It’s natural to come to the end of the year and think about all the things that have taken place over the last 365 days. The primary reason I became interested in photography was so that I could better document the life of my family, so looking back on the last year’s worth of photos reminds me of all the special moments. As I looked at a year’s worth of pictures, I could sense that this year was mostly about family. Of course, there are friends in the mix, but most of my moments were centered on time with relatives. Maintaining friendships during this parenting season is outrageously difficult. Trying to coordinate with other guys or couples to hang out with is really discouraging to me. The thought crosses my mind that I want to hang out with someone, and then we have to work through our calendars to try and find one mutually available time to hang out. And then if it’s a couple we want to spend time with, as opposed to one of my guy friends, we have to figure out a babysitter, which takes a lot of effort, and a bit of money. I have a desire to create and maintain meaningful friendships, but during this time of life, it’s just a discouraging endeavor. I am hopeful that this is only a season, but because of this, my time with friends in 2019 was at a minimum, but my time with family was probably higher than it has ever been. After my kids leave the house, I will hopefully have decades to cultivate meaningful friendships, so for now, I will choose to appreciate the increased time with family, even if it cost me time building meaningful friendships.
Here’s a look in pictures at a few of our favorites moments.
Maggie’s personality grew larger than life in 2019, and this picture is one of the earliest I took after learning how to use a flash to get indoor images that I can be proud of. Here we have a the response to the question, “Maggie, can you show us your sassy pose?”
Bear spent a lot of time in the high chair this year, but it was a relief that he could finally feed himself. Sitting around the table together at least twice a day was a ritual that was sometimes fun, and often times mundane