Our favourite moments of 2021

Hello 2022, it’s so good to see you and to write my first blog post of the new year.

 

Well, it’s that time of year again when I sit down, look through photos from the year gone by. Reflect. As a family we chat about all the moments in the year gone by – the big and small, those that made us smile and ones that made all the difference. Together we make a virtual photo book of the year which feels like a great way to close one chapter and open the door to another. 2021 was the year we made up for staying home in 2020!

 

The year ahead still feels a little unpredictable. But, we have each other and one thing is for sure we really made the most of 2021 and plan to do the same in the new year and more. Continuing to appreciate life together, our ability to get through life’s challenges, laugh and love and focus on the little things. We have come out of some really tough and difficult moments this year positively and with a huge amount of enthusiasm to make the most of every opportunity. And here are…

 

 

Our favourite moments of 2021

 

 

1. Travelling to Greece

It is safe to safe that having the confidence and ability to travel to Crete during Covid was our favourite moment of 2021. It was number one for all of us. It wasn’t without its worries but oh my goodness it gave us the greatest memories. We all felt alive, were able to relax and came home full of so much excitement to explore new territories. This holiday filled my heart and I know the boys feel the same. There were incredible beaches, breath-taking views, beautiful buildings and towns, great food and places to visit that were quite simply spectacular. And let’s not forget the blue skies and warm sunshine.

 

2. George’s birthday celebrations

After being unable to bring his friends together in 2020 it felt amazing and exciting for George to plan his 10th birthday celebrations. The big 10. And whilst we made the most of his 9th birthday at home, it felt incredible to see him celebrate with all his friends in the great outdoors. It was the first birthday party for many of his friends in over a year and I know they all had so much fun together.

 

3. Watching Euro 2020

This one is for the boys. I didn’t mind it and of course enjoyed supporting our country but it’s not one of my top 10 moments of the year. I’ll let them have it here. They loved this time together so much. I did love hearing their conversations. There was face painting, garden parties, late nights watching games, School charts and so much excitement to watch some of our greatest footballers play for their country. It was brilliant to watch the excitement build through their eyes.

 

4. Our first solo Camping trip

This was a big step for our little family. And we are all so glad we made the leap from camping with our friends to going solo on our first Camping Trip to Abergele. And whilst we’ll definitely camp with friends again, we now have the confidence to go it alone. What fun we had. So lucky with the weather and Mr H found a great site with everything we needed on camp and off. Watching a movie together all snuggled up under sleeping bags that felt like duvets, early morning walks with Bob as the sun rose and making breakfast on the BBQ with Mr H whilst George slept all have a big place in my heart. Yes to more camping trips in 2022.

 

5. George’s goal in the cup final

Watching George when he plays football for his two teams, running in his cross country team or playing for the School football team gives us all so much joy. Gosh he makes us proud. He is relentless with his training, so committed to the game, crafting his skills and continuously improving. We are so proud. Watching George score a goal in the cup final was a moment for the memory book. His team were losing, he took the ball from one end of the pitch to the other and scored an equaliser, which in Mr H’s words was AMAZING. Yes in capital letters because we are in awe of his talent.

 

6. Watching live music

This is a big one for all of us. Most of all Mr H who just loves listening to music. George is following after his Daddy with this passion and so we have some huge gigs planned for 2022. All involving George Archie, he is going to have a great year. Mr H watched Sam Fender with his pals and we watched Jessie Ware together which was delayed from 2020. Despite feeling a little apprehensive about being in such a big open space, it felt good to listen to live music. This year we have Sam Fender, Ed Sheeran and Coldplay – what a year for live music.

 

7. Christmas

This came straight from George and I have to agree. Equally I am so glad it’s in his top 3. A huge thing missing for us last year was the magic that comes from the run up to Christmas Day, we were determined to make 2021 the year we made up for that and end it with a glittering bang. Well we did just that and had a wonderful month of December. Last year we missed our family tradition of watching the pantomime on Christmas Eve followed by a meal at our favourite Chinese restaurant, this year we made it! It was a great day, we all exclaimed – it was our favourite day. We booked in festive days out and even took a trip to London, which didn’t quite work out as planned due to Covid but we made the most of the trip and still it remains a highlight. Seeing the London Lights was without a doubt magical.

 

8. Cristiano Ronaldo

Well, this one is for the boys (again). Apparently something big happened for United this year with Ronaldo returning to Old Trafford. I still remember the announcement, we were enjoying our last evening by the pool in Greece, the boys were glued to the news. And haven’t stopped talking about him since.

 

9. Bobby Brown

Our chocolate Bobby played a huge role in 2021. He is a wonder. Deciding to raise a puppy so soon after losing Alf wasn’t an easy decision but it is one that I am glad we were so bold to make. He’s a joy and makes us all love so much harder. I didn’t think it was possible to love another dog, boy do you make that easy Bob.

 

10. Getting together with friends

Thank goodness we have been able to see our friends, reconnect with old friends and generally laugh and love together. There have been birthday parties, celebrations, dinner parties, play dates, days out and so many good times together. Admittedly we quite enjoyed staying home in 2020, it gave use time to reconnect as a family and slow down – to redefine the paths we wanted to follow with our friendships. That said, we all missed seeing our friends, casual play dates, making the most of unplanned get togethers and enjoyed making the time to see each other.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OUR FAVOURITE MOMENTS OF 2021

 

I am so very proud of my family. Hopefully as we push into 2022 we continue to learn from life’s lessons and grow as individuals and a family unit. I said this last year, I feel the same about 2021 – in some ways I am really grateful for the challenges of the last two years. Equally I cannot quite believe that the pandemic is still having such a huge impact and remains in our thoughts as we move into a new year. Fingers crossed there’s no mention of it when I write this post in 2023!

 

I would love to know your favourite memories from 2021. And now, onto creating new memories for 2022. New chapters.