Wednesday, December 31, 2014

So Long 2014...

With mere hours left in 2014, I finally sat down to write our year in review post... only to realize that I have almost no photos from January or February.  Thankfully Facebook bailed me out of this one.  SO, here we are at last - the Gockley Family 2014.

In January we attend parents' night for the Warwick class of 2027.  Then realizing how close school really was, we booked a vacation.

 


This made us impatient in February as we counted down the days.  We booked our trip about 6 weeks in advance; I can't imagine how families who book a year plus ahead do it.  So to kill time, we did things like date night:
 
 

Even as the remnants of a stomach virus went through the family, we weren't going to be stopped.  Nearly 17 hours and 1,000 miles of driving later, we had the best week ever.  Then when we got home, mommy got her first new car EVER!  I am 7,500 miles in and still loving my Subaru. 
 

 
 
When we got back, there were many things to do.  April brought us egg hunts (at one of which Kayla won a new bike), a visit from the Easter Bunny, and the Crazy Days of April at daycare; both crazy hair day and mismatch day were big hits:
 
 
 
 May brought warmer weather, Derby Day, our annual trip to Dewey Beach, and the start of more big things.  We start renovating Kayla's bathroom a little earlier than expected, and Mommy interviewed for and was offered a new job. 
 
 
I started my new job in June.  This was a big adjustment as my commute time increased a lot, but we got through.  Not a lot else happened in June, but July is always a big month for us.  Our little Monkey Butt turned 5 years old in Ocean City.  We have a party for her at our newly painted (finally!) house.  We go to Avalon, and I cut a ridiculous number of inches of hair off. 
 
 
 
In August, Aunt Paula turned the big three-oh.  Even though she couldn't be home to celebrate, we wished her well in this big year.  Kayla goes bowling for the first time at her friend Laykin's party, and we count down the days...
 
 
Then September arrives.  With a mix of pride and sadness, I watch my baby girl walk through the doors of her new elementary school for the first time.  She also starts soccer this month. 
 
 
 
October brought us another wave of Frozen Frenzy as we go to Frozen on Ice and take our little Elsa Trick-Or-Treating. 
 
 
In November, we take a trip to Philly, Kayla learns about the democratic process, finishes up her soccer season, and we host our first two Thanksgiving meals in our new house, one with friends and another with family. 
 
 
 
 
Finally in December, we celebrate our favorite season, and Kayla loses her first tooth. 
 
 
 
Although this year also brought us some bad news and hard times, we are fortunate that the people we hold most dear to us are in good health and so are we.  As always, we have everything we need and a lot of what we want.  This year has been kind to us, and we are very much looking forward to what 2015 has in store.