The best photo moments of 2012

For the last two years, I've scrambled like a madwoman to go back and do last minute blog-catch-up on missed events before the end of the year review post.  I loved doing it, but it was super time consuming.  This year, there is just NO WAY.  I'm gonna have to cut myself some slack and just wrap this year up on the ole blog and hope for more consistency next year.

That said, I'm going to do my Year-End post a little differently.  I may or may not go back through each month and try to do a wrap up.  I've done a few, but running out of steam.  For now, I think I'll just end 2012 with my favorite picture (or two) from each month.  Enjoy!

JANUARY
A picture from Cbug's birthday donut outing

 FEBRUARY
February was one of the hardest months of the entire year.  This picture sums up the month pretty perfectly, and therefore is my fave!

And even though I hated the idea of posting a picture of my belly hanging out.  I love every single morsel of what this picture represents to me for 2012!  I wrote more about it in my post about the 1/2 marathon I ran in my seventh month of pregnancy.

MARCH

This picture from a random trip to the park is one of my favorites because it was an afternoon that I MADE myself take a break, waddle myself to the park, turn my phone off and just slow down to enjoy my babies.  I'm so thankful for that memory. 

APRIL
Our precious Little Bear joined our family.  And from the beginning, was such A BOY- not appreciating ONE.BIT this sweet moment between his parents.  I love this photo!

And we also celebrated my brother's wedding earlier that same month. The rehearsal dinner yielded this favorite EVER picture of the the only two girls in our family.  Love my precious princess!

MAY

When our biggest boy turned six, he took nerf wars to a new level with his improved arsenal.  I love his face in this picture.  I do NOT love how old it makes him look.

And as Little Bear was welcomed to our home, he quickly secured his status as MOST.PATIENT.BABY.EVER.

JUNE
We packed up to leave our home of 8 years and as we closed the doors for the last time, we took one last front porch picture.  AND Little Bear made sure we didn't take this memorable moment too seriously when he "marked" his brother. 

Also in June our princess turned 3.  She tolerated quite well that we were "homeless" during her big day and I love this precious picture of her blue-icing-teeth from her celebration at Grammy's.

JULY

If seeing our entire family dressed in cow "costumes" just to get free food won't make you smile, I'm certain that a certain baby who turned 3 months old in July can help ya out!

AUGUST
I always love first day of school pictures, but this year's were especially sweet thanks to these fun printables from "I should be mopping the floor" and because they were on our NEW front porch.  Libby's sassy pose (self-titled her "Princess pose") only adds to the enjoyment!

 SEPTEMBER

FINALLY, a picture of all 7.  We are so thankful that we get to enjoy our nephews and niece in our home one weekend each month.  During their September visit, we finally captured all seven of these little loves looking (generally) toward the camera and nearly all of them smiling.  This is a treasure!

OCTOBER
We continued a great tradition with  some fun-friend-photographers at the pumpkin patch and this year went "off the beaten path" to a random church patch.  It was PERFECT- few people, few distractions and FANTASTIC PICTURES.

But maybe my favorite picture of the ENTIRE year...
Our last minute, yet super fun, Halloween costumes.

NOVEMBER
It counts as one pic if I photo shop them together, right?  It was super hard to narrow down to just these three from our AMAZING photo shoot with "The Three".  LOVE these crazy kiddos and so thankful for the way these pictures captured them.

DECEMBER
As part of our daily activities for "Counting down to Christmas" we went to story time at GW lodge with some fun friends.  AND MIRACULOUSLY at half-past-bedtime, my children all acted like they like each other and smiled for the camera.

Which is a feat they far surpassed during this little Christmas eve photo shoot.  I think I'll start telling them "All I want for Christmas is this..."

Every.Single. Year.

2012 was a doozy for our little family in lots of ways.  But along the way there were these pictures, and behind them the stories that we'll always treasure.
 For those of you following along on this crazy ride with us...
I don't know whether this year was one you'd love to ground-hog-day over and over and over.  Or one you hope to pack away and forget.  But regardless, I sincerely hope your 2012 was filled with so many picture moments that it was hard to narrow down to 12 (ish).  And I pray that these are the moments you'll choose to remember!

ABL