2016 Year in Review

I started doing a year in review post last year as I reflected on what all had happened in the 1 year time span.  I can't believe the time has come to look back on 2016 as we say hello to 2017.

2016 was a great one....we welcomed our 3rd blessing, Blakesley Ann!  2016 will always hold a special place in my heart.  I get a little sad thinking about saying goodbye, but I am confident that 2017 will be fantastic, as I truly believe that the best is yet to come :)

JANUARY:

In January I was 2 months pregnant and we told the girls they were going to be getting a baby sibling! After we told the girls, we told our immediate family.

FEBRUARY:

We told the world we were expecting Baby Fisch #3.  

Sonoma performing cheerleading at the West Aurora High School basketball game

Cora playing Shopkins

I was sporting a very noticeable baby bump

Marcus took Sonoma to the Elementary Daddy Daughter Dance

Exploring The Field Museum on a rather warm day in February!

MARCH:

We broke up the long winter with a trip to the Wisconsin Dells!  

We took another trip during Spring Break to Bloomington, Indiana and had a visit with Grandma, T Cousins Adair and Flynn and Uncle David & Aunt Carrie

Visit with Great Grandpa!

Family/maternity pictures

APRIL:

We celebrated Easter and Sonoma's 6th Birthday.  Spring weather arrived!

Spending time with Auntie K and Cousin Scarlett

MAY:

We started off the month of May by saying goodbye to our best friend, and dog, Dixie.  It was a very hard time for all of us.  Life still isn't the same and just doesn't see right without her.

Last picture of Dixie.  Oh we miss our furbaby

Dixie sent the girls stuffed animals from heaven

7 months pregnant and I traveled to San Fransisco to a leadership trip I won from Rodan + Fields

Sonoma graduated from Kindergarten!

JUNE:

We kicked off Summer with Marcus getting baptized.

Sonoma started USA Junior Olympic Gymnastics Training which resulted in her making the team!

Sonoma graduated to a new big bike, and Cora got a bike with training wheels.  Daddy and girls went on lots of bike rides!

We celebrated Marcus' birthday

Marcus entered his busy season at work with festivals

Cora started summer camps

I was busy growing a baby

Trip to Holiday World & French Lick:

JULY:

The best month of the year!

Happy Birthday, America!

We ate a LOT of ice cream this summer!  Baby really liked it, so we didn't hold back at all!

9 months of pregnancy!

We enjoyed the summer sunshine and amazing Chicago weather!

Sonoma did a little modeling this summer, but was mostly busy with gymnastics

Cora began her modeling career

And the absolute BEST part of our year, and the month July, was meeting our third blessing-- baby girl, Blakesley Ann!

So alert and beautiful

AUGUST:

August was the busiest month with Daddy being gone for Naperville Wine Festival & Indianapolis Wine Festival, as well as Sonoma starting 1st grade and me celebrating another year older while juggling a newborn + 2 other kiddos.

Indy Wine Fest

Sonoma was losing teeth left and right!

Daddy made the Indy news!

Cora celebrated her 4th birthday with a party at Oberweis!

It was fun to have so much family in town to celebrate Cora!

I celebrated my birthday too!

SEPTEMBER:

Cora started Preschool!  Marcus was still in event mode, putting on the Windy City Wine Festival.

We took our first road trip as a family of 5 to Indianapolis for Scarlett's 1st birthday party

Great Grandpa met Blakesley

Blakesley's 1st trip to the Apple Orchard

Marcus, Sonoma, Blakesley and I spent a weekend in Chicago for the Termini's wedding.  Marcus was a groomsman and Sonoma was a flower girl

OCTOBER:

We celebrated all things Fall and Halloween!  A favorite time of year for all of us.

Cora's 1st school pictures!

Smiling happy baby

Sonoma is in full on gymnastics mode, preparing for competition season 

Marcus and I celebrated 11 years of marriage with our first date night out since B was born

Cora was named a finalist in the Aurora Miss Merry Christmas contest

The Cubs were in the World Series

NOVEMBER:

The CUBS WON the WORLD SERIES

                              
  Cora was crowned MISS MERRY CHRISTMAS of AURORA!!

Cora was crowned MISS MERRY CHRISTMAS of AURORA

Visit from Grandma and T 

Visit from Mimi & Pa

Watching Cora ride in the parade at the Aurora Winter Lights and light up the city tree with the Mayor was such a memorable event!

November ended on a low note with our washing machine flooding our house.

Thanksgiving wasn't what we had in mind, but we made the best of it and were together as a family of five, celebrating many, many blessings.

We ended November with cutting down our tree and preparing to celebrate the Christmas season.

DECEMBER:

We made the best of the holidays with a house under construction the entire month.  Our calendars and hearts were full with lots of joyous occasions, celebrations and events!

My three greatest joys, accomplishments and blessings

Christmas with a baby is so sweet and special

The girls and I saw The Nutcracker and The Little Mermaid 

We took our annual trip to the city to visit Santa at Macy's on State Street and have lunch at The Walnut Room

We did Christmas in Indiana with my family one weekend in December

Sonoma had her first practice gymnastics meet

We got a lot of snow

Marcus had the State Farm Chicago Legends Basketball Tournament and was able to take a pic with the World Series trophy #jealous

Cousins!

We took a family trip up to Kohler, Wisconsin after Christmas and it was fun to get away for a couple of days and take a break from our house reconstruction.

We ended 2016 with health and happiness and that's what we pray for in 2017!  Goodbye 2016!