See You Later, Alligator... I mean... 2015.

The frenzy that was Christmas is finally over! I love Christmas, and we had a great time celebrating with our families, but the holidays are always tiring... especially when you add 2 small kids to the mix! We're talking a 2 year old with a seemingly unlimited supply of junk food and a 6 month old cutting 4 teeth all at the same time.  It was fun, but I'm glad that it's done!
Now it's time to wrap up 2015! What a year it has been.  What adventures we've had! Though we spent less time traveling than a typical year, we still managed to see some new places and enjoy our time at home... with a new family member!

In summary, here was my 2015:

In January, we took our first vacation away from our baby! I had mixed emotions as we boarded the plane bound for San Francisco without Aaralee. In the end, it was a great getaway and we had so much fun with Heather and Kor, our gracious hosts/tour guides.

In February, we had a bit of time and a ton of airline reward miles, so we went on a trip with Aaralee to Orlando, Florida. We took her to Disneyworld, and she discovered a love for the ocean.  We'd found out that our second baby would be a girl, so plenty of shopping occured on that trip!

In March, Ryan turned 30 on St. Patrick's Day! We had a couple of low-key celebrations with friends and family, involving scotch, KFC, and plenty of green.  I didn't take any photos of the festivities, just of our adorable daughter dressed for the occasion...

In April, we celebrated 3 years of marriage! Since I was very pregnant, we opted to stay closer to home to celebrate.  We stayed at the gorgeous Fairmont Banff Springs and had an amazing, romantic weekend... our last kid-free weekend until who knows when!

In May, I was the size of a house and eagerly awaiting the arrival of our baby.  It was a long, long month filled with waiting, and waiting... but no May baby.  Despite my discomfort and impatience, I loved those last few weeks of showering Aaralee with all of my attention as her only child days dwindled.

In June, we welcomed Briley Amelia! 10 days late, cheeks for days, and absolutely perfect.  It probably goes without saying, but June 15 was most definitely the highlight of my year. 

July was spent primarily adjusting to life as a family of 4, but somehow we managed to make it out for a camping trip... in a tent... with a 2 week old baby and a toddler.  Call us insane, but we had a great time.  

In August, my mom, aunt, myself and the kids piled into a car and set off on a roadtrip to Kelowna!  It wasn't relaxing, by any means, but we still had a great time and the kids did amazing considering how much time they spent sitting in the car. 

In September, my biggest baby turned 2 years old!  We had a puppy themed party and she was still singing "Happy birthday" for weeks afterwards!

In October, my Grandma came to visit from Ontario to help my mom out after her surgery. We all loved having her around, especially Aaralee! 

In November, Ryan was busy working away and I took a bunch of newborn photos, while everyone else had babies. We started decorating for Christmas and we got our tree the day that the tree farm opened!  

December has been a blur.  We've had Christmas parties, a weekend in Jasper, guests from Australia, a weekend in Banff, and Christmas itself! It's been hectic, but I've loved every minute with my little family. 

Tonight we'll stay up until midnight and regret it when the kids wake up bright and early tomorrow morning.  I don't know what 2016 has in store for us, but I'm looking forward to it! When you get to spend your days with your favourite people in the world, what's not to love? 

Happy New Year, everyone! Wishing you all health and happiness in 2016!