A Look Back at 2017
Like many of you, I’m spending today reflecting back on 2017. At this time last year, our family was trying to balance a newborn and toddler while settling into our new home. We also were nervous for our first family trip. To say that it was a stressful time would be an understatement!
However, today I’m feeling very thankful that my kids are healthy and usually have a smile on their faces. My boys have developed a special bond and that makes my heart happy! My youngest is not quite walking, but he is a stealthy crawler and will dart across the room if he thinks food might be available.
And in terms of my blog, things are going great! If you haven’t already, follow me on Instagram and Facebook. It’s the best way to find out about upcoming giveaways. And subscribe to my blog!
Here are some of my favorite posts from 2017:
Pacific Northwest Adventures
San Juan Island, WA Trip with Kids
Washington State is known for the gorgeous scenery. San Juan Island is one of our favorite places in the Pacific Northwest. We brought our baby and toddler there last year to explore the island and look for whales!
Semiahmoo Resort & Spa in Blaine, WA
For our first adventure with a baby and toddler, we headed to Semiahmoo Resort & Spa near the Canadian border. We were thoroughly impressed with all the amenities for families with young children. We’re hoping to head back with other families for an epic trip later this year!
Long Weekend at Seabrook in Washington State
Our family had been hearing about Seabrook for the past few years. It’s the new “it spot” for Seattle-area families. Let me tell you, it lived up to the hype!
Oregon Zoo in Portland, OR
Have you ever seen a Rhino? We got to see 2 Rhinos for the first time in our lives at the Oregon Zoo. They are currently expanding the exhibit area, so we can’t wait to go back!
Girls Trip to Bellevue, WA
I grabbed some of my closest Mom friends for a weekend getaway to nearby Bellevue, WA. We stayed the W Bellevue and watched a Bad Mom’s Christmas. It was the perfect way to bond before the holidays!
Top Family Trip Experiences
Paris, France with Young Children
My favorite trip from 2017 was our trip to Paris! I spent my 18th birthday there and hadn’t been back since. The trip was everything I had hoped it would be (except for the biting cold) and we made the best memories! The highlight was watching our son play with the toy boats at Luxembourg Gardens!
Disneyland Resort with a Baby & Preschooler
We had a family wedding in Malibu, CA last summer so we decided to head down a few days earlier to hang out at Disneyland! We brought my Mom along for her first family trip to the Most Magical Place on Earth and it was the smartest decision!
Hawaiian Cultural Tour on Maui
I’ve taken my kids to Maui 3 times and by far the coolest thing we’ve done on a family trip is the Maui Nei Tour of Old Hawaii. My kids got to make their own ink for wooden stamping, pound taro root to make poi and weave their own lauhala bracelet. Well, we had to help our baby quite a bit, but our preschooler held his own!
Warehouse 3540 on Kauai is a Hot Spot for Moms
My Mom lives on Kauai and I’ve visited 30+ times. Just when I think I’ve been everywhere, she suggested we check out the fairly new Warehouse 3540. Let me tell you, I was blown away! Not only did I get to peruse the adorable boutiques set up for Moms and kids, but I devoured the tastiest burger I’ve ever had. Plus there was amazing shave ice and they offer story time for kids!
Coolest Products
Panda Village Bamboo Blocks by Lakeshore
Lakeshore sent my son this set of Panda Village Bamboo Blocks for him to try out. It quickly became his favorite item. We ended up donating it to his preschool so even more kids could benefit from learning spacial awareness. It’s at the top of my list for preschooler gifts.
Inglesina Travel High Chair
With my oldest, I tried feeding him on my lap when he was a baby and we were traveling. That was messy and quite frustrating for both of us. This time around, I tried out Inglesina’s travel high chair. It’s amazing! Not only does it fold up to make it easy to pack, but it’s good for babies AND toddlers!
Gunapod Luxury Bamboo Duvet Sleep Sack
If there was one product I’d encourage any new parent to get, it’s this sleep sack. My son has used it every single day for the past 8 months. We just upgraded to the next size up. I kid you not, he holds perfectly still when I zip him in it. I think it’s because it’s incredibly soft and cozy. We always pack it for our family trip.
Board Books for Your Tiny Globetrotter
I love kid books. We may have a problem at our house of too many books. However, the ones I reach for the most are the My Little Cities board books. We have the San Francisco, Paris, New York, and London books in the series. They are brightly colored with fun graphics and simple text. My preschooler likes to “read” them to his baby brother.
