How do you wrap up a year? Well, Ashley from My Front Porch Swing, Jessica from Four Plus an Angel, and Robin at Farewell Stranger all suggest doing it in photos. From this, I learned that I don’t take near enough pictures.
January: My boys gave each other haircuts.
February: My then 4y/o and his first girlfriend. Oh, I'm in trouble.
March: My then-kindergartener's first art show
April: A trip to the NC Zoo and then a trip up North for Easter
May: #GEMomsperience with my Other Half @porchswingmom
June: A Month of Weddings
July: Lots of Beach Time
August: Lots of Pool Time
September: First Day of Preschool for the Baby!
October: Soccer
November: A Thanksgiving Roadtrip
December: The Tooth Fairy Made Frequent Visits
MamaKat from Mama’s Losin’ It and Natalie from Mommy of a Monster suggest summing up the year in blog posts. And this is where I realize that I probably have multiple personalities due to the different topics I blog on.
Moving On
Why I’m Proud to Be a Mommy Blogger
How to Make the Most of a Blog Linky
The Beach: Before and After Kids
Someone Else Be the Adult, Please
What a year it’s been! And 2012? Yeah, let’s make it a fabulous one! Can’t wait!
What great photos. It’s been a pleasure getting to know you this year.
Leigh Powell Hines (@Hinessightblog) recently posted..Moving on to Birthday Candles
You, too! xo
Oh yes, what a year it’s been for you!! Love the photos, and I’ve gotta catch up on some of the blog posts I missed!
Have a fabulous New Year!
Alison@Mama Wants This recently posted..Two
It looks like it was a pretty good year. The photos are making me miss some beach and pool time.
Venassa recently posted..Merry Christmas!
This is great! I loved all of your pictures and now look forward to reading all of your favorite posts! I participated in the 12 Things 2011 link up and had so much fun remembering all the good things that have happened this year! Happy New Year to you!
Jessica recently posted..12 Things 2011
Wow! He has sure lost a lot of teeth!
JDaniel4′s Mom recently posted..Mary Lee and New Year’s at Grandma’s
6 this year- 4 of them were in December!
It;s been quite a year! I love the pictures. They make me wish it was warm enough to go to the beach or the pool.
Evonne recently posted..The result of Christmas guilt
Same here! I’d love a beach day!
2012?? Say it ain’t so?? Wow, time flies when you are having fun (or raising twins, or losing your sanity, or trying to keep up with it all,…) lol
Looking forward to more fun in 2012!
Melissa recently posted..Our Christmas in Pictures
All such great pictures! Your 2012 resolution? Take more pics!! You used to have your camera with you all the time!
I know! I’ve become such a slacker about pics!
I may do this
A lot has happened in a year!
Great pictures though for real
Samantha recently posted..I’ve Been Sick…
Fun idea! Love this post!
Melissa at Tall Blonde recently posted..My One Christmas Fail
You did well for someone who supposedly doesn’t take a lot of pictures! What a great summary of the year.
Love that the first girlfriend has a moustache.
Robin | Farewell, Stranger recently posted..10 steps to a chaotic Christmas
Some months, there weren’t all that many pics. I used to take at least a few every day.
I take plenty of pictures, but 1. I don’t put them on my blog
and 2. I haven’t uploaded them and ordered actual prints in two years, so I wonder why I bother… Perhaps that will be my New Year’s Resolution?
Sorta Southern Single Mom recently posted..Writer’s Workshop: A Year in Blog Posts
I really need to print mine!
All these photos are so cute! You could tell your boys have grown up so much!
Isn’t it great to go back and remember the past year? It makes me look forward to a new year, so here’s to a fabulous one, as you say! 
xoxo
Brittany recently posted..Bunuelos: Bringing Back the Tradition
Each picture made me smile – a wonderful recap of the year.
How do we get more beach time into 2012, though?
John recently posted..Where I say “happy anniversary” in the only way I know how
Oh, how I love beach time. Even though I tend to go for pool time first. I can keep my boys all in one area of the pool a lot easier than I can corral them at the beach. I have to have help with them at the beach: 2 who have ZERO fear of the water and one who just wants to build things in the sand.
Oh, yes, beach time requires that I be far more “on” than pool time . . . especially since I fear that my daughter is, truly, fearless. She wasn’t walking when we were at the beach last summer, so she’d just crawl right into the water.
