As I suspected, having June born in January was such a treat for my logical brain, as demonstrated so beautifully by this post. What a treat to watch her grow from a nugget in my belly to the cheerful, funny, sweet little girl she is today in just a few months!

There will never be another year like this one, the year in which we welcomed our first child, and though sometimes that makes me feel like the sobbing emoji… it’s okay. The best is yet to come! Here are a few highlights of this very special year on Em for Marvelous and in our lives.

Well, pretty much the first thing we did in the new year was have a baby!! (Oh yes, I did share my 2016 guideposts and vision board first.) June was born on January 7th, leading me to share “notes” from my hospital stay as well as the meaning of her name. John and I also celebrated our 11th dativersary, and I posted the first of many Marvelous Mama interviews!

I celebrated a very sweet birthday with friends and chocolate raspberry cake in February. June also met her cousin Tegan and the rest of my family – such a wonderful week!! As we rounded out our first six weeks, I shared two more posts with newborn tips and tricks.

The best part of March was celebrating Easter as a family of three! June also got to spend some time wearing matching headbands with her buddy Milly :) Even once John went back to work, I enjoyed every bit of maternity leave, especially our daily afternoon walks around a local lake!

In April, we headed to Charleston for a last hurrah of my leave. We had the best time staying downtown, walking the city, and eating delicious food, all with Junebug in tow! My Mom came to stay with us for three weeks as I transitioned back to work, and we all took a work trip to Atlanta. We also planted our vegetable garden and picked strawberries! I wrote about thanking our postpartum nurses and our baby favorites from the first six weeks.

May brought more work road trips with my Mom and June, including to the fabulous Greenbrier in West Virginia. We also had several visits from family, and we celebrated my first Mother’s Day! I shared my pregnancy book recommendations.

Good golly, look at those rolls!!! June’s first June was more of the same — visitors and road trips, for work and for play. We had the best time in the mountains with the Henrys and clocked a new family record of six trips to our local u-pick blueberry farm in just a few short weeks — one of the best things we made time for all year. You can see much more from this month in the first installment of June’s video series, June in June! :) On EFM, I shared our five month baby favorites and our summer fun list, of which I’m happy to say we accomplished much!

July! What a month! We spent the week of the Fourth on our beloved Island, and despite June’s first terrible cold, it was wonderful. We made another New England road trip just a few weeks later, this time for a friend’s wedding and a week with John’s family in Connecticut. In between, we celebrated that great Southern holiday: Cow Appreciation Day!!

What a treat to spend a week in our hometown in the summer, showing June all of our favorite activities and places from growing up! We had the best, best time. On the blog, I told you about Lisa’s baby shower and a fun date night idea.

The most exciting event in September was our first family camping trip!! We are already itching for the next one! We also enjoyed lots of al fresco meals, neighborhood walks, and playground swings. I shared our eight month baby favorites, all of the articles we’ve read in Articles Club, wisdom from four years of marriage, and we chatted about signature family dishes.

In October, we marveled at the flooding from Hurricane Matthew (June from inside foul weather gear), had lots of family singalongs, spent the weekend in Asheville with my sister and her boyfriend, and donned the foul weather gear again to dress as a lobster, lobsterman, and seaweed for Halloween! Some of my favorite posts were written this month, including three posts on how to slow down time, a favorite home improvement, and the best cooking playlist.

So many celebrations in November, including the magazine launch party, Thanksgiving with family and then again with friends, birthday parties, and more. You all helped me vote on a Christmas card, I shared how we plan our yearly budget, and we talked about Christmas traditions.

And finally, December. We drove overnight to spend ten days in Connecticut with our beloved family, and it was as sweet (and crazy – three cousins under three!) as we could have hoped for.

Friends, thank you for reading. I just love y’all – sharing with you, hearing from you, getting your opinions, and seeing what you’re up to. It is a joy to write here, and I can’t wait to see all the adventures 2017 will hold!

