As I sit next to Adam on this early Monday morning, the first day of a New Year, I try to soak up the feeling of a fresh start that I just love so much. While yes, I know that we can and *should* be constantly evolving, evaluating, and setting new goals and that we shouldn’t just save that for a once-a-year extravaganza, I can’t help but embrace the excitement that the start of another year always brings. I think our morning is already indicative of what our year is going to look like: side by side, watching the sunrise, and striving for something higher. Part of planning new goals is reviewing the past and remembering the good, the hard, the trials overcome, the things that worked and the things that need improvement. Here is a quick reflection on what our 2017 brought to our family! I will have some “Best of” from Meghan Rose Photography coming soon 🙂

January:
We returned to the US from our trip to Italy. We spent one night with our family in Philadelphia, and then the very next day (jet lag and all!) we set out on a four-day-long road trip to Utah.

I prepared for labor  by reading books and organizing styled shoots and shopping at Costco.

February:
We welcomed our sweet baby Mirabelle into our home and our lives one February evening, and we’ve all been smitten by her ever since.

March: 
I turned 27. My celebrations were limited, considering I was only 4 weeks postpartum.

I did, however, get an important birthday present and a visit from Aunty Robyn.

April:
We went camping at Antelope Island. I forgot my camera but survived with a few phone shots.

May: 
My baby boy turned 5….and suddenly he was a “kid” and not a baby or toddler anymore.

I flew back to Maryland to photograph Sarah + Pat’s Edgewater Wedding and Amy + Drew’s downtown DC engagement session.

We hiked Battle Creek Falls.

I got to see my best friend for the first time in a year.

June: 

I celebrated my three-year-old’s birthday by going to the “underwater museum.”

We met my dad + Sheri at Bryce Canyon National Park.

July: 
I took the month of July off of social media. It was a breath of fresh air – literally – as we spent the first part of July roadtripping to Idaho and Montana and visiting Glacier National Park, Grand Teton National Park, and Yellowstone National Park. We also explored Tibble Fork Reservoir, got visits from friends we haven’t seen in years, kayaked in Deer Creek Reservoir and Utah Lake (gross).

August:
In August we made an impromptu trip to Idaho to see the total eclipse, which ended up being one of the coolest natural phenomenons I have ever witnessed.

I also ran in my first Utah half marathon and, thanks to the course being completely downhill, shaved about 7 minutes off my personal record. But more than that, it was FUN. That was probably the best I have ever felt after a 13 mile run. Incredibly emotional as they always are, but also just so proud of myself. I had trained for the race for months leading up to it, and all of those hours on the road had been by myself. Nothing compares to the type of meditation and introspection that happens during two hours of solo running.

….anyway, moving on.

We saw Lady Antebellum in concert (though in all honesty we liked their opening singer, Kelsea Ballerini, better!)

 

September:
September marked 8 years of marriage. We ran around the canyon and jumped into the reservoir (twice!) to celebrate.

The kids and I hiked Cecret Lake and discovered it’s not much of a secret here in Utah but it sure is beautiful. We also hiked Battle Creek Falls again.

In September we also brought home our “junior” – Kainoa. He is the complete opposite of our old man dog Kaleo (meaning, Kai is actually dog-like, whereas Kaleo is a cat/pony hybrid).
October:
We continued our hiking exploration and checked out Stewart Falls.
We also went camping in our little trailer for the first time. Once down the road on Utah Lake, and another time in Payson Canyon. We were surprised with a light dusting of snow on the ground.

November:
The first part of November the kids, my mom, and I all spent in Maryland. I shot two weddings, an engagement session, a workshop styled shoot, and 10 family sessions. We also explored the caves near Shenandoah National Park.

I participated in a fundraiser with the Tuesday’s Together group that I lead. We joined forces to help raise money for Operation Underground Railroad, an organization striving to fight child sex trafficking.

Thanksgiving was spent was both my side of the family and Adam’s. Adam and I got to see Katy Perry in concert. It was a blast!

December:
December was one long month of Christmas for us. We have four sets of parents that we were able to rotate around. I’m not sure if this will ever happen again so while it was busy, we still enjoyed it!