But, the beach is my happy place. And I keep telling myself that, someday, kids won’t require supervision every minute of every day…
John recently posted..Where I recap this past year
I need to figure out how to have some more kid-free beach time this year.
One winter, we lived on the beach and I loved it- the kids knew they couldn’t go in the water, so they would just dig in the sand and I could sit there and relax. I loved that.
Hubs and I figure we have probably 10 years til we can go to the beach with the kids and just relax.
Yeah, I’m thinking it’s about 10 years for us, as well . . . and it’s also about 10 years before we might be able to purchase a home at the beach. My goal is to have a vacation home somewhere close enough to the beach — rent it out to help pay the bills, but stay there the entire month of August or something (I’d, likely, have to “work from home” during that month, but I’d figure out a way to make it work), and then have massive holiday parties there for Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year . . . whatever we can muster friends up for.
John recently posted..Where I recap this past year
Oh, that sounds awesome. We live about half hour from the beach. I’d love to live right on it again- but that was sort of a once-in-a-lifetime 6 months when we first moved back to this area. House that would have stood empty all off-season anyway, so we rented it for a steal.
What a GREAT idea! Summing up the year in pictures! I think I’m going to do that. I’ll make sure I post that I got the idea from you, who got it from others, and so on and so on.
jeni recently posted..Low Key Christmas
love the year in review through photos
Oka recently posted..Prayer Request
There’s no way I could choose just ONE picture per month. I’m a picture freak! Just not on mah own blog :p
Happy New Year, Shell. Love you long time.
MommaKiss recently posted..Home for the holidays
I used to be a picture freak. Now, not so much. Need to get back into it.
Love you. xo
I am so glad that I got to read more of your blog this year. You are an amazing writer.
Cheers to 2012 and more home haircuts…for my enjoyment of course xxoxo
Kimberly recently posted..Look For The Girl With The Cracked Smile.
Thank you. *blushes*
My boys and scissors… it’s never a good combination.
Love all the photos. What a great idea for a year in review.
Happy New Year Shell!
Cindi recently posted..Wounds versus Scars
What a terrific idea! The photos are great.
Kris recently posted..Happy Holidays
The haircuts…I remember that and still dread when it happens here, which I’m sure it will
Great photos! First time here but I’m really enjoying your posts. Glad to have stopped by. Have a wonderful 2012!
Gin recently posted..12 Things 2011 – The Year in Review
Thanks for stopping by!
It’s so much fun to look back and reflect on the year isn’t it
??
I’ll go back and read ASAP
It is! Amazing what has happened in a year.
You had a great year:)
Jaime recently posted..A Merry Christmas
It’s been a good year…. here’s hoping 2012 is even better.
Jen recently posted..Got Illustrations?
I realised I take far too many photos – no way I could restrict myself to just 12 pics or 12 words!!! But I joined in anyway
Happy New Year from Ireland
Janmary, N Ireland recently posted..A Year in Review 2011
That photo of your guy w/his teeth missing- so adorable!!
I too feel like I have multiple personalities when I blog. I guess it’s just what we need, when we need it? right?
Happy New Year Shell!
Jackie recently posted..12 in 11- The Written Edition
Isn’t it weird how the act of blogging really illustrates the various emotions we go through on a rapidfire basis. The love-my-kids-right-upuntil-they-drive-me-nuts theme seems to be pretty common. God knows my blog corresponds with yours in terms of the mix of endearing moments and gonna-turn-you-into-kid-soup ones.
Jessie Powell recently posted..Notes From The Road: Caroline
Shell, I’ve so loved getting to know you this year! Your kindness and openness and transparency are a true gift {to me!}! xo
Galit Breen recently posted..Kissing Wonder
Love the picture idea… I may follow suit! Happy New Year!
This is a great idea. I just started my blog this January and I have barely made 100 posts. now I know a blog post that needs to be done in the next …yikes.. two days.
Loved your photos and I will be back to catch up on some of your older posts.
Ronalee Duncan recently posted..Re-birth of my blog coming soon
I loved catching up on all your posts, especially the earlier ones before I began reading. I just adore you and your blog! Happy New Year!
Jessica recently posted..Review of 2011
Aw, thanks so much!
I am freezing right now and hoping I’m not getting sick, so I am totally all over those warm pics!!!
What a great recap, Shell. Happy new year!
Andrea recently posted..I love being a mom.
What a fun year. I remember all of those things.
Loved seeing the pictures. I noticed that too about my posts, that I have multiple personalites. Oh well.
thanks for posting.
stopping in from link up
Such cute pictures! Love the one with the missing teeth. My 6-year-old just lost her first one a couple of weeks ago.
