2017 is mere hours away. In fact it’s so close that you can almost touch it with a brush of your fingertips; we felt it was only right that, as we begin a brand new circuit around the sun ,we take a moment to reflect back on the year that has been.

I’m not sure if it’s me but as I age the years seem to whizz past at a rate of knots; I swear it was February only five minutes ago and yet here we are again at Christmas. A little older, a little wiser and definitely a whole lot tireder 😉 How about you?

Today’s post comes from the RMLtd team as we sit and reminisce about our favourite memories from 2016. Feel free to join in with your own thoughts and recollections in the comments at the end of the post too; we always love to hear them.

Charlotte

One of my favourite memories of 2016 happened fairly recently – at the Rock My Ltd end-of-year team meeting on the 5th December. We gifted the team an advance copy of the brand new Rock My Wedding book and the genuine squeals of excitement and tears of happiness seeing all of our hard work beautifully bound and printed was priceless.

Since Mabel has turned two her vocabulary has come on leaps and bounds, most days I am astounded by how much she understands. On my Mum’s birthday a few months ago I explained to her that we were running late for Nanny’s special dinner and she had to hurry up and get dressed, she responded with “Ok Mummy! Keep Your Hair On!”. Honestly, I haven’t laughed so much in my life. That’s my kid right there, the one with the golden curls and the wicked sense of humour.

Laura

One of my favourite memories of the year is a simple one. Now that our little love is almost two and a half we’ve learned that we can occasionally relax a little on the bedtime routine front and embrace spontaneity! One Friday evening back in September Dan, Bertie and I skipped the usual bath time and stories slot in favour of wood fired pizzas in the park just in time for the golden hour. Running around empty fields, watching the sun go down and some quality, yet unplanned family time serves as a good reminder than sometimes the simple things are the best.

Lolly

Since Hector loves being outside, I’d say approximately 75% of 2016 has been spent in the Great Outdoors so I have a plethora of rural adventures that feature in my list of favourite memories. Be it playing amongst the snowdrops at the beginning of the year, running through the woods or carefully studying honeybees as they collect pollen, some of the best moments of my life have been spent with this kid in the last twelve months.

Perhaps the brightest memory though has got to be on our first holiday abroad in Italy in September where Ste, Hector and I snuck off to the beach one morning leaving the rest of my family at the villa. Ste and I adore the beach (always have, always will) and seek out the coast instead of the more convenient hotel pool. We were nervous about taking Hector, would he love it as much as we did, especially when he’d clearly demonstrated he was not a fan of the unheated pool at the villa. We needn’t have worried, for the first time all holiday he finally looked like he was in his element, playing in the waves, splashing Ste and laughing his head off. I remember looking at all three of us having fun and thinking life really doesn’t get much better than being with the people you love.

Fern

This photo captures my favourite memory from 2016. This was taken the day we took Elle to the beach for the first time once she had learned to walk. It was so lovely watching her toddle around on the sand and was probably the beginning of a love affair with being by the sea! She’s a true beach babe through and through.

Lottie

I think one of my favourite memories is splashing in the sea with the girls. There is something so wonderfully free and fun about such a simple thing. We always spend a week at my Aunty’s holiday cottage in Salcombe and I can honestly say it is my favourite place ever. I spent every summer there as a child and sharing that with my girls is so special. We may not always have the best weather but we try to get to the beach every day (yes even in the rain!). This year there was one day where we had terrible thunderstorms but then it cleared, the sun shone, the sea was crystal clear and we all smiled lots.

Lisa

Apologies for being greedy but I have picked two of my favourite moments of 2016 as it’s impossible to choose between them. Firstly, when Lyra was a flower girl at Rich’s best mate’s wedding. We practised for months. And of course there was no guarantee that she would play ball on the day. But play ball she did, leading the bridal party down the aisle, prettily scattering petals. Definitely the proudest moment of my life.

And secondly, a random but equally lovely memory. Rich, Lyra and I were driving home from a cafe with my little sister Alisa and her boyfriend Henry. Rich and Henry has just competed in a Man Vs Food eating competition at a local cafe (needless to say, neither completed the challenge). The sun was shining, everyone was singing along to ‘Let It Go’ at full blast, and I was with some of the people I love most in the world. Simple things, eh?!

Lorna

I feel like all the children have changed massively this year. Day to day you don’t notice it, but looking back and being reflective they have all come along leaps and bounds. Anabelle started going to a childminders in January and sitting here listening to her play with her little figures this morning it is clear not only her speech has improved but so has her imaginative play. She starts pre-school in January so this time next year I’m sure they’ll be another leap in her development. Elliott too went from going to Primary school to Secondary school in September and although he’s only been there a short while his maturity and attitude to work makes me burst with pride. Joseph is really applying himself in preparations for his S.A.T.S and loves having a go at Elliott’s homework too.

A joint favourite time of the year for family Shaw (every year) has to be the boys annual team football club tournament. We arrive at 8:30 in the morning and if we’re lucky enough to reach the finals (which we have been) we can stay right up to 6pm. We pack a picnic, plenty of sun block and have a jolly good time. Anabelle loves running around the fields, Elliott & Joseph love playing football with their friends (and competing against them). There is nothing more rewarding than watching your children have a great time.

So what was your favourite memory from the last twelve months? We’d love to hear all about it.