2015 year in review
2014 year in review
2013 year in review
2012 year in review

In looking back over five years of writing these wish list posts (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), I feel so lucky that I’ve been able to check many marvelous things off my list! It may have taken five years for some of them (ahem, I’m looking at you, pretty puff vest), but still :) As has become something of a tradition, here are a few things I wouldn’t mind receiving this year — here’s hoping they’ll inspire your gifting or getting!

A. How to Celebrate Everything | Not only do I think it’s a perfect gift to give, but I’d love to receive a copy myself! Jenny is a gal after my own heart.
B. Skipper printed popover | I have heard nothing but fabulous things about Lilly’s popovers, and I think these colors would make me smile every time I pulled them on!
C. Bean boots | I haven’t had a pair of winter boots since we moved to the South, but I think it’s time to restock. It doesn’t get better than these.
D. Platinum Navajo sandals | My beloved Jacks finally bit the dust after almost four years of near-daily wear… so I’d like to replace them with exactly the same thing :)
E. Wicked good slippers | Ditto to the above. I wore my last pair of moccs into the ground and have finally conceded that it might be time to replace them. Again, it doesn’t get better than these guys.
F. The Livegiving Home | I just listened to an interview with Sally this week and she seems so wonderful! Would love to learn more from her.
G. Letter board | These things are like the Tickle Me Elmo of Christmas 2016 – constantly desired, constantly out of stock. I will get one eventually :)
H. A canoe | No, I don’t expect to get a canoe this Christmas (they are shockingly expensive!). However, I do think it would be so fun to have one for family adventures for years to come — so something to save for! (And then probably buy from Craigslist :))
I. Barrette | Since I am notoriously bad at doing anything with my hair, I’m hoping this pretty accessory might help glam up even the most basic of styles.
J. Throw pillows | Ever since we got a (kind of wild) new living room rug, I’ve wanted to tone down our patterned couch pillows. I think these pale blue velvet ones would be perfect, and the price is incredible!

What’s on the top of your list this year? I always get inspiration from what others are wishing for!

I hope you all had a marvelous Thanksgiving! We had dinner with dear friends and their parents, and the food was phenomenal – juicy turkey, stuffing, creamed corn, brussel sprouts, a sweet potato and caramelized onion tart, peas, cranberry sauce, pumpkin and chocolate pecan pie… YUM! We also got to go for a walk in beautiful 70 degree weather and watch the Macy’s parade, so it was an all-around stellar day.

And now it’s Black Friday! Which often gets a bad rap, but as a frugal person, I really appreciate the chance for such steep discounts. I’ve been planning purchases for weeks, and am looking forward to checking many Christmas gifts off our list as well as snapping up some items for myself, like new jeans (40% off!!!) and note cards.

I know many of you are the same way, so I hope this last gift guide is helpful! I’m sharing a few of my best picks for husbands, dads, and brothers. These gents can be notoriously hard to shop for, so I’d love for you to share any slam-dunk ideas in the comments!

