Hello, everyone! It\u2019s December now, the final month of 2019. (Well, the final month of every year, but you know what we mean.) The last 12 months have been ridiculously busy, but they\u2019ve been a fantastic kind of hectic. Most of our blog posts focus on our couples or on advice and information, but if you\u2019re new to our blog, you might not know we love to look back on the year and reflect on how we\u2019ve grown during the course of this crazy idea we had to launch a photography business.<\/p>\n
Jo:<\/p>\n
Tristan is my first (and only) kid, so there\u2019s been a lot of learning on my end! I knew that mommy groups love to talk about how fast things move, how kids are constant learning experiences, but holy cow. Between preschool and growing pains and teaching Tristan how the world works, I feel like the year\u2019s been as busy as the television shows I like to watch. When I was in high school, I\u2019d watch Charmed and think that Phoebe, Paige, Piper, and Prue seemed so much older than me. They were unreachable. Not \u2018cuz they have powers, but because they found ways to balance their lives when they\u2019re being pulled everywhere. Now that I\u2019m 29, it\u2019s hitting me that I\u2019m Phoebe, Paige, Piper, and Prue. I\u2019m the woman that juggles kids and love and fun and work.<\/p>\n
Throw friends into the mix, and I\u2019m surprised anyone does it. I found out that Tristan is a gifted kid. He learns faster than the other kids his age. I had friends in gifted and honors and AP\/IB courses, but seeing it happen in my own life is way, way different. Tristan is gonna be a handful. A loving, sweet, amazing handful. I can\u2019t wait to see what he\u2019s like in actual school.<\/p>\n
But before that happens: his Golden Birthday Bash at the beginning of January! No matter how gifted he is, he\u2019s still a kid, and his current kid obsession? Rescue Bots. It\u2019s funny seeing him watch the cartoon, since I remember my band friends freaking out over those movies with Shia LaBeouf. Tristan freaks out not over Shia or Megan Fox or Optimus Prime, but the cartoon Bumblebee. I\u2019ll give you one guess who\u2019s gonna crash the party! ;P<\/p>\n
Alli:<\/p>\n
Oh, my gosh. I\u2019m in a bit of a different situation than Jo (I have more than one kid, as you might know!), but if there\u2019s one thing I\u2019ve learned during the weirdness that\u2019s parenthood, it\u2019s that raising children is a never-ending whirlwind.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not sure if Damien fits into the \u2018gifted classes\u2019 category, but he\u2019s definitely super bright. Moms love to tell people how smart their kids are, but really, I even have trouble helping him with some of the complicated puzzles he loves. He fits \u2018em together like a pro! (I\u2019m proud of his fourth birthday bash, too. I think the phrase is \u201ctooting my own horn\u201d, but the decorations I made came out fantastic, if I do say so myself!)<\/p>\n
My daughter Salem, too, is beginning to grow into her own. She chatters nonstop and runs around like she\u2019s a future track star. (Maybe she will be! I should look into that. When your kids are beginning to form their true personalities, it\u2019s important to find out what they like and don\u2019t like, what they\u2019re talented at and take a shining to. Something tells me Salem will be sporty.)<\/p>\n
Work:<\/p>\n
As big a part of our lives as motherhood is, it\u2019s not the only thing we\u2019re about! Just look at what we\u2019ve done with Wander Back. We\u2019ve learned a ton, grown so much in our photography skills, as small business owners, as Arizona homemakers. Just looking back at our previous photos<\/a>, the difference is astounding. When you work in a creative field, it\u2019s immensely rewarding to see the actual factual growth throughout the year.<\/p>\n
![\"2019-12-31_0002\"](\"https:\/\/joandalli.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/2019-12-31_0002.jpg\")
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