Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17
I really love reflecting on life and love that the end of a year and the start of a new one gives us an easy opportunity to do that. As I scroll through my photos starting in January of 2025 and going all the way to December, I get to see a snapshot of so much life happening in just 12 short months. My toddler growing, my pregnant belly expanding – and then my newborn entering the world, vacations we went on, friends and family we spent time with, walks we took, meals we made, lessons I learned; God provided so many beautiful blessings this year! Below is a list of memorable things that happened in 2025! I hope that my list will encourage you to reflect on your past year and see all the beauty God created for you!
JANUARY Finding out we were pregnant with baby #2 – What a blessing!! It was surreal and the BEST way to start off the year!
FEBRUARY A weekend with high school besties – We started February off strong with a trip to Kansas City to enjoy time with high school besties. An escape room, a trip to the museum, hotel lobby hangs, and lots of laughter everywhere. An absolute highlight for sure.
MARCH A few jaunts to Mall of America – We can’t live in Minnesota and NOT take every person to Mall of America when they visit us. We got to go a couple different times with different family members and each time did not disappoint! The best part? Watching our toddler obsess over the rollercoasters – We have an adrenaline junkie on our hands and it’s equally fun and terrifying.
MAY Visit to Chicago to see my cousin – Having a cousin who lives downtown Chicago is something I don’t capitalize on enough, but I’m so glad I got a visit in this summer! I feel so blessed to have a cousin who feels like a sister to me and an aunt to my kids.
JUNE Family vacay to Gatlinburg – This makes the list because it was a week spent with my parents and siblings&their families. We made some fun and hilarious memories and I’m always about adding happy memories to the memory bank. Gatlinburg though; The jury is still out on how I feel about the area itself, and I’m not sure I’ll go back to see what the jury decides lol. Dollywood was poppin’ though, I’ll give it that!
JUNE A cousin filled weekend in Missouri – We got to see my cousin get married and visit another cousin’s farm all in one weekend. I don’t get to see these cousins as often as I wish I did, but whenever I see them it fills my heart. Every time I spend time with them I can’t help but get a wave of nostalgia and remember playing cops and robbers in my grandparents’ basement when we were young. Some of my favorite memories!
JULY Sweet memories in Michigan – We spent a weekend with Alex’s family in Michigan. Watching my son fish with his papa was one of the best things I’ve seen in my 30 years of life. It was SO sweet, and my son STILL wants me to tell him the story of “me and papa fishing”, even 5 months later.
JULY Annual family trip at Walloon Lake – This is my all time favorite vacation we take every year. The week is full of family time, days on the beach and boat, and watching another generation fall in love with the place I love most – I could cry thinking about how much I love that place and the memories we make there every year!
JULY Getting baptized – I have felt called to get baptized for YEARS. Every time I’d go to a church service where people were getting baptized, my heart would beat extra fast and I felt the Holy Spirit calling me to do the same. I finally said yes and got the opportunity this summer to outwardly proclaim my faith in Jesus and my devotion to Him along side my husband, dad, sister, and brother-in-law while our family members watched.
AUGUST Watching my brother marry the love of his life!! – Getting to see someone I love so much marry the love of his life?! YES. Sign me up for that! AND I gained the best sister-in-law in the process. She is such an answered prayer and I love having her in my life!
AUGUST Family trip to Duluth – This was our last trip we took as a family of 3 and it was so so so sweet. It was exactly what I love in a trip – Spontaneous, full of hikes, lots of laughter, a few mistakes, and seeing God’s beauty.
SEPTEMBER Family golf outings while 9 months pregnant – In my opinion, doing anything while pregnant is an accomplishment. You got up and showered today? Amazing!!! You bent down and tied your shoes? Incredible!! So when I got out to the course and played golf with my husband and son with a giant belly – I felt unstoppable lol. It’s also so fun to watch my son light up on the course. The dude is obsessed with golf and it’s SO cute.
OCTOBER The birth of our second son!! – Pregnancy was rough for me, but I would do it over and over again to experience birthing and meeting our precious child!! There is nothing in this world like rushing to the hospital, saying goodbye to life as you know it, holding your little baby for the first time, and having a tiny human being rip open your heart to love in a new way you never thought possible. SO. FUN. SO. INCREDIBLE. SUCH. A. MIRACLE.
NOVEMBER Got the chance to celebrate my grandma’s beautiful life and reflect on her legacy – Saying goodbye to my grandma on this side of heaven was hard and sad. It was also a joyous occasion because we celebrated her going to her true home, Heaven, and seeing God face to face. It’s what all of us believers put our hope in. During the final weeks of her life, I reflected on my grandma’s incredible life and legacy, which points directly to Jesus in all areas.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER Spent two months in my hometown with family – I got to live with my parents again for 2 whole months while we celebrated the holidays. I saw family members every single day while I was there. Whether it was my parents, my siblings, my in laws, my nieces – Family was everywhere all the time and it was everything I ever wanted. Having my support system around me as I went through the first two months of postpartum was a true gift.
And that’s a wrap on some of my 2025 highlights! There were so many more beautiful moments this year. Seeing how many blessings God gave me in 12 short months is unreal. He is a good good father for allowing us to experience such joy in this life. I hope that you’ll take time to see all the ways God blessed you, too. It’s a great way to remember that God is still moving and showing up for our good and His glory!
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