2011 in review

In January, Ryan got 2 new suits:

and Brinley and I went to the mall play place for the first time on a rainy afternoon:

In February, I made a dress for Brinley out an old shirt of Ryan's.

In March, my parents visited over Spring Break.

and we also found out that we miscarried.

In April, we celebrated Easter with an easter egg hunt with some friends!

and my best friend Julia flew in to help me during my miscarriage/molar pregnancy drama! She was only in town for a few days, but it made such an impact on me and strengthened our friendship. We truly are kindred spirits.

In May, my wonderful mother-in-law Dolly came in for a week to also be a support for Ryan and I during his finals week. She was an absolute saint for being there for me during such a hard time. Her and Brinley really bonded this trip and she still talks about Grandma and the horsey game.

and Ryan finished another semester. We celebrated at The Macaroni Grill.

and we went to the beach to visit our friends.

In June, we went to Wakulla Springs.

In July, we drove down to Orlando for the first time, and attended the Temple. We stayed over for the weekend and had a blast as a family!

and I made Brinley a new dress out of old pillow fabric and a table runner.

In August, our bff's, Chris and Julia Marcum, flew to Florida and spent the week with us! It was a dream. We had a blast everyday watching our girls play together, staying up way too late at night chatting and playing rook, and of course, eating way too much Blue Bell Ice Cream! (ahem..Chris..)

we also drove to Charlotte to spend a few days with my family before the new school year started. 

we spent lots of time boating, playing, eating, and napping.

In September, Ryan and I went out for dinner to celebrate our 3 year wedding anniversary! (a month late). We got a babysitter and everything! Thanks again, Freya! 

In September, we flew to Portland to be together as a family for my brother's wedding! It was a wild whirl wind trip, but we had so much fun. It was such a treat for Ryan to see why I love the Pacific Northwest because this was his first trip!

In October, we went to Chuck E Cheese for the first time, and LOVED it :-)

and picked out some pumpkins for Brinley.

and went to our Ward's Trunk or Treat.

and my parents came for the weekend over Brinley's birthday!

In November, we drove to Charleston (where we honeymooned!), to spend Thanksgiving with my best friend Maricela and her family! The kids had so much fun together and we were glad to be with friends over the holiday week!

In December, Ryan wrote his finals and finished on December 16th. On the 17th, we hosted our first Ugly Sweater Party with our friends. It was out of control!

and then we drove to Destin, FL to be with Ryan's family over Christmas! We had a great time!

and after that, we drove up to Charlotte to spend New Years with my family!

and we had our first Murder Mystery Party!

.....

Basically, we drove around a lot. Brinley's hair grew like crazy. Went through some not so fun things. and absolutely grew closer as a family.

Looking forward to 2012!