TwentyThirteen {A Lookback}

2013 was HUGE for our family! 

I remember New Years last year so well and I remember thinking how exciting the new year would be after having our son. I imagined watching gunner grow up and all the fun things we would do as a family of three, including having our big wedding in June (that is now on the back burner for a few years). Little did I know 2013 had MUCH bigger plans for our little family! 

&& Here we are now, one year later breaking into a new year, and with a NEW newborn! Insane. 

Here's a look back at my favorite memories that 2012 brought us. 

JANUARY

- First New Years as a family of THREE! We visited uncle Chris at the studio then came home and watched the ball drop. 

- Last month of my maternity leave 

- Gunner started teething (way early!) 

FEBRUARY

- Went back to work and dad changed his work schedule to working only weekends and nights. 

- Valentines Day (my most favorite day of the year!) I surprised Rick with post-it hearts in the bathroom & he surprised me with a gigantic card in my car. After work we had our favorite dinner of round table & apple cider toasts. 

- I had a small car accident with gunner in the car and FREAKED out. I still am so thankful neither of us were hurt all day. I was so shaken up I took gunner to work with me the rest the day. 

- Started searching for my wedding dress. (We ended up pushing the big wedding back though) 

- Gunner had his first photo session

MARCH

- Persian New Years! We celebrated twice: once at my grandma's house and then again at my cousin Ahmad & his wife Sara's house. 

- Easter fell in March this year so we celebrated at my mom's house in the afternoon then went to rick's moms house for a prime rib dinner at night. Gunner got spoiled by the Easter Bunny and got 100 plastic eggs! Which he ended up playing with until close to august! 

- FOUND OUT WE WERE PREGNANT! Huge surprise. Huge. Id lie if I said I wasn't freaked out at first, but our fears turned to excitement and we began to prepare for a new addition to our little family!  

APRIL 

- After teething for a couple months, Gunners very first tooth broke through!

- We both met our first celebrity! After a couple weeks of trying, I win a contest and got to meet JWOWW & Roger from the jersey shore! I invited a couple friends and gunner came to and got a signed poster from JWOWW and roger complimented him on his t-shirt! 

- We announced to everyone that we were expecting!

MAY

- My mom surprised me with a trip to Santa Cruz for my 24th birthday and we took Gunner and spent the day at the Boardwalk and the ocean.

- We had our first night apart from Gunner when Rick surprised me with a trip to Tahoe for our very first wedding anniversary. 

- My very first Mothers Day! Since Rick was working, I spent the morning with my mom, had a big family lunch and then we went to ricks moms for a nice dinner.

- Dad got a new motorcycle! He used to have three and has wanted a new one for awhile and finally bought himself one. Hot dad status! 

- We found out we were going to be having a GIRL! Due on Halloween. 

JUNE

- Ricks first Fathers Day! Since he has to work we made him breakfast in bed and then gave him all his presents before he went to work. Gunner and I spent the day with my dad, uncle & Karin in Okd Sac and took our very first train ride. 

- Gunner went swimming! A lot too! 

- We got to see our little girl for the first time (she never was in a good position before) at our 20 week anatomy scan and Gunner came and met his sister. 

- Gunner moved to the crib and was totally crib trained this month 

JULY

- I got my new car! A Honda Pilot. It's a crossover SUV and such a beauty! And three rows so tons of space for the kids and me.. Rick spoiled us :)

- Gunners first experience with fireworks on 4th of July and he loved watching them all night at ricks moms house. 

- Gunners 9 month photo session 

- John Mayer concert with Rick. This was our second time seeing him live and he didn't disappoint 

- We took Gunner to the state fair and watched a pig be born 

- Gunner said his first word: "Dada" 

AUGUST

- I took my dad to the 49er game in San Francisco for his birthday. First football game I'd ever been to. 

- We asked Dennis & Jamie to be McKenzie's godparents 

- Gunner took his very first steps! 

