Ares, Cecelia, Family, Pregnancy, Rosemary, siblings, Spartan Race, Spring, Summer, Travel, Vacation, Winter, Zuzu

2018 in Review

Posted by Rachel Gaetz on January 6, 2019January 6, 2019

Cheers to the new year! So many good things are upon us, I can feel it! But first, a 2018 recap. The highlights, the good photos, etc. before we are in full 2019 mode!

Probably the most significant thing we did last winter was adopt Zuzu. She has been such a weird and wonderful addition to our family.

Last winter was definitely a time of hibernating and doing all of the indoor projects with the kids. Art, books, puzzles, movies, etc. Let me tell you, we enjoyed ourselves, but it sure felt good when spring hit.

Even though the cold months of the year kind of kill my soul, I did my best to get out, see friends, get to the gym, shoot photos, and give healthier eating a go (at least for a couple weeks!). Trying to do the same thing now that it’s January once again!

In the spring we had a fun day-cation at Chaos water park, Cece began losing teeth, and Joe took the girls to the Father-Daughter dance.

Our kids got even bigger! In March Rosie turned 4, in April, Cece turned 7, and in May Ares turned 1!

Joe and I also celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary!

Summer was a blur of so many good things. We celebrated Father’s Day, built a garden in our backyard, went to the zoo, took swim lessons, took dance lessons, went to the cabin, went to Chicago, and enjoyed visits from Robbyn and Azure.

Joe completed another Spartan Trifecta and I completed my first Spartan Sprint (it was ugly, but I totally did it!)

I also turned 32, yay me!

Easily the most memorable and most fun event of the year was our family road trip to Colorado in August!

In September, the girls boarded the school bus as Cece started second grade and Rosie began 4K for 5 mornings a week!

In the fall, we enjoyed the last of the warm weather, attended the MN Renaissance Festival, enjoyed some playdates, and park visits. I also got to visit and eat at Lat 14, the new restaurant Michael is working at. And I also got to enjoy my sister for a brief visit! I also shot about 30 photo sessions this past fall, it was my busiest fall and my most successful year in photography thus far (though I definitely have plans to grow and improve for next year!)

Halloween rolled around and our kids had a total blast trick-or-treating on our neighborhood!

Definitely a tough, but unforgettable part of the year. We discovered we were expecting again at the end of summer. Unfortunately just before Halloween, I realized I was experiencing a miscarriage. At nearly 12 weeks along, we were heartbroken. However, we’ve been healing up over the past couple months. Although this will always be a part of my heart that hurts for this baby we never got to meet, we are moving forward with life and are doing ok.

And just like that, we came back around to bundling up for the winter season! Snuggling, forts, sledding, and celebrating Christmas were the happenings during last November and December.

That’s how 2018 pretty much wrapped up for our family! I have good feelings and great plans for 2019 and I can’t wait to see how it all turns out. I also can’t believe we’re so close to 2020. It doesn’t even sound like a real year!

(Also linked: my favorite house projects and food/outfits/books of 2018)