2014 In Review

This is going to a massive, picture-heavy post. Are you ready?

January – The beginning of the year saw Doyce off again to his residency on Whidbey for a bit, so Aunt Patty and Aunt Barbara came out to visit and help me with the kiddos. We went to the Denver Aquarium, among other fun activities! I also went to Philly to the ALA Midwinter meeting, and got to catch up with my friend Jenna.

We also celebrated Sean’s 3rd Birthday with a Superhero Party!

February – We got some nice days, so the kids got to get out on their bikes, as well as play in the snow. I went to NY for a quick trip and celebrated my birthday with Maureen, Keeley, and Paula. And we were all sad to watch the Broncos lose the Superbowl.

March – More fun in the backyard, front yard, and basement for the kids. I continue to love teaching Nia at the Littleton YMCA with my amazing co-teachers, and put together a very festive St. Patrick’s Day feast!

April – More travel for me in April, as I flew out to LA for meetings and a panel at WonderCon, getting to see clients and friends, and did some fun cosplay photography, then rushed home for Easter! Lots more Nia, including a Blue Belt audit up in Boulder, and a great 52 Moves class at the Littleton Y.

May – The beginning of the month saw us home enjoying Spring in Denver, and fun where ever we could find it!

Near the end of the month, Sean, Zoe and I took a trip to New York to visit Grandma Kay (and work), then Doyce and Kaylee joined us for a weekend at the Jersey Shore.

June – We all loved going to Denver Comic Con this month, where Kaylee and I both dressed up. Kaylee also started swimming competitively, and we spent lots of weekend hours at the pool.

For the July 4th Weekend, we drove up to South Dakota for Doyce’s high school reunion, his mom’s birthday, and Zoe’s christening. Although Kaylee wasn’t able to join us, Sean loved playing with his cousins and exploring the farm.

Alas, we said goodbye to Dizzy this month, almost a year to the day of Jake’s passing. I hope they’re having fun romping across the lawn in Heaven together. We had a lot of fun with friends — going to Dart Warz, to the pool, to a Harry Potter Quiz Night, and a Star Wars birthday party!

At the beginning of August, we all went with Doyce to Whidbey Island for his MFA residency, and while he attended classes and workshops, the kids and I explored the island. Aunt Barbara and Grandma Kay came up to visit, too!

We also celebrated Kaylee and Zoe’s birthdays in August, and went back up to the farm in South Dakota to celebrate with Great Grandma Floy as well. Kaylee went back to school (4th Grade), and Sean and Zoe continued at daycare.

September – On our way back from the farm, we stopped at Mount Rushmore with the kids, and spent a lot of time the rest of September on our bikes or in the backyard. I flew up to an SCBWI conference in Montana, and got to see Big Sky County.

October – We went hiking, biking, to the dog park, playground, museum, and to the pumpkin patch this month! I even went purple.

I also took the next step in my Nia practice, and got my Brown Belt down in Colorado Springs with Nia founder Debbie Rosas, and an absolutely amazing group of fellow dancers and teachers.

For Halloween this year, Sean was the Flash, Zoe was Tigger, and Kaylee was a Zombie. I also learned some mad Photoshop skills, and won a photo contest.

November – I hosted the annual KT Literary retreat in Winter Park, and though it was a small group this year, we had a great weekend away. Booker and I continue to get to the dog park every week when we can, and I spent a day in Sean’s classroom. Also, Zoe’s hair is long enough for Momma to do pigtails!

Grandma Jo and Grandpa came down for Thanksgiving, and we introduced them to Rosie, our new hound who we’re long-term pet-sitting for a friend. Even though Zoe gave half of us a plague, we had a lovely dinner.

The first of December brought us Sean’s Holiday Show, and though it was not a perfect performance, he had fun, and he got to sit on Santa’s lap!

I also took an online class in Family Photography, and got some great pics of the kids in matching pjs for our Christmas cards, and got those ordered right before I headed out of town for another trip to NY.

In NYC, my author Stephanie Perkins had multiple events for her holiday anthology, I got to spend some time with Maureen and her dog Zelda, and went with Mom and Carol to the Matisse exhibit at MoMA, which was fascinating!

Finally, we celebrated Christmas at the Farm with Doyce’s family, and though I just linked these collages, I’m doing it again for the sake of completeness. Kaylee and Sean had a great time playing in the snow with their cousins, I got a new family photo of the five of us, Booker and Rosie loved romping across the yard, and Zoe was a charmer to all and sundry.

Grandma Jo hosted Christmas lunch, and everyone came over for food and games and presents.

It was a super end to the year!

Thanks for putting up with all the pics, and my need to get down a sort of journal of the past year. Looking ahead to 2015, we’ve got lots more trips planned, lots more fun to have, and lots more to do. Stay tuned!