Sandy
momof12 recently posted..Birth Story: Prima Donna
I love that dress you have on in the June picture!
Nicole recently posted..Puss in Boots
Thanks! I rented it from Rent the Runway.
I don’t take enough pictures, either.
I always rationalized truth by saying, “I want to be in the moment, not photographing it. I’ll remember it in my brain and with words, not a single shot.”
But yeah. I wish I had more pictures.
Especially from back when my kids were still cute.
(Just kidding. Jack and Karly are awesome. And they may read this someday, so
)
julie gardner recently posted..Today call me present
Such good looking kids!!
love the pictures
Leighann recently posted..And then it was over…
Love your pictures and happy to say I’ve read all of those posts. It’s been a great year of blogging with you, Shell and I did notice that you were wearing flip flops in that wedding pic
.
They were my dressy flip flops.
I love getting this overview of your 2011. Genius.
Tracie recently posted..The Magic Room
Great photos! Your oldest sure looks like you. Wishing you an equally good 2012!
Jill @ Mommy Inconsistent recently posted..The Dead Battery Blues
Looks like you and your boys had a great year! Can’t wait to see what 2012 brings!
Natalie recently posted..He’s Bringing Sexy Back!
Oh, the dress in the June picture… I am in love! All such lovely pictures, showing a wonderful, busy year! Here’s to 2012 – cheers to a Happy New Year! xox
Thanks- I rented it from Rent the Runway.
I can’t believe how much your boys have grown this past year! Wishing you a wonderful 2012!
Diana @ A Little Bit of Life recently posted..Happy Birthday my Sweet Jellybean!
I love your year end recap. The motherbithes post had me laughing since I’ve been there so many times. I’m going to steal your term since it’s so perfect! I’m a new follwer.
Twingle Mommy recently posted..My Best Confessions of 2011
Love your photos and posts. I also believe I have multiple personalities on my blog but hey, that’s the real me I guess so I should embrace it!
Denise recently posted..Best Of 2011
Those pictures are just so precious! I really need to catch up with all your posts that I missed. Happy New Year!
Maureen | Tatter Scoops recently posted..2011 In A Flashback
Such great pictures! I’ve enjoyed getting to know you and your blog this year! I think their homemade haircuts look pretty good!
That was after I took him to get it fixed!
I love your photos…and that one at the beach is GREAT! Plus, I think your boys must give pretty good hair cuts…it’s doesn’t look half bad. LOL
Mercurial recently posted..A Final, 2011, Mercurial Review
Ha! That was after we got it fixed.
Wishing you all the best of everything for 2012 Shell, it has been a pleasure getting to know you and spend time with you at conferences … hope we get to do some dinner redo’s soon. Much love and blessings – Happy New Year!
By Word of Mouth Musings recently posted..12 Posts from 2011
Will I see you at blissdom?
You have the most beautiful little boys! So sweet!
I hope that you & your family have a wonderful new year!
Jackie recently posted..The year in pictures
Your boys are so sweet! Love this!
Hi Shell! I love the idea of a year in review with photos; it’s a lot easier and less time-consuming, but every bit as enjoyable
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Looks like a great year for your family. I can’t believe your boys gave each other a haircut…that is too precious and SCARY. Looks like it grew back as in the soccer photo their cuts were precious. Wishing you all the best in 2012!
Mellisa recently posted..In 2011 I was incredibly blessed.
Perfect end to a what looked like a perfect year. Well done, Shell!
Wishing you and your family all the best in 2012!
xoxo
Tonya recently posted..Reflections
Looks like the tooth fairy might be broke after the month of December.
Happy New Year!
Jessica recently posted..Celebrate New Year’s Eve With A Drink
I found some months I took a zillion photos and others, zip. I think that may actually be the best testament to how I was coping each month!
Looks like a lovely year – your boys are seriously adorable.
Angie @ The Little Mumma recently posted..2011 in 12
Your beach time looks great. It makes me wish summer was here again. Here’s hoping for a great 2012.
Samantha at ShesNotBroken recently posted..Pictorial Year in Review
Oooh, I need to go read the blog linky post. Happy New Year, girl!! xo
Elaine recently posted..Cookies are Always a good idea
Hello! i found your blog through farewell stranger and just read all your year in review posts. I really enjoyed them all and love your honesty. You’ll be a regular on my reading list. Nice to meet you.