I can’t believe another year has come and gone! I see so many social media posts about how awful everyone thinks 2016 has been and my heart hurts for those people! I mainly hurt because my 2016 has been phenomenal! Has there been frustrations, heart ache, things that don’t go exactly how we planed?! Absolutely, but that’s life. We choose to focus on all the things that we’ve been blessed with in our lives and year! So, I thought I’d share with you 16 of my favorite pictures found on my phone from 2016!
Without further adieu and in no particular order:
1. This was our first day on our family vacation in Branson! Not only were we excited to explore the area, but we were excited to be out of the truck too! Plus, it’s me and my three favorite guys, so what could be better?
2. Another from our trip to Branson! This was playing mini golf at Shoot For the Stars! It’s just one of the many pictures we took showing how much fun we had together! So much fun that we’re headed back to Branson again this coming summer!
3. R and track! He would probably say it’s his #1 sport to participate in and I would definitely say it’s my favorite to watch him participate in! I’m already excited to see what he accomplishes this year!
4. M and baseball! While I love watching everything both boys do, the thing I love most about M is that he could care less about winning or losing. For M, it’s just about having fun and being with his friends! And really, isn’t that what it should be about?
5. My flower garden! I love everything about my flower gardens and flower beds, but the lilies really are my favorite! 
6. Well, of course I have to include fall sports! I love watching football in general and it’s even better when I get to watch R play!
7. This was M’s first year of trying cross country and it was so much fun to see him compete! Not only was it fun to experience something new as a spectator, but I loved seeing him compete in a sport in which it was all about his performance alone! He was so good at it too!
8. New family pictures! I love having a chronicle of our lives together and of our family! It’s so amazing to see how the boys have grown and matured over the years!
9. This picture isn’t a professional one, but it sums up our lives perfectly! We’re busy, on the go a lot, but this is us and our family and it’s perfect for us!
10. Mmmm, a chocolate milkshake from the Dairy Barn at the Iowa State Fair! Not only is it one of my favorite treats at the fair, but it represents two other things…first, my love of food! Second, the adventures that T and I have together! The best of memories are made together!
11. Aw, Cristen (of Food and Swine) and I taking our, I mean her, show on the road at the Iowa State Fair! For the past two years we’ve been at the fair when Cristen is doing a cooking demonstration for the Iowa Egg Council and she so graciously lets me help out! I love learning from her and working with her! T patiently allows me this hour each year too which I am very grateful for! However, this picture represents much more and that are the friendships and relationships that my blog and social media have fostered! I love that! I have so many “friend” that I’ve never actually met, but love!
12. These two are my world! I knew that I loved them when I married their father, but holy cow…I could never imagine how much that love and dedication and devotion would grow over the past 5 years! I can’t imagine my life without these two and hope they know that I would do ANYTHING for them and always will!!
13. Yup, these two again! We clearly just have such a good time together!
14. You didn’t think that I would actually forget my fur baby, did you?! Of course Nike makes the list of my favorite pictures! She is definitely part of our family and she keeps us on our toes! We sure do love our fur baby!
15. Our vegetable garden was so fantastic this year! I love seeing everything grow and produce (well…most of it), I love working with T in the garden, having the boys join us, and sharing the produce with family and friends. We’ve already started planning next summer’s garden!
16. Last, but certainly not least…this guy right here! T is my best friend, my rock, my everything! He keeps me grounded, challenges me when I need to be, takes care of me, and loves me unconditionally!
I hope you enjoyed my favorite 16 photos from 2016! Here’s to making 2017 even better!
You did have a joyous 2016 and you are blessed with a lovely family! Looking forward to keeping up with you in 2017
Thank you! I’m so glad we’ve become connected and looking forward to reading more Charli and getting to know you!!