For other 2015 Recap posts:

2015 Recap (Part 1): Entertainment & Social Media Faves of the Year

2015 Recap (Part 2): 5 Lessons God Taught Me in 2015

2015 Recap (Part 3): 2015 in 12 Photos & Link-up

2015 Recap (Part 4): Top 10 Posts of 2015

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It’s hard to believe but it really is the last day of 2015!! To celebrate we are looking back over the year with “2015 in 12 Photos.” Normally Dwija hosts a similar link-up but she is busy making beautiful babies. I’m happy to step in and host this year. So join in and link-up so we can have a peek at your 2015. 🙂

January was all about extended family! My younger brother Jake was married to his sweet bride Amanda. (And now my new niece is on the way!) I’m the oldest of nine siblings (that’s me, second to the left) and all of us were able to attend with our families, including my sis Elena who is the lone non-Californian living in Virginia. In January we also celebrated Brian being cancer free. Woohoo! However, we also were dealt a blow when Brian’s father, an active Opa in the kids’ life, had a stroke. Although he is still with us there was a mourning of losing the Opa we once knew.

Being a native Californian, I always feel a little bad for my snow-bound friends lamenting the drudgery of winter. In comparison, I am a wimp. I think it’s cold when I have to wear a hoodie while I take a morning walk along the beach.

In March we were knee deep in Lent. It’s easy to have all these grand visions of sacrifices and mortifications that will please the Lord but in reality, it is greater sacrifice for me to shut my mouth when I want to complain about all the laundry or having to wipe a dirty behind in the middle of my meal. God has been trying to tell me, these are the little things that He loves and that helps my heart to expand.  I need to take a cue from Downton and let go of my will and say, “Yes, my Lord.”

April was my month of discovery. A simple weekend trip (my first alone trip in decades!) to the Catholic Women’s Blogging Conference in SoCal was a game changer for me! If you aren’t already a regular reader of the blog, get the details here.

April showers bring May flowers! There is something breathtakingly unique about seeing God’s creativity in nature. The beauty just draws you to Him.

Okay, this is technically not my June submission but I just love it so much! We are on our annual summer trip to Lake Tahoe. For the last couple of years my parents have been able to join us and it is a special time where the kids get to have their long distance grandma and grandma 24/7. I get to have my parents (I hate not living close to them!) and my kiddos and my sweet hubby all in one place (and built in babysitters for a date night.) What’s not to love??

There’s so much green and blue at Lake Tahoe but I love the light and shadows of this photo.

This was a quick iPhone snap after swimming lessons but it captured a bit of the each kid’s personalty. I love my little crazies.

August was my birthday month and it could have been depressing since I felt officially old but instead three of my siblings came up for the weekend to visit (insert emoji hearts) and then they babysat the kids so Brian and I could go out to a fancy dinner at Pebble Beach. (Insert kissy face emoji here.) It truly was one of my best birthdays EVAH!

In September we took our last hike at Point Lobos for awhile. Once school and the holidays starts our weekends get filled up. The view at the top of our favorite hike/walk is even more breathtaking in person.

October was the month of creativity. I participated in the 31 Days of Writing with 31 posts about Gratitude and I started the online Love Your Lettering course. Unfortunately, I had to put the course on hold after a couple weeks because I didn’t have the extra time but now that the holidays are (almost) over, I will be able to pick up my pens and pencils once again. (If you are interested, join me!)

Okay, I am cheating again! I have two submissions for October but seriously who can’t resist mini-sized padawans, stormtroopers and a care bear. (Remember those??) 😉

We take two trips a year. Summer in Lake Tahoe and during Thanksgiving week we visit Disneyland with my family in SoCal. We are very busy during the year so our time together to get away is very important to us. Plus, the fact that I love all things Disney make this trip a no-brainer. (Major kudos to my hubby that puts up with my amusement park love. He’d rather be home reading a book.) 😉

There was a time I thought I would never find the right husband and get married. God answered my prayer above and beyond my imagination with Brian. Then there was a time I thought I would never have a child. Along came my sweet Bella. Then there was a period of five years with two pregnancies lost in miscarriage and I thought Bella would be an only child. God’s mercy (and some medical help) changed that and boom came our three little guys in a row. This Christmas I am acutely aware of my blessings!

Can I add one more unsanctioned photo? Yeah, yeah, I know – THE RULES. But like the pirate code, it’s more like a guideline….

As I was looking through my photos, I came across this one of my sweet babies and their big eyes. How incredibly fast time goes by!! So enjoy the sweet moments of the day and hug your loved ones. As time goes by you will forget all the moments that made you want to scream and only remember the love, laughter and kisses.

Sending hugs to you, my friends. Have a very blessed 2016!!!

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Periscope or Katch (past Periscopes), GoodReads, Letterboxd, or Spotify, 😉

Are you ready to link up?? Here are the rules.

1. Create a post with a photo to represent each month of the year. (As you can tell from my post, cheating is allowed.)

2. Add a link back here so others can play along.

3. If you want to use the graphic, here are two versions. I polled Facebook to see which was the fave but it was tied. Since I am prone to want to please everyone, you can take your pick. 😉 Right click and save the image to your computer or copy the html into your blog’s html/text page.

