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

October | 2022.

A little capsule of photos from October has looked like:

• Pumpkin patch picking

• A little London getaway

• Afternoon art

• Soaking up moments with Nana

• Saying hi to Katie the horse

• Enjoying the fall color change

• Annual Holte family pumpkin carving

• Celebrating our little 2 year old

• Trick or Treating with tractors

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

August | 2022.

A little capsule of photos from August has looked like:

• Lots of parks and matching outfits (per Caden’s request)

• Owen saying “cheese” whenever my camera comes out

• Celebrating a birthday and anniversary

• Foraging for blackberries on our neighborhood walks

• Backyard camping

• Crib wrestling

• Splash pads

• Owen’s first haircut (more like a small trim)

• Family trip to the Beach

July | 2022.

A little capsule of photos from July has looked like:

• Summer reading

• Trip to Camano Island

• Construction project with grandpa

• Family BBQ

• A week with dear friends

• Family hikes

• A trip to Wenatchee

• and BBQ with friends

June | 2022.

A little capsule of photos from June has looked like:

• Sidewalk chalk (coloring and eating)

• Homemade pizza

• Family hiking

• Celebrating the start of summer with ice cream

• A trip to Wisconsin

• Figuring out our summer park rhythms

• And water table afternoons

May | 2022.

A little capsule of photos from May has looked like:

• Bike rides

• Celebrating Caden’s 5th birthday

• Stacking blocks and rocks

• Mother’s Day

• And a trip to Denver

April | 2022.

A little capsule of photos from April has looked like:

• Celebrating Easter

• Backyard play

• Construction site love

• Sunday snack platters

• Neighborhood walks

• And our second lost tooth

March | 2022.

A little capsule of photos from March has looked like:

• Playing outside

• Salads

• Snuggles

• Spring showing off it’s colors

• Time with family

• Weekend projects

• And our first lost tooth

February | 2022.

A little capsule of photos from February has looked like:

• Soaking up sunsets

• Finding hidden treasures

• Sending love to family and friends

• Playing outside

• Celebrating Valentine’s day

• A trip to Wenatchee

• And little ones always eager to lick the batter

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)

Documenting | 2018.

Memory keeping and documenting are something our family values (probably Elise a bit more than Kyle). I love being able to look back on journal entries, blog posts, and photographs to be reminded of the grace and goodness in our lives. One rhythm I have tried to cultivate is creating a “Family Memory Book” at the beginning of the new year to encapsulate images from the prior year into one tangible book. We just got our 2018 book in the mail and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out!