2014 in Review (Well, some of it anyway.)

Well, 2014 nearly passed without a single blog post.  There just aren't enough hours in the day to document our lives on Blogspot AND Facebook.  Besides, we don't want the Proctor family to suffer from overexposure and risk having our fans turn on us.  We cherish all of our blog followers, all four of you.

Since I know you are busy, I'm making use of collages.  That way you can view several pictures at once.  I'm all about efficiency, best use of time, eliminating waste, eschewing superfluous verbiage.  Err...anyway...

We played soccer.

Lake Charles Mardi Gras 2014

 We went to Nashville for Kim & Ralph's wedding.  We stopped over in Hot Springs, AR.

We went to Moody Gardens in Galveston with our friends, The Wrights.

The kiddos got to experience their first Houston Rodeo.

Sam turned 5.  Anna turned 6.

We had another awesome beach trip.

Sam started Kindergarten, and Anna started first grade.  They both got fantastic teachers, and we couldn't be happier with how well school is going.  Also note that they each learned to ride bikes without training wheels this year!

Even though it is not documented here, lots of other great, fun stuff happened in 2014.  I wish I could share all these happy moments with everyone.  That's what blogging is all about: sharing and remembering.  

It's bittersweet that 2014 has come to a close and we have so few blog posts to remember it by. No, I didn't document every detail.  It's a small price to pay for living in the moment.  One day in the not-so-distant future, my memories of this year will blur.  They will become an amalgamation of memories that get generally classified as "Good times."  And that's alright by me.

Thanks to all of you who read this blog.  You probably greatly contributed to this year of good times, and for that I am eternally grateful.

Happy New Year!

- Matt

P.S.

And because you have read this far, I will reward you with bonus blogging.  The following is a post that I worked on a few weeks ago but never finished.  I thought it was lost forever due to a computer error, but I just found it.  Enjoy.

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Well, 2014 was almost the year.  It was ever so close to being the year where the blog's novelty completely wore off and none of our lives were chronicled.  But then came December.  On this quiet night, I have put the children to bed, cleaned up the kitchen, made PB&J sandwiches for the kids lunches, and sent Jennifer off to tap class (Yes, she now takes tap class.).  Now there is only one thing on my mind: The Proctor Page.  I shall attempt to chronicle an entire year of joyous milestones and otherwise notable Proctor Family occurrences.  You will laugh, you will cry, you will wonder what else you could be doing with your time.  Most importantly, you will get to experience fantastic photography that cannot be matched anywhere else on the internet.  Enjoy.

In the Spring, the kids played Soccer.  It was epic, fast-paced action.

Sam celebrated because goals are team accomplishments, not individual triumphs.  The team might not have ever scored if he weren't across the field "occupying defenders".

Anna ran like the wind, even though the ball and the wind didn't cross paths too many times during a game.  But Anna played hard and had fun.  She had a great group of friends on her team.  Mr. Jason did an awesome job keeping the games and practices fun.

Anna turned 6.  She had a Frozen-themed party.  Perhaps you have heard of Frozen.  It was a very popular film circa 2014.

We went to Mardi Gras in Lake Charles.  We were obviously having such a good time that I could only take pictures while people were eating cotton candy.

The Sisterhood of the Prevalent Cheeks increased by 1 member.

Jennifer does not like my nickname for the group, but I am the one who blogs.

Here's my little niece being adorable:

Sam learned to ride a bike.  He was a natural.  It took him about 10 minutes before he could execute figure 8 turns in the driveway.  Also, make note those boots.  He loved those boots.

Anna started riding shortly after Sam.  Yes, I realize that she is barefoot in this picture.  It only happened once, and it'll never happen again,  Please, Grandparents, do not send me nasty letters. Anna was and still is more careful on her bike than Sam Kenevil.  If you have to place bets on which kid can stay out of the emergency room, bet the house on Anna.

Sam turned 5.  He had a great party at Basil's with all his friends.  I ate copious amounts of cake icing.  It was a good day.

One Christmas is never enough

The distance to the moon is about 240,000 miles.  The distance to the sun is about 93 million miles.  By comparison, the 2,400 miles that we drove this Christmas season should seem like a short trip to the fridge during a commercial break, right?  It's all about perspective.

Here are the exciting details of our intra-planetary journey...

Christmas in Spring.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care.

...and guarded by ninjas with pirate head-wear.

The kiddos ripped wrapping paper and bows did unravel.

Then we woke in the morning and started to travel.

Christmas in Lake Charles

At Mimi and Pop's house, we had such great fun.

We ate till we were stuffed.  Then battled with nerf guns.

On Matt!  On Jennifer, On Sam, Shelby and Anna!

Santa is supposed to find us in Louisiana...

Christmas in Baton Rouge

Frosty served as a landmark for Santa to find the way.

And Nora babbled and toddled to brighten everyone's day.

The kids awoke to find they were on Santa's "nice" list.

Scooters and hula hoops!  Their smiles were priceless.

With the children content, their faces still aglow,

We stuffed the car like a sausage and drove to Ohio.

Christmas in Dayton

The mood was festive despite my hurt back.

Those mid-westerners got crazy with their booze and their hats. 

With Pop in his shirt and Mimi sporting a 'stache,

we partied too late.  T'was past time to crash.

On our final day in Ohio, we were fortunate to see

the Wesleys and Crawfords who trekked in from Indy.

It was great to see all despite the long travels, the plight.

It was well worth the trouble, a Christmas delight!

Farewell, Summertime 2013

Well, September is over.  The brutal heat of Summer has given way to the slightly lesser heat of Autumn, so I know it is past time to update the blog.  We did so much this Summer that it would take far too long to recap everything, and nobody has time to read all that.  I will attempt to synopsize everything using only pictures and the ancient Japanese poetic art of Haiku.

Disney trip in May
Six Proctors made memories.
Tourists everywhere.

Sam is FOUR, not three.
Anna dances beautifully.
Matt feeds family.

Drought claims backyard tree.
'Fam likes beach, kayak for me.
Cousins from Indy.

Hilton Head, last trip

before Anna started school.

Where did five years go!?

We are older now.
But surprise, we still party
and eat awesome cake.

guest post by Matt
-Next time I won't blog on muscle relaxers.  I promise.