2015 Year in Review

As the calendar flips to 2016 today, I'm doing a bit of reflecting on 2015. What a year we had! So many new memories made, new destinations reach and of course, a new baby! I was also reminded that we are not guaranteed tomorrow so to cherish each day that we are given with each other.

Now, come walk with me down memory lane from 2015...

January

This is how we felt about January. Such a long, blah month.

February

The French Alps called us in February as we spent a couple days skiing with some friends.

On the 19th of February, my sweet Ashton Brooke turned two years old. What a joy she has been to our family!

At the end of the month, this happened for the third time. 2015 was going to get a lot more interesting for our family!

March

While we waited for the arrival of spring, our dear friends Adam and Jasmine from Houston visited us which meant we got to show them some of the London sights.

April

In April, we made our longest family trip yet when we went to Cambodia and Thailand. Next to the arrival of our third child, that was our top highlight of the year. What an experience!

May

At the beginning of May, I made a quick trip of three days back to the States for an Arbonne retreat in Virginia. It was the first time I had traveled without at least one child in tow in nearly three years. Given how much we've traveled in the last three years, this was a HUGE treat for me.

As a bonus to Geoff's birthday celebration, we found out we were going to be welcoming a boy into our family. A gift of a son it going to be hard to top on his next birthday!

We finished up the month in Ireland. They certainly don't call it the Emerald Isle for nothing. Stunning scenery!

June

I had my most British experience yet at Royal Ascot. It's hard to top fancy hats and seeing the Queen, Prince Charles and Prince Harry upclose.

Geoff and I escaped the girls for the weekend for our baby moon down to the Amalfi Coast in Italy. It was so good to spend time alone and to be able to have every meal for three days not involve cutting children's food!

July

Olivia's summer holiday from school started in mid July and we found some fun activities to do around the city to occupy ourselves.

At the end of July, we made our annual family trek back home to the USA to visit our families. It's always so good to be back in familiar territory where you (generally) know how life operates. And where you can gorge yourself on Tex-Mex and Chick-fil-a for a solid two weeks.

August

The big highlight in August was our final trip as a family of four and there was no better place to make it happen at than Disneyland and Paris.

And of course, we will never forget Geoff chasing down a thief on the streets of Paris.

September

After 8 weeks of summer break, it was back to school for Olivia and Ashton's debut.

Then my oldest turned five. I don't know how that happened, but it did.

October

In October, our family was completed with the arrival of Quinton Benedict Streit. I'm continually amazed at God's goodness as he is the absolute perfect addition to our family.

November

In November, we began to figure out how to operate as a family of five while doing it with limited sleep. I'm happy to report that we are still in one piece. Just with probably a few more bags under the eyes.

December

As typical, December was a busy month. Plenty of Christmas events at the girls' school, Christmas parties and other festivities kept us in the holiday spirits.

(Olivia is fourth from the right)