!)

Laura B.
January 2, 2017 7:46 pm

What a year it has been! It’s been such a joy to read your blog and follow you on social media to keep up with your life. I’m so glad we embarked on the journey of motherhood in the same yea.

January 2, 2017 11:10 pm

Love this. 2016 was the year I got hooked on Em for Marvelous! Happy New Year to you and yours! PS: Is that last photo from Oakwood Park in Chapel Hill? A favorite! My husband and I lived on Oakwood Drive for years before moving downtown!

Em
January 3, 2017 9:49 am
Reply to  Molly

Hahaha, I love it!! And yes, it was in Oakwood Park – such a great one! We were there with the Terhunes :)