AAA baseball tickets | We are so lucky to have the Durham Bulls as our home town baseball team, but choose a team that’s near you! Going to games in the spring and summer is one of our favorite outings, so tickets are always welcome.
Rock Me Archimedes | We gave this fun little game to two brothers-in-law last Christmas, and it was a big hit with both families! A great two-person game. (Thank you to Jo’s gift guide last year for this suggestion!)
The Road to Character | I’ve recommended this book to so many people since reading it last year — it’s perfect for a wide audience, making it a great gift!
A cooking lesson | A few years ago John’s sister gave him a gift certificate for a cooking class at Southern Season. We had SO much fun and are eagerly looking forward to the next time someone gets us this gift! :)
A National Parks tee | Hat tip to Philip for wearing one of these cool shirts! They have tons of designs, and I think John wants 75% of them.
A pocket monkey | A nifty little multitool (screwdriver, wrench, bottle opener, letter opener, orange peeler, etc.!) that slips in a wallet.
Three Jerks Jerky | It seems like beef jerky is universally beloved by the gentlemen in my life, and this stuff is the filet mignon (literally – it’s made from filet mignon :))
Herschel wallet | We are big Herschel fans in this household, and there wallets are no exception (John carries one every day!). Stylish and affordable!
Cats desk plate | This desk plate literally makes me LOL every time I see it, and I desperately want to buy it for my brother-in-law (I think it would make him laugh, too!), but John has flat-out refused to get behind this gift idea. Maybe one of you has a cat-lover in your life?
Hudson Bay axe | This beauty is a splurge, but it seems like the kind of heirloom that would be swung for generations.
Striped socks | John’s absolute favorite gift to get– no joke–is socks. I think he’d appreciate this pair :)
Print their Instagram photos | We’ve done this as a gift for several people, and it’s a reliable hit! Our favorite service is the 4x4s from Social Print Studio.
Corknet ping pong set | A beautifully designed game that can be played anywhere.

Happy shopping, friends!!

P.S. More gifts for guys and this year’s gifts for kids and gals

The most successful gifts, I think, are little luxuries the recipient wouldn’t buy for herself – maybe upgraded versions of things she uses every day. They also have a personal touch. Here are a few ideas for sisters, moms, and best friends, several of which I own myself, have already given, or am planning to give soon!

A beautiful linen guest book | Time spent with family and friends is at the top of my “treasure” list, and I love that my guest book (that I started in our first apartment!) lets me look back on years of happy memories. I’m switching ours out for the teal one this year.
Tortoise link necklace | Modern in feel, classic in style. Goes great with stripes :) I own and love this piece!
Floret wall calendar | Erin’s photos of her farm’s flowers are stunning (she’s one of my favorite Instagrammers to follow!). Whether or not your loved one is a gardener, she’ll love flipping the pages of this calendar each month.
Shorts pajama set | These jams are blissfully soft and beautifully soft. A perfect splurge.
How to Celebrate Everything | Every piece of advice I’ve ever read from Jenny is genius, so I’m sure her book is the same. I can’t wait to get my hands on this one!
Buffalo check stocking | I’m going to assume that all of your loved ones already have stockings, so this would be more for decor! Stuff it with something else small to round things out.
Notecard set | Stock someone’s stationery stash for the coming year. Beautiful cards can be a bit painfully expensive, but are universally beloved.
Letter board | Almost everyone I know either has one of these, or wants one. (Count me in the latter camp.) Even if they’re becoming ubiquitous, I think they’d add so much fun and whimsy to a household!
Puff vest | I bought this navy number this year and love it! Perfect for gifting, since the fit is easier than, say, a top or pants.
For the Love | Jen’s universal-feeling essays will make you laugh until you cry, and just straight-up cry — or at least, they did for me. I’ve already gifted this to my mom!
Beach sheet | No more scrunching up to fit on your towel at the beach! Would be perfect for picnics, too.
Lindsay Letters’ coloring book | I know there are a million and one coloring books available now, but I’m eagerly anticipating Lindsay’s! Her lettering is undeniably unique, and I think it would be so fun to work with. Plus, I love the scripture focus!
Playing cards | Again, it’s all about elevating staples. These colorful cards also make a perfect hostess gift.
Cookbook | Gift a favorite volume to a friend who loves to cook, and put sticky notes on your favorite recipes.
Pretty socks | Because everyone’s sock drawer could probably use a refresh, and these ones are adorable :)

I’m sure it goes without saying, but if you’re thinking of purchasing from any of these shops, hold tight until Black Friday! Most will likely be running sales. Also, make sure you’re signed up for Ebates if you’re planning to do any online shopping!

I’m planning to pop back in on Friday with a gift guide for the gentlemen – sometimes the hardest people to shop for. Until then, have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

P.S. 14 great gifts for kiddos

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