On the surface, 2024 may not have seemed like a hard year, but with a 3 year+ on-going renovation, a toddler going through terrible twos, and one painful loss, 2024 was one of our more difficult years to date. But through it all, we still managed to have fun. And seeing the world through the eyes of your child makes everything worth it.

January

We started off the year with a trip to Disneyland (A‘s first time) and are actually planning to make this an annual tradition. We got to do character dining at Plaza Inn, but A wasn’t too into it yet, especially since she didn’t start getting any screen time until a few months after this. Now she loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse/Fun house/Mixed-up Adventures and is obsessed with all things Frozen.

February

Reno progress! Windows and doors were installed!

March

We reluctantly started allowing A screen time in preparation of our planned trip to Japan in May. As much as we hate that we started this, it really has made eating out a lot easier…

April

A finally trying out the scooter she got for Christmas! It really has amazed me how fast she picks things up.

May

CT and I had planned a trip to Japan in 2020 that never happened because of COVID. Now with A in tow, I knew this trip would be very, very, very different than the one we had planned before. I pared down the itinerary to basically one major activity per day and accounted for downtime to nap/jet lag recovery. Considering that we did not really have to deviate from our itinerary much, if at all, I think I did a good job planning an international trip with a 2 yo. We started off with 7 days in Tokyo, 4 days in Osaka, 3 days in Kyoto before heading back to Tokyo DisneySea for our last full day. Here are some of my fave pictures as well as our fave eats!

June

To celebrate CT‘s big birthday, I booked Chef Don for a dinner with CT‘s closest friends.

July

We took a trip with CT‘s family to Vegas. I always love seeing all the kids interact together. Bonus for having family around to watch A so that we could have a date night at a delicious omakase spot.

August

We moved out of our rental and into a hotel for about a month. It has been rough living out of suitcases and limited boxes while everything else is in one of our 2 big storage units.

A‘s daycare is closed for part of a week in August for teacher planning and we have taken short trips during this time. This year, we went to Seattle.

September

We moved from the hotel to an Airbnb, which we have been staying at since. Through all of the changes this year, we’ve been doing our best to keep our routines. A has transitioned really well, although I do fear that she doesn’t really have a concept of “home”.

We had found out we were pregnant in August and went in for our 9 week appointment at the end of September. Unfortunately, there was no heartbeat. We were beyond devastated since we had been trying to give A a sibling. This was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through, both physically and emotionally. Physically, it was like going through labor all over again and the pain definitely exceeded the point in which I had asked for an epidural with A. Emotionally, I carried a lot of guilt for not wanting to start trying for our 2nd child earlier. But I wasn’t ready before. I would think about A and cry over her potentially having to share my love. I know that sounds silly, but I could not imagine giving my baby girl any less love or time. I found myself grieving moments of just the 3 of us together. Then as A started to grow into the smart, curious, funny, sassy person that she is, I became less anxious and realized that she would be fine, and I would be fine, even if we did grow our family.

October

Life events and milestones this month: my big birthday and A riding a bike!

November

We take a trip to Hawaii every year and this year we went back to Maui and stayed at the Andaz. We are a Hyatt family and I honestly don’t know which property I love more, Andaz or Grand Hyatt in Kauai. I do know that I will miss the breakfast buffet at the Andaz – the BEST white chocolate pancakes *chef’s kiss*.

December

The last month of the year started with a bang. Like literally. I got rear ended.

Aside from that, we decorated our (felt) christmas tree, watched Disney on Ice, and we ended the year with a trip to Washington DC.

And with that, on to the new year! I can’t wait to see what 2025 has in store for us!