December | 2022.

A little capsule of images from December has looked like:

  • A ride on the Santa Train 

  • Charmed by Rudolph at Snowflake Lane

  • Cooking class with my cousin 

  • Friend White Elephant night 

  • Class party with a tiny cookie decorating helper (who preferred frosting eating to decorating) 

  • Snow day excitement 

  • Until we made Owen wear a hat and gloves…

  • Painting and waiting for the ice to melt

  • Wishing for our two front teeth and gingerbread barn decorating 

  • Ragu braising 

  • Cookie decisions

  • Pulla Bread baking 

  • Christmas morning 

  • Wenatchee sledding 

  • Ski lessons (for Elise) with a first chair lift ride 

  • and a Leavenworth date night 

November | 2022.

A little capsule of photos from November has looked like:

  • A lost tooth

  • Quick trip to Wenatchee

  • Date night at Mana

  • Always wanting to play in the back of grandpa’s truck

  • Thanksgiving walk

  • Cut down our Christmas tree (I can’t tell if Owen had more tears or rain on his face!)

  • Hospice honoring Nana’s WWII army nurse service with a belated Veterans Day ceremony

  • Decorating the tree

  • Woke up to a bit of snow

London.

Kyle and I are home from London and so thankful to have had time together to explore and eat delicious food. Here are a few highlights from the trip:

  • Afternoon tea at Sketch

  • Tate Modern Art Museum

  • Breakfast at Chiltern Firehouse

  • Biking through the city: Hyde Park, Kensington Palace, Wellington Arch, and Buckingham Palace

  • Walked through to admire the grandness of Westminster Abbey

  • Said Hi to Big Ben and rode the London Eye

  • Dinner at Chelsea Bluebird

  • Breakfast at Brother Market and explored the borough market

  • Walked across the Tower bridge

  • Toured the Tower of London

  • Dinner at Frenchie in Covent Garden

  • Packer game at Tottenham hotspur

  • Dinner at the top of the Shard

September | 2022.

A little capsule of photos from September has looked like:

  • Noticing the plants on our walks

  • Watching the magic of the Ballard Locks

  • Brother hugs before school

  • Family hikes (more like leisure strolls with our almost 2 year old)

  • Sharing bites of birthday ice cream

  • Denver girls weekend with old college roomies

  • Tractor watching

  • Afternoon couch cuddles watching Daniel Tiger

  • Backyard BBQ’s with new and old friends

January | 2022.

I am wanting to try something a little different in this space for 2022. Think of it like a monthly capsule of photos. It feels like an approachable way to stay more consistent with this blog when I don’t always feel like I have the words or time.

January has looked like:

  • Some snowy days

  • Finding moments for movement

  • Getting outside

  • New recipes

  • And a little trip to Suncadia

Documenting | 2021.

A rhythm I have tried to cultivate is creating a family photo album each year to catalog our memories into a tangible form. It is such a joy to sit on the couch with my boys, select a book off the shelf and reminisce. Our 2021 family album came in the mail this weekend and It has been so fun looking through these photos seeing beauty in the ordinary moments of life. 

Renewed Blog.

This blog took backseat of a long ride. Not a single post in 2020. I felt like so much time had passed and there was much to “catch up on.” I felt too paralyzed to write anything down. I had plans to write again and then there was a global pandemic, a new baby, and all the disruption that 2020 held. So I channeled my energy and efforts to other places and put a bookmark in this space. 

As I dusted off this blog and looked back through posts, I smiled because it brings me so much joy to see those moments cataloged. I know there are other ways to document (publicly visible and private…which I use), but this site has felt nostalgic as we used it originally for a wedding website almost 8 years ago and then converted it to a family blog site post marriage.

I have no aspirations for this blog to earn income, inspire the world, or truly be seen by my more than some family and a handful of friends, but I enjoy the process and I appreciate the space for reflection it offers! 

Here’s to a few posts in 2021. Thanks for reading along.

- The Zabels (but mostly Elise)