Five on Friday: 5 Highlights from 2017

Hello, Friday. I could just kiss you right on the mouth.

It's been a snowy week here in the Northeast, which means school has been cancelled, work was called off, and the world pretty much shut down for a couple of days. Normally I'd be thrilled for a few unplanned "lazy days," but we are just coming off of an entire week of nothing but lazy days and I was sort of looking forward to getting back into some semblance of a routine and changing out of pajamas. Oh well! ;)

What are you up to this weekend? We are celebrating my brother's birthday tomorrow with a low key dinner and on Sunday plan to put all of the holiday decor away. I'm pretty excited to get things cleaned up and cleared out this year!

For the first Five on Friday of the year, I thought I'd share five highlights from our 2017.

1. Our annual trip to the shore. One of my very favorite traditions and our happy place, made sweeter every year by two little girls. 

2. 30th & 1st birthday celebrations. It was a big year for birthdays with Hadley and I celebrating milestones 3 days apart. We had our wonderful family and friends over for a big backyard barbecue and it was just perfect.

3. Wilmington wedding. As you all know by now, my cousin got married in NC in September and I was matron of honor and Carrie was one of the flower girls. It was her first time on a plane and a really memorable adventure for the two of us! The wedding was beautiful and it was fun to celebrate with family.

4. Hadley graduating from physical therapy and her helmet. Because of her torticollis and resulting plagiocephaly, Haddie began physical therapy and got her helmet in the fall of 2016 and graduated by May of 2017. It was quite the journey, but I couldn't be prouder of how well she did and how incredibly far she's come. She's the most active, perfect little 18 month old I know. :) 

5. Carrie's first dance recital. Although she's since traded ballet for gymnastics, going to C's first dance recital in the spring was memorable. Who doesn't want to remember their kid's first recital forever?! 

It felt almost impossible to narrow these down, actually. That's why it's nice to do a little year-in-review... there's so much to remember. School days, birthdays, holidays, ice skating, exploring new towns, day trips, baby showers, bridal showers, weddings, brunches with friends, Easter egg hunts, Santa visits, hayrides, fruit and pumpkin picking, fall fest, zoo trips, trick or treat. And then there's all of the ordinary moments in between: splashing in the pool, blanket forts, reading countless books all snuggled up, playing dressing up, summer walks, and so much more. The days are long, but the years fly by.