I can’t believe 2017 is drawing to a close, it’s been a whirlwind year for us as a family and it feels like it’s gone by inn a bit of a blur at times. It seems so strange now to think that we started the year as a 3, and now we’re finishing it as a 4. What a difference a year makes! Ben has been the most wonderful addition to our family - it’s funny how babies feel like they’ve been with you forever, and yet at the same time it feels like they were only born a few weeks ago.

It’s a year like this where so much changes that makes me so pleased that we manage to make the effort to take our monthly Me & Mine family photos. Some months are more successful than others, but however in focus the photo, or whether we were all looking at the camera, I love looking back on this record of our family. Both of our boys are growing up so quickly now that I want to capture them at every stage. A lot of my pregnancy was taken up with horrendous sickness too, and it’s often what dominates my memories when I look back, so it’s lovely to see photos like this and see that I did manage to get out occasionally, no matter how terrible I felt!

Looking back at our January photo I can remember this day so clearly. It was taken the day after we’d had our 20 week scan and told Max he was going to be a big brother, and he couldn’t have been any more excited! I think the look on his face just sums it all up for me.

 

 

 

It’s lovely to see the changing of the seasons in these photos too. March and April suddenly become very spring-like, before heading into summer in the next set.

I love our May photo - taken right at the end of May, so just a few days before Ben joined us. We look so strange to me now, like something is missing, and that little something is right there, all scrunched up in his Daddy’s arms in our June photo from our trip to Polesden Lacey.

 

 

It really is amazing how quickly babies grow - just in the three photos above you can see Ben changing!

Our July and August photos are two of the best trips I think we’ve had this year - the lavender fields and Castle Ashby and looking at these I must have been strangely drawn to the colour purple last summer!

September saw our first holiday as a family of four, and we headed down to St Ives, just as we did when Max was tiny. There’s something about being by the sea that I find just instantly relaxing, and we had a lovely trip away with lots of memories made. It was made special by the fact that Max - who has always been wary of the beach because of the sand, the water, and the wind - finally decided that the beach is clearly his happy place too. I think he could have spent all day every day there if we’d let him (sadly Ben wasn’t quite so keen this time around. There’s always next time though!)

 

 

October and November were beset by illness. Both boys have seemed to pick up every cold going, which hasn’t helped the terrible sleep situation which has become the status quo in our household. Both my husband and I had sinusitis, causing horrible tooth pain, as a result of colds that we just couldn’t shift. And looking at October, November and December’s photos, I should really step away from the burgundy pinafore dress and branch out fashion-wise!

Despite the hard going October and November, Christmas this year has been the best we’ve ever had. I’ve always loved Christmas, but since having children it’s got even better, and every year Max understands more and more and is more excited about everything. There really is nothing like seeing Christmas through your child’s eyes. Last year he came down with chickenpox on the 23rd December, which definitely hampered his festive spirit, and meant a lot of our plans had to be cancelled or rearranged, so it was lovely to have a healthier one this year and see Max enjoy it all properly.

I took very few photos on Christmas Day and although I’m a bit sad I don’t feel I got any worth sharing, it was far more important to take a bit of a break from being behind the camera. We headed out yesterday and took some last minute photos for this month on a trip to Cliveden to meet up with friends - I love these couple and they round off our year perfectly.

 

 

If you’ve ever read the Me and Mine posts and thought you’d like to do something similar, I really can’t recommend it enough. It’s such an easy thing to do, and even if the results are sometimes not quite what I’d have envisaged, it’s always lovely to look back on how much our family has grown. Make 2018 the year you start!

Wishing you all the best for 2018 - I really hope it’s a good one for you.