Top 13 of 2013

Well, it's that time of year again, it's so hard to believe that another year has gone by, but it is safe to say that this has been the best year yet! Mike and I feel so blessed to have shared another year together happily married and have truly enjoyed spending time with friends and family...and most importantly expanding our own family! Looking back on this year, here are some of our favorite moments:

1.  This February was a crazy month for our family, first we traveled to Mexico with our good friends the Hitsmans. We had an amazing time soaking up the sun, soaking up the pool time, and soaking up the drinks! We love travelling with them, and we look forward to knocking off more trips and locations on our list in the years to come!

2. I started a new role at Target in February. I am now buying Health and Beauty products for our City Target stores. I have loved this new role and opportunity to be part of such an innovative part of a great company. Plus it has allowed me to travel a little bit more, which I have also enjoyed!


3. The night before I started my new job, we found out that our lives would be changing in a HUGE way...when we discovered our little man Connor was on the way. I know that this is one of the most incredible moments for all parents, and we felt just amazing, especially considering we had been undergoing infertility treatments for almost a year. We couldn't believe that they actually worked, and that we would be parents by the end of the year!


4. March continues to be one of our favorite months and this year was no exception. One of these reasons is my favorite holiday is Saint Patrick's Day. Being the good Irish girl that I am, I love celebrating this holiday every year...it was a little tricky pretending to drink this year and hiding it from family and friends, but it still was a great day! I also love sharing this holiday with one of my best friends Amy, as we celebrate her birthday on St Patty's, and this being the year we turned the big 30, all birthdays were kind of a big deal!

5. March is also the month of our Godson Mason's birthday. We just love Mas-man so much. He is just a light in this world, and his smile can charm anyone! We love this little dude so much!

6. Telling our family that we were expecting was one of the most fun mornings. We hosted Easter this year so that we would be able to tell our families all at the same time that we were pregnant. In our first ultrasound, Connor just looked like a little Jelly bean, so we thought what better way to tell our families than to introduce our little Jelly bean to them. We stuffed these little pictures in plastic Easter eggs, and had them open them prior to praying and eating Easter brunch!

7. In April, me and three of my closest friends from college celebrated our 30th birthdays! We took a trip to Lake Okaboji, IA, and it was a great weekend! We enjoyed the lake with walks, a nice dinner, and drinks (O'douhls for me :)) It was the first 80 degree weekend of the year, and it was just perfect! We all met over 10 years ago, and it was such a great way to celebrate this milestone with each other!

8. May was an amazing month this year, as the newest addition the McQuillan family arrived 4 days before my birthday and her due date! Emma Mary McQuillan arrived on May 7th and we are so in love with this little girl! She is SO laid back and smiley. She just loves watching her older brother and sister, and she is a GREAT cuddler. We can't wait to watch her and Connor grow up together!

9. I turned the big 30 on May 11th and Mike threw me a great party! It was definitely not how I imagined my 30th birthday if you had asked me years ago what it would be like , as I was not drinking and pregnant, there were 11 kids and 9 pregnant ladies at my party, but I wouldn't have had it any other way! :) In September, I surprised Mike with an early 30th birthday party in Ames, IA. We tailgated for the ISU/Iowa game followed by a limo around Des Moines...which broke down so it turned into a party on the side of the road followed by a party bus around town, but we made some good memories nevertheless!

10. This summer marked a big point for the McQuillan family as well, as my little bug, aka my little brother graduated from College and all three McQuillan kids officially entered the real world! I am so proud of my little brother Joe, and I cannot believe that he is done with school! It feels like just yesterday he was born, and now he is a full blown adult! It is so crazy, and Mike and I just love hearing all of his stories about starting a job, going to happy hour, and going out all the time with friends on the weekends...oh to be 23 again! :)

11. Mike and I again enjoyed trips to northern Minnesota with the family and friends. We did two trips up north with the McQuillan family, one to Alexandria and one to Brainerd. Then we again went to the Johnson cabin in Perham MN for the 4th of July, it was another great year with great weather! We are so lucky!

12. Mike and I continue to love to travel. And so we took advantage of this last summer with out kids, and some work trips to get a few good vacations in before baby. We had a great time in Chicago, Portland and Seattle!

13. Finally, and probably most obviously, the absolute highlight of 2013 was the birth of our son Connor Mac Harper on 11.12.13. It was an amazing experience being pregnant with this little man all year, and then bringing him into the world this November. It has been a crazy 7 weeks so far, and we are loving every moment of being parents. We are so blessed with this little man, and we are just amazed watching him grow every day!

We hope that you all had a blessed 2013 and we wish you nothing but the best in 2014! Cheers and happy new year!
Mike, Katie and Connor