Lumaprints Metal Photo Print
We love displaying photos of our family trips around our new home. Out of all our photos, this metal print from Lumaprints gets the most attention. And it’s not just the family trip photo in front of the Eiffel Tower. I’ve had friends take this print off our wall so they could marvel how lightweight, yet durable it is. People love the crisp/clean look. And we love it, too!
Did I miss one of your favorite posts? Tell me in the comments below!
32 Comments
These are adventures to be treasured! You have been to so many interesting places over the course of 2017. I would love to have an Inglesinga travel high chair for my little one!
The high chair has come in handy so many times! It can clip onto any table or counter top!
What a fun year! Beautiful memories made. Cheers to another great year!
We made a lot of cool memories! Happy 2018!
Wow looks like you had a great year with your family 🙂 full of lots of fun and adventure.
Thanks! I hope you have a Happy New Year!
What amazing adventures for your kids to share with you. Your two already have more passport stamps than many Americans and look like they love every minute of it. It’s so awesome to expose children to new cultures at such a young age.
It’s been a priority in our family to expose our kids to other people and places. So far, they are loving it!
These tips are so useful for traveling with kids. It’s amazing how the toy boats fascinate kids when in Paris! My daughter loves watching Moana at the moment, I’m sure she’d line up again and again to see her!
Moana is on repeat at our house! Yes, the toy boats are always a hit! There are a few places in Seattle that have them, so we’ve been taking the boys to watch them!
Wow, what an awesome year! The zoo closest to us has rhinos so we’ve seen them a few times, but I definitely have not been to France or Hawaii. How cool that you got to take your kids!
You are so lucky that your zoo has rhinos! My oldest talks about our Paris trip almost daily!
What a great year! Travel is such a great way to bring families together.
It’s our favorite way to make memories!
You’re inspiring me for a year of traveling with my family in 2018! YAY! Also, I love Bellevue as well… the PNW is best. 🙂 Hi from Idaho!
Howdy Idaho! I went to school at WSU so I have fond memories of Moscow, ID!
The Metal Photo Print looks amazing, especially from such a beautiful location like Paris! Great to see how much fun you had in 2017 and also how much you have seen. So many interesting places,,, and probably the best is that you do this all with the whole family, I guess the kids love it too.
And also its cool to see that you have so many books – in my opinion one can never have enough books 🙂
I can’t stop buying these cute travel books for my kids! Plus, it’s cute that they recognize so many famous landmarks now!
Looking back is so much fun, I did the same and creating the post brought back so many good memories. Your travels of 2017 look great and your picture from the Eiffel Tower is amazing by the way! Hope you will have as much fun in 2018 as you did last year!
I’m really excited to see where we end up in 2018!
These look like some AMAZING trips!! What some amazing memories you have created! Also I LOVE the clamp on high chair! We have the exact same one (ours is even red!) and I’ve used it for two kids! It’s in my top 5 must haves for baby!
It’s seriously been a lifesaver! And I can’t believe how little room it takes up!
Looks like your family had some amazing travels in 2017! I look forward to traveling more this year 🙂
I can’t wait to read about your adventures! You always have such beautiful photos 🙂
Its such a coincidence that I just returned from my trip to Portland and now I see some more options to go back. Congrats for awesome 2017 and best for 2018. The zoo looks like a great option, I am surely visiting it the next time. Just to share I saw snow in Portland this Christmas and we went upto Mount Hood . I love pacific northwest 🙂
We had our first White Christmas in the PNW in years and years! It was quite magical and I’m so stoked you got to experience it!
Wow! Beautiful memories from amazing trips! Travelling with two little ones is not easy but I’m glad you’ve made it so much fun. This is a very helpful post for people travelling with kids. I loved reading your thoughtful reflections on 2017. Your family photographs are equally beautiful. Love the cute little sea captain. 🙂
Thanks for your support! It’s a lot of work, but I look back on last year and it makes me smile!
I am happy to know that your kids are doing great health wise and are bonding. This is all that matters! I am against captive animals so the zoo doesn’t excite me. San Juan island is my kind of thing. I can laze all day here.
The San Juan Islands are simply gorgeous!
I can’t wait to have children and take them travelling with me and my husband. Sounds like that you had a great year and that everything worked out and that your young children are bonding how sweet. It is good to have some time out to and glad to hear you go to the away with your friend and saw Bad Moms Christmas movie.
I’m really glad my kids are pretty adaptable to new environments! We’ve been having a lot of fun exploring together!