2017 Year End Review
It’s crazy how taking the time, to look back at your year allows you to reflect on so many great memories, and a few tough ones as well. Although this post is pretty long and maybe even a bit messy, I put a good bit of work in it, with a few stops while dealing with my toddler. I am super happy I did this.
January
I can't think of a better way to have brought in the new year than a child-less date with my husband, chopping all my hair off, and VEGAS!! My hair was so overgrown and thick from neglect to myself, but it was time for a change! I chopped off around 13 or 14 inches, I don't remember, but I did donate it! I was beaming from ear to ear, I felt like a new woman!! After getting my hair done I went on a date with my husband for the first time in a super long time and it was just such a great day, I am so happy I am able to reflect back on it.
My best friend since middle school got married last year, and for her bachelorette party she went BIG! Haha, so viva Las Vegas it was! This was my first, and still my only time I have left Ellie overnight for more than one day. It was a blast, and I am definitely glad I had the experience, but I wouldn't say Vegas is really my ideal getaway. And is it sad that the one place that excited me the most was the Taco Bell club? Yes, you heard right....alcoholic Baja Blasts for the win!!!
February
February in Louisiana?!? Oh, you mean Mardi Gras! My husband was still away at his training academy, so thankfully he was able to come home most weekends and attend the MANY parades we went to. This was our first year celebrating Mardi Gras and actually going to parades as a family, and what was supposed to be just one small parade ended up being us going to as many as possible because Ellie loved them so much! February is also the hubbys birthday month, but with him being away we really didn't celebrate Valentines Day or his birthday this year! We will definitely do more this February though!!
March
This was sort of a slow month for us, a lot of days at the park and just keeping Ellie busy. It was the month of my best friends wedding, I was the maid of honor and Ellie was a flower girl. Javie was off that weekend from training and was able to come with us too, it was a nice night and I was so happy to see my childhood bestie walk down that aisle!
One of the best highlights of the month was our big DIY project! We bought a play house used for $40, it was in good condition just a little faded and discolored. After a really good scrub down, and a run to walmart, we painted and revamped it to Ellie’s style. This playhouse is an everyday staple. Ellie plays in it all the time. Totally worth it.
April
This month was such a significant month because my husband finally graduated his training academy! It was the longest 7 months of my life!! Seriously, it was hard!!!! Our finances had us stretched thin, I was lonely, and depressed most of the time. It was hard, but it was worth it. I am so proud of him for all that he has accomplished.
It was also Ellie’s first Easter egg hunt!! Little fun fact: my darling child chose to wait until she was 16....yes, you read that right...16 months old to start walking. It was incredibly frustrating, and the doctor told us that she was super strong and completely capable of walking, she just simply, didn't want to. STUBBORN. Anyway, because of her not walking, we skipped an Easter egg hunt the previous year. Can you believe the child in this picture is still only 1 year old? She is so big!!!
May
This was a busy month for us! There was a lot going on in our community at the time, and we were so happy to have my husband home we were doing everything we could!
Disney on Ice, was a last minute ticket purchase, and probably one of the best things I could have done. I have been to Disney World, and I am a HUUUUGGEE Disney fan, like I mean huge. Well, my daughter is just as big of a fan as me. She loves it. So the tickets were decently priced and my husband just so happened to be off the day that it was in town, so we made a day of it. I cried my eyes out, like legit ugly face crying, uncontrollably. I have never seen my child’s face light up like it did that day. When she saw her favorite characters come out and she screamed and clapped her hands, I just lost it. Hahaha. Needless to say, we are currently in the works of planning a Disney trip soon, and plan on going to this years Disney on Ice, it was awesome.
We also went to the USS Kidd, which is an old war ship that has just been docked in Baton Rouge and is now a museum. They had an old Spanish ship that was in town as well, and it was a pirate and princess themed event, really nice, and we have been back to the USS Kidd twice since then.
And finally, a local nature center threw a “Fae Fest”, which is sort of like a fairy festival and kind of just teaches kids about nature. It was such an incredible day for me because I realized how much my child loves nature. She loves animals, and flowers, and really really loves fairies (tinker bell). They had a few fairy gardens on display for the kids to play in, and Ellie didn't want to leave them, so I told my husband about it, and the next day we turned an old kiddie pool and tire into a fairy garden for her.
June
Ellie met the Trolls!! For most of the year, I think we watched Trolls and only Trolls. The dvd no longer works, and its still currently on Netflix, but she has stopped watching it as much. But this movie was a huge part of our year in 2017, and her meeting the Trolls was definitely a highlight!
We also made a super life changing decision this month and it was totally unplanned...we adopted a dog! Ellie likes animals and we were just wasting time one day and decided to stop inside PetSmart and just take a look around, well it was adoption day. Yep. So we tried to avoid looking at the dogs, because it always makes me sad, but they were barking and Ellie wanted to see the puppies. There he was in this little kennel, I made eye contact with him and turned to my husband and told him, “ I can't leave this store, without that dog.” My husband looked at me and said, “ I can't either.” We paid our $50 and left the store with a new family member. BEST. DECISION. EVER. We named him Max, and he and Ellie have a bond like no other, he is a sweet, caring, protective, playful ball of energy and I am so happy God made us go to PetSmart that day.
