What makes a year

The minute after Halloween is over, right on cue all the shops will be immediately be ablaze with Christmas lights, tinsel and decorations, Christmas carols playing over the sound system, gingerbread houses, Rudolph and Santa themed stock lining the shelves.

And that’s when I know for sure…

There goes another year.

Nathan remarked at dinner recently one night, “I can’t believe it’s almost been a whole year! What did we do anyway?”

Yes, what on earth did we do?

So I flicked open my Instagram and began scrolling back through the photos with the kids peering over the screen. Soon both kids were exclaiming and echoing “Oh yeah! I remember that!” and “That’s right, we did that!”…

January: I remember now! we were in KK… and we stayed at that resort with those big lizards! …And fireworks! Australia Day, of course!

February: Chinese New Year! We went to the city to see the lion dance!

March: Oh yeah! We went camping! We climbed that big tower and dropped the balloons! And we went to that river and paddled the paddle thing!

April: We decorated eggs for Easter! And we had the Easter egg hunt! I found so many chocolate eggs!

May: Mothers’ Day! We got you those presents! I gave you that heart cookie! And I gave you that purse!

June: Oh, mummy went away for that ‘sleepover’ with her friends!

July: Gracie’s birthday! Yeah, I had my mermaid party!

August: We started making all those Fathers’ Day gifts for Fathers’ Day!

September: Mooncake Festival! We ate mooncake! And we went on a lantern walk at night time! And saw the rabbit in the moon!

October: Halloween is here! Trick O Treat time! I finally get to dress up as a ghost! And I get to dress up as Harry Potter!

November: It’s mummy’s birthday! We get to sleep in a real camper van! Happy birthday mummy! Are you having fun? Do you like your presents!

December: […expecting it to be filled to the brim with summertime fun and a birthday bash to celebrate our Christmas baby…]

In between those big highlights are hundreds of moments filled with the happy hum of everyday routines. School. Afternoon plays. Homework. Bedtime stories. Night time chats. Piano practices. Play dates. Taekwondo lessons. Family movie nights. Board game evenings. Ice cream treats. Dinner time conversations. Friday night noodle restaurant dinners. Weekend sleep-ins and cuddles. Saturday morning pancakes. Sunday dim sum lunches. And a thousand other unrecorded smiles, hugs, giggles, jokes and I love yous shared.

And that, folks, is how a year is made.