SEPTEMBER

- We took our very first family photos together and maternity photos :)

- We went and got Kenzie's 3D ultrasound done and the ultrasound tech got to meet gunner after doing his 3D photos a year prior 

- My baby shower! It was at Ricks moms house and on one of the only days it poured rain this year. It was a ton of fun still and Kenzie got totally spoiled. 

- I threw rick a surprise "man shower" and all his friends came and brought diapers for the "beer&diaper" theme 

OCTOBER 

- Gunner tried cake for the very first time during his cake smash photos for his birthday invitations 

- Gunner also had his12 month photo session

- Gunner started walking by himself 

- I went on maternity leave 

- First trip to the pumpkin patch with gunner. We picked out pumpkins and carved them later that week. 

- Gunners first Halloween. He dressed as a sock monkey and I wore a sock monkey onesie, which ended up being what I wore when my water broke during trick or treating!

November 

- McKenzie was born November 1st at 2:34 PM at 7lb. 9oz and 19.5" long 

- Gunners birthday was on the 3rd and we had a small party with our parents and grandparents for him 

- We threw Gunner a big birthday party the following weekend at the park by our house and he got so many gifts he had to keep opening them the next morning because he fell asleep so early the day of his party. 

- McKenzie got her newborn photos taken at 10 days old 

- We celebrated our first thanksgiving as a family of FOUR. I made the turkey dinner at our house for my side of the family, then we went to ricks moms house that evening. 

- Rick and I went Black Friday shopping that night and got the kids shopping completely done! (We shopped for 7 hours total before picking the kids up nd going home to bed) 

DECEMBER 

- We bought our very first real Christmas tree! Gunner picked it out and it was the cutest little tree. He kept laughing at it and trying to hug it at the tree lot, so that was the winner. Rick decorated it that night and decorated the whole house with lights inside. 

- Gunner & McKenzie went and seen Santa at the mall. Gunner was terrified and Kenzie slept through the whole thing. 

- I hosted my very first "favorite things" party and six of us girls got together for our first Christmas gift exchange.  

- Family paint night where gunner finger painted canvases and Kenzie added her footprints, gave them as Xmas gifts 

- We took the kids to see Christmas lights in Natomas 

- Christmas Eve at Karin's house with my whole family. Then rick and I spent the night putting the gifts under the tree and all the kids surprises.  

- Christmas! We spent it the morning at our house, afternoon at ricks grandparents and evening at ricks moms house. 

- My first niece Paige was born the day after Christmas and I got the watch her be born. 

- New Year's Eve we celebrated at our house and had a few friends & family over for dinner and to ring in the new year together. 

2013 was one for the books! Amongst those great memories, were so many others left unsaid. Including going through pregnancy with more than SIX of my closest friends! I don't think I ever imagined being pregnant again this year, and as difficult as it was at times - sharing it with my bestest friends, was such a uniquely special experience. Not only did we share pregnancy, we all welcomed our babies into the world this year. I watched almost all my friends' families grow and expand and there was nothing more special. Now both my kids will have a whole group of babies to grow up together with, and there's nothing better than that! 

Not only were we blessed with an addition to our family, most of our friends were as well, if not already, then in the new year. Ah, 2013 was simply delicious. 

I am so looking forward to this new year! I am so excited to watch gunner continue to grow into the little man he has become. He is the light of our life and continues to make all our lives so rich in love and laughter. & Kenzie, well she is just such a blessing on her own. I am so excited to watch her grow into the fun infant stage and even into her toddler stage. She was such a blessing and is the perfect addition to our family. She couldn't be more perfect. I can't wait to see them both get closer as siblings and even start playing and running around together. And I am excited for rick and I to get to share these moments together and to just enjoy our family. Those are the things I look forward most. 2014 will be so special, I can already see it. 

Happy New Years friends, from our family to yours! & thanks for reading. Xoxo!