I vow to help you love life, to always hold you with tenderness and to have the patience that love demands, to speak when words are needed and to share the silence when they are not and to live within the warmth of your heart and always call it home.

Sunday, February 26, 2017

Looking Back on 2016

 2016 was such a crazy year for our family, again so full of change!  We started the year living split between Oklahoma and Florida.  Finally in March our family was forever reunited, and our lives have been turned upside down since then!  I said goodbye to my career in the Air Force, my husband is 2.5 years through law school, and I went through a intense transition from an Air Force Officer to a civilian in a very rigourous accelerated nursing school.  This year was so great for our family, and it's really reminded us what's important in our lives.  Through richer or poorer, we're sticking together and enjoying our crazy adventures!

January

I love kicking off the new year together!

First picture of 2016!

6th Anniversary Bubbly

Evey year we #optoutside of New Years Day!  This year we hiked Terraya State Park!




Then I turned 28!  We spent the day in Pensacola, then ate my husband's yummy homemade cake!  The perfect birthday.



Pensacola Beach




28th Birthday!

Then we had to day goodbye to Dad until March, so sad!  Kit was heading off to finish his second year off in law school and to find us a rental house to move into!




February

Soaking up beach days as much as we could together.  I also was deep in out-processing from the Air Force, so busy with paperwork, meetings and deadlines!






Dad sent us matching shirts!


Valentine's Day with Norah June!  We spent the day in my favorite little town...Seaside.












Pops and Nana came to visit once more before the move to enjoy Norah and the beach.










March



It's Moving Month!!


Hello Spring Break and the last visit from Dad before the BIG move West!




Last family beach pictures!




Seaside

Had to eat at our fav boat eatery once more!

Curry tacos on the dock

Beach Day






Toured a pirate ship!



Mom Dad Date Day at Seaside

St Patrick's Day!


See ya next time beaches!

The BEST daycare teachers EVER!  I cried on our first day and our last.


Finally it was time for the McVays to make a move!  My husband flew down on a Friday night, slept a few hours on an air mattress with me one last time in the house we made SO many memories in, in the home we brought our baby girl into, then drove Norah and I to the airport that next morning to drive our car back to Oklahoma!  We just didn't think Norah could handle 20+ hours in a car at that point.  It was such an emotional day!  Definitely the biggest moment for our family this year.



Goodbye Florida, 3.5 years went by quick!

Stretching our legs on her 9th flight, sporting the perfect onesie.

New Chapter: Oklahoma


Easter in Oklahoma!

Norah's First





Playing in our empty house!


April

Next, we celebrated Kit's 29th Birthday!




Kit's Bday dinner with a view

Last year in his 20's!

Darla made his favorite.

Our first Friday walkabout in Tulsa!




Grandma turned 50!




Barrister's Ball for Kit's law school!





Thanks Nana!




May (busiest month for us!)

Enjoying fun outings with Norah and exploring Tulsa.



Mommy + Me Yoga


Turkey Mt Hike

CrossFits with cousins



3 Generations
Finally Kit and I were both done with finals, so we celebrated with a hike at Natural Falls State Park!









Mother's Day






Zeus turned SEVEN!




Celebrated Norah June's FIRST birthday.  We still can't believe how quick those 365 days went by.










Then a few days later we took Norah on her first backpacking trip around Europe!  We visited Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam.

Paris:








Brussels:










Amsterdam:
















Finally we ended May with a McVay family trip to Roman Nose State Park.










June

I started my first semester of nursing school!



Gay pride parade


Father's Day

First baseball game


June 28th - Miss Norah started walking!!

July

4th of July at the lake with Daddy Jack and Grandma









Norahs first baseball game!





August

School started back up for my husband and I!  Also, Norah and Kit both came down with Hand Foot Mouth Disease!


My first IV!


Myriad Gardens in OKC

Skiatook Lake!


Zoo Trip!


My nursing school girls!

Music at Guthrie Green


September

Farewell Summer, Hello Fall!


Breakfast with the cousins

One last splash pad date!

Norah's first OSU Tailgate!


First OSU FB Game!

First Broken Arrow Friday Night Lights Game, she loved it

 We got to hit the Oklahoma State Fair!  The food was delish!


Donut burger



October

My 10 year high school reunion, can't believe it!





Our first family OSU Homecoming!  We had a blast walking around, picnicking on the lawn and showing Norah around!






Couldn't do Fall without pumpkin patch visits!





I finally got to accompany Kit to Oktoberfest, the beer was amazing!


Prost!

She loved the music!

My friend and I did the pub run 5K!  It was a blast!





Finally, our FIRST family Halloween!  Say hello to Hermione, Dobby and Harry!




November

Thanksgiving in Enid!








Cut down our first Christmas Tree at the tree farm!








Miss Norah turned 18 months old!  So sassy and sweet!





December

This month Kit and I both finished up our Fall semester, both successful!  Then enjoyed the hell out of 4 weeks with our sweet Norah all in Tulsa for the holidays!


Lights on Guthrie Green

1055 CF Christmas Party

Christmas Parade in Tulsa

Rhema





For Christmas, we spent it in Tulsa with just us 3!









Then off to Arkansas!









Lastly, El Reno!




WAGON!!!!!

Gym Rats





Celebrating our early 7th Anniversary at Vast!





This year was such a great one.  We loved living at the beach these past few years but loved reuniting more.  This year was such a huge transition for us and so many obstacles to hurdle, but we're doing it and kicking ass.  We knew living off student loans for a little over a year with a baby wouldn't be easy or stress free, but we're making it work!

This next year is going to be another crazy exciting one for our family!  Hopefully, we BOTH graduate school this summer (law school and nursing school) and we can finally start to build some stability back in our lives.  Norah will turn 2!  Kit will start his career as a lawyer and I will hopefully start my new career as a nurse!  Maybe we'll even get to squeeze in another move before the year ends.  Wherever this year takes us, we're ready and open to anything!