Looking back on 2015

If I had to sum up the past year in just one word, it would have to be “fun”. This year seems to have been all about enjoying time together, making memories and having lots of fun doing so. We’ve had so many fun days out and trips away; spending time with family and friends and completing various challenges along the way. Here are some of my favourite memories from the year:

Looking back on 2015 - Little Hearts, Big Love

  • Attending a friend’s wedding in Scotland and dancing the Gay Gordons with Jessica.
  • Watching the girls dancing along to the LEGO friends (otherwise known as the “fairies”) show at Legoland.
  • Finding all the Shaun the sheep sculptures in London and Bristol.

Looking back on 2015 - Little Hearts, Big Love

I’m thankful that we’ve had such a healthy year – a year without any admissions to hospital and it is wonderful to see Jessica continuing to do so well. It was sad to say goodbye to her lovely cardiac consultant in November and knowing that the next steps on the journey will be taken with someone new is quite unsettling. We don’t yet know whether Jessica will need her next open-heart surgery in 2016 – in the meantime, we’ll just enjoy having a normal family life and keep making those memories.

Looking back on 2015 - Little Hearts, Big Love

Jessica starting preschool was the big milestone of the year – it felt like such a huge step at the time (more for me than for her, I think!) but she has loved it and it has been wonderful to see her making friends and enjoying it so much. She has made me so proud this year – from the way she greeted the other children so confidently on her first day, to seeing her in the Easter concert; the sports day when she crossed the finish line so far behind the others but full of joy because in her eyes she was “the winner” and then finally, seeing her perform in the Christmas concert recently and realising how she has grown in confidence this past year. So many wonderful little moments and I am so thankful for them all.

Looking back on 2015 - Little Hearts, Big Love

Sophie has changed so much over the year too; I am starting to see more of the little girl she is becoming than the toddler she was. She is full of fun, cheeky, mischievous and strong-willed and to see her and Jessica together gives me so much joy. Their sibling bond has grown – the age gap between them feels like it has got smaller and they have so much fun playing together. It is funny how they are both protective of the other in different ways and to see how much they love each other is so beautiful.

Looking back on 2015 - Little Hearts, Big Love

Blog

This year has been all about learning more about what is important to me as a blogger. Blogging for me is about being part of a community and recording all the special moments as a family to look back on. It’s also about sharing my story as a heart mummy in the hope that doing so will help other heart families too.

Britmums was a big turning point for me – it made me re-evaluate what I wanted from my blog and why I was writing. I stopped getting hung up about stats and putting pressure on myself to join in with as many linkies as possible. I took a step back and felt so much better for it. I love blogging, I love writing and I love being part of the blogging community – but when it starts to feel overwhelming, that’s when I know that I need to put the laptop down and go offline for a bit.

 

2015 aims – how did I do?

I don’t really make New Year’s Resolutions, but I did have a few aims for last year

  • Finally adjusting our bedroom curtains so that they don’t cover the top of the radiator – done!
  • Sorting out the clutter and reorganising various rooms in preparation for Jessica and Sophie moving into a bedroom together – I spent a lot of time decluttering the house towards the end of the year. I might not have managed to declutter the whole house as I’d hoped, but I’ve certainly decluttered most of it. We did move Jessica and Sophie into a bedroom together too – I just didn’t anticipate that it would be through moving Jessica into our bedroom and having a family bedroom!
  • Potty-training Jessica – The first attempt was aborted early on as I didn’t feel Jessica was really ready, but it went fairly smoothly on the second attempt towards the end of summer.
  • Finding the last of the Olympic and Paralympic gold postboxes – All done!
  • Having a date night with hubby at least every other month – Whilst I don’t think we managed a regular date night every other month, we’ve definitely had more than six during the course of the year so I think we can count this one as done too.

 

It’s been a good year and one I’ll be a little sad to say goodbye to. 2016 is likely to bring changes and challenges – a new consultant for Jessica, possibly another open-heart surgery and the start of school in September. I want to enjoy the little moments, the time we have together before my big girl takes some big steps in her journey. I hope that she’ll take them all in her stride and that we’ll continue to create happy memories as a family together.

Looking back on 2015 - Little Hearts, Big Love

12 thoughts on “Looking back on 2015

    1. Thank you Caroline – it was lovely to look back on it all. Hope 2016 will be a good year for you and your family too 🙂

  1. Your year has been jam packed! This is a lovely post looking back at the recorded life of your lovely family. It looks like a great year, lots of time spent together and some big decisions made. It has also been lovely meeting you again a few times this year too. Who would’ve thought your paths would cross this way
    Wishing you and your family happiness and joy in 2016. Xx xx

    1. Thank you Tracey – it has been so lovely meeting you again this year too – amazing the unexpected ways that paths can cross sometimes! Hope 2016 will be a wonderful year for you and your family 🙂

  2. Gorgeous round up hon, what a great year it’s been! I love your positivity about what will come in 2016, your zest for life is contagious lovely lady. Here’s to another awesome year xxx

    1. Thank you Reneé, it was lovely to look back over the year and remember all the fun times. Hope 2016 will be a good year for you and your family x

    1. Thank you Kim – it was lovely to look back on it all. Wishing you and your family all the best for 2016 too 🙂

    1. Thanks Sara – glad you’ve enjoyed taking that step back too! Hope that 2016 will be a fab year for you and your family x

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