Farewell, 2019! Hello, 2020!

Oh, 2019 you were a good one! Looking back I see how much growth has happened this past year. Sometimes it’s hard to see change when we’re in the thick of it just pushing through the daily grind, but goodness, I see it now. I promise I won’t get too sappy, but I look back on 2019 and I truly smile.

I took a leap of faith and decided to relaunch this blog, and boy, am I so glad I did! Grace, Giggles & Naptime saw a lot of growth this past year and I was able to bless my family with some pretty cool experiences because of it!

2019 also brought new travel adventures our way as we took several amazing vacations together as a family. More on our travels below.

In a nutshell, miles were logged, memories were made and new friendships were formed. But, before we officially welcome the new year ahead, let’s take a quick look back at 2019.

Most Liked Photo on Instagram for 2019

It’s no surprise that our most liked photo on Instagram for 2019 was the Forky pumpkin I made for the kids! As you can probably tell from our photos, Toy Story was kind of a big deal in our house this year! 😉

Favorite Photos & Memories from 2019

This past year we were fortunate to be able to take not only one, but TWO trips to our happy place aka Walt Disney World. One of those trips involved a work conference for the hubby which meant braving Magic Kingdom without him. I’ve been lucky to visit the parks many times, but never have I tackled it solo with 2 kids in tow. 21,404 steps, 10 rides, 9 hours, 3 character meetings, 2 parades & countless memories later…the 3 of us successfully navigated The Most Magical Place on Earth without a single tear! I think this may have been my biggest parenting win of the year 😉

Back home in South Carolina we enjoyed our fair share of lazy beach days and weekends out on Lake Murray. This year marked the 5 year anniversary of our move to South Carolina and I am still so in awe of this beautiful state of ours.

Also, please take note of the matching band aids she just “had to have” for her invisible boo-boo’s. Just another eventful day in the life with 4-year old London!

Our summer wouldn’t have been the same without the release of Toy Story 4. We counted down the months, weeks, and days and even braved a severe thunderstorm (and tornado warning) to see the movie on release day! As silly as it sounds, this was honestly one of my favorite days of the summer.

At the end of June we decided to venture out on our longest road trip to date – a 15+ hour drive from SC to NYC! I know what you’re thinking, and yes, you’re right. We’re crazy! But, in all honesty, the kids did really pretty well!

We made a pit stop at Hersheypark, which was certainly a sweet time for all!

We spent a day in the Big Apple!

And then switched gears and headed out to the Hamptons for some fun in the sun!

Before the kids headed back to school, we surprised the kids with one last summer adventure – a trip back to our happy place, but this time with a stay at the beautiful Polynesian Village. This was honestly the most incredible way to end our summer. We loved every single minute of our stay here!