<a href=”http://revolutionoflove.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/logo_end_year_2015A3.jpg”><img class=”aligncenter size-full wp-image-8085″ src=”http://revolutionoflove.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/logo_end_year_2015A3.jpg” alt=”RevolutionofLove.com – 2015 in 12 Photos // logo_end_year_2015A3″ width=”640″ height=”457″ /></a>

<a href=”http://revolutionoflove.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/logo_end_year_2015A.jpg”><img class=”aligncenter size-full wp-image-8084″ src=”http://revolutionoflove.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/logo_end_year_2015A.jpg” alt=”RevolutionofLove.com – 2015 in 12 Photos // logo_end_year_2015A” width=”640″ height=”441″ /></a>

4. Link up below. Make sure you’re sending us to your actual post, and not to your general blog address.

The link up will be active for a month. Have fun! 🙂

It’s that fun time of the year when we look back over the past 12 months and relive the favorite moments, as well as the more difficult ones. Today I am linking up with Dwija for a look at the top 12 photos of 2014.

January marked our second battle with Brian’s cancer. Here he is receiving Anointing of the Sick before his scheduled surgery and following chemo. (We are also replenishing our supply of holy water!) It was a difficult time but Brian’s incredible faith not only kept him going but was an inspiration to me and the kids. Everyone’s prayers and offers of help was appreciated more than words could express. Through it all, our love of family, friends and each other grew even stronger, proving that good can come out of bad. On the day of his surgery, I started journaling my thoughts here.

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With Brian’s health, that meant a change in all our diets. We (mostly) eliminated white flour, processed sugar and junk food. However, the kids still wanted their Sunday morning treat after Mass so I tried new recipes with whole wheat and more natural sugars. It is not the easiest thing to cook from scratch and use whole foods but after awhile it gets easier and our tastes buds have gotten used to eating healthier. To be honest, after this season of breaking the rules and eating sweets and treats, I am tired of feeling ill and sluggish and look forward to getting back on track!

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This year marked the last year that my little Matthew was home with me 24/7. My morning walks were accompanied by my little super hero. Once September came around, he started preschool part time. It was a weird adjustment at first but now I am enjoying combining alone time with kiddo time. 🙂

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This is my favorite photo this year of Andrew, John-Paul and Matthew. I love their playful smiles and I can almost hear their sweet giggles. Although the house is often filled with incredible NOISE, the tender moments like these make it worth it. 😉

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In spring we took an unexpected visit to So Cal to attend my brother’s graduation party and my brother-in-law’s going away party as he was being stationed in Afghanistan. We also made a side trip to one of our favorite places – Disneyland. We were able to time the trip on Brian’s off week from chemo. I love this photo of Brian and Bella. Their smiles reflect how much fun we had that trip. 🙂

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June is one of my favorite months because it means not only is school out but we get to make our annual trip to Lake Tahoe. We’ve been blessed to be able to bring my parents with us for the last couple of years. I treasure this time not only with my sweetheart and sweet peas but my mom and dad too. We always have such a fun time and the day we come home from our trip I am counting the days until we can go back. (Mark your calendar, Mom. Only 173 days to go.) 😉

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July means summer vacation and lots of swimming lessons! I snapped a spontaneous photo of the kids and it is now one of the year’s favorite because it captures a little bit of each one’s personality. 🙂

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August started the month I made a goal list and made small steps towards bringing them about. I was making good progress until the holidays hit. Then everything was put aside. Now that the holidays are winding down, I’ll be able to refocus and get back on track.

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I love this shot of me and Brian. He finished his last round of chemo and went away for the weekend to attend a Catholic conference. Meanwhile my sister came up for a visit. When Brian returned home my sister watched the kids so we could go out. We had such a lovely date; we felt like newlyweds again. My heart was filled with gratitude that Brian was in my life and that he was feeling better each day. #blessed

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October starts my favorite season of fall and I should have a photo of pumpkin patches and golden leaves but this quick shot I took after a morning walk continues to take my breath away.

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I’ve gotten closer to Our Lady this year. From relying on her to pray for Brian to seeking her help in being a better mom, it is comforting to know there is someone looking out for me and helping me grow closer to God.

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December marked the month of rain for our parched California. I loved when the rain stopped and the sun peaked through the clouds and everything just glistened. So pretty!

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Okay, I cheated on this one. I was done with the post but I decided to add one more. It’s a simple Instagram but it marks my favorite day of this Christmas season.

It was the day we put on Christmas music and sat by the twinkling tree as we roasted marshmallows in the fireplace. It was like Christmas magic was sprinkled on the house as there was no wild playing or yelling or arguing over who got more marshmallows.  We just talked and laughed and had fun together. Then as the fire died down and the kids went into the other rooms to play, Brian and I snuggled on the couch and enjoyed each others company. It was the perfect afternoon. They don’t happen often but when they do they are fiercely cherished! 😉

Here’s to hoping that we will have more wonderful memories for 2015! 🙂 A big thanks to Dwija for hosting!

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post – A Year in Review with Favorite Posts. 🙂

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, GoodReads or Instagram. 😉