July
This month Ellie finally made the switch from her mini crib to a toddler bed and it was a really good decision. Ellie never tried to escape her crib and she never stood up in her crib, she always slept through the night, she was a perfect sleeper. Her room is not the biggest, and I felt like the had so many other things in her room, that I should try to save on some space, so I ordered a mini crib instead of a full sized crib. It was a great purchase and it was honestly the perfect size but I did not expect my 1 year old to be the size of most 3 and 4 year olds, so it was time to upgrade. She has done really well with it.
Our only family vacation this year was a road trip to Texas. My best friend, my dad, and my in-laws all live in Texas, so it was the most budget friendly vacation. We stopped first in San Antonio to see my friend, we walked the riverwalk, ate a giant cinnamon roll, and went to rainforest cafe. Then we went to Mcallen, which is basically the border to Mexico (my in-laws are hispanic) and visited with my husbands family, and ate and ate and ate and ate. Haha. Then we went to Freeport, which is where my dad lives currently, and we went to the beach and spent time with my dad. It was a nice, relaxing, and a cheap vacation. Oh, almost forgot, we gained another family member...my father in law bought Ellie a pet rabbit (can you spot him in the last picture?) his name is Bunny. So original.
August
Ellis first trip to the movie theater. I had a lot of anxiety about taking my toddler to the theater because I always heard horror stories about how kids act during a movie. I knew how much she loved movies and how she watches them at home so I hoped for the best, but was prepared for the worst. She did amazing. She sat through and watched the whole thing, we went to Movie Tavern so she ate her food as well. We have brought her a few times since then, and she has done perfect for all of them.
A few weeks later we brought her to a children’s museum and I realized how much she loves painting, and we later got her an easel and paint set....that she uses almost every single day.
And the most important event of this entire month was that my baby turned TWO. She had her birthday party at the zoo, because of her love for animals. She had lots of family and friends there to celebrate. And since her birthday fell on a weekday, we threw her a surprise birthday tea party in her room the day of her birthday. It was just Ellie, my husband, and me but it was a special day.
September
My baby started school! Well, technically its a Mother’s Day Out program and its 2 days a week for 4 hours. It was hard, for the first 2 months, drop off was terrible she would scream and I would always leave really upset. After some time, she began to love it. Now she can't wait to go to school. She has improved so much in such a small amount of time. Everything from her social skills to her speech. I am so happy I decided to put her in this program.
Two of our really good friends got married this month as well, my husband was the best man, I was a bridesmaid, and Ellie was a flower girl. Ellie did terrible. TERRRRRRIIBLLE. She didn't do what she was supposed to do, and I ended up having to leave the reception and bring her to a babysitter so we could enjoy the rest of our night. It was terrible, and Ive never had to do anything like that before. Besides all of that, it was a beautiful wedding and fun reception and we were super happy to be part of our friends big day.
October
October is always the busiest month for us, and it probably always will be. There is just so much to do in October, and we do it all! Every year we do a costume theme as a family, first year it was superheroes, last year was pirates, and this year was Beauty and the Beast. We love to dress up!! And of course fall is not fall without a visit to the pumpkin patch, the corn maze, and carving some good ole pumpkins. We love fall and love Halloween in the Bazaldua household, and can't wait for next year.
November
November was a tough month this year. Our families did not get together like they usually do, and I felt like Thanksgiving was just pushed to the side this year. We had a bit of a family heartbreak, that we haven't really been able to talk about yet and it just wasn't a very great month for us. It seemed like we just wanted November to be over with, so we took pictures with Santa and this was our first year introducing Coco the Elf on the Shelf, which was magical! I don't really understand why parents get so angry at the whole Elf on the Shelf thing, I found it exciting and so beautiful how excited Ellie would get every morning and thought it was a wonderful thing to have around. It really helped bring some magic and joy of Christmas into our house.
December
We had a snow day!! In south Louisiana!! We just couldn't keep our cold butts inside, it was just too much fun! Such a memorable moment. And Ellie fell in love with snowmen this year, she gets so excited to see them...anywhere, and will scream out a “Snomo” anytime she sees one.
Ellie is also super obsessed with castles and anything princess-like. We have a picture of us when we were dating on our living room wall in front of the St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans. Well Ellie is always talking about the “castle” in the picture, and we promised her that when we went to see the Christmas lights (our tradition) that we would take her to the castle. As you can see in the picture that follows, she was speechless and really felt like she was in a castle. This is something I will never forget, I truly felt like I won at parenting this day.
And finally I ended this lovely year with God. This year a lot has happened, but I have also grown closer to God. My birthday is on Christmas Eve, and yes it stinks because it has always been forgotten in the midst of all the holiday festivities, but it has always been such a special time for me. I love that I get to have a birthday during such a beautiful and loving time. Every year we go to the candle lighting at our church for Christmas Eve, and this year it was bigger and better than ever, and I was so happy that it was Ellie’s first time witnessing it. I am so blessed for this year, for my family, and for a God so wonderful.
Happy New Year!! 2018 is going to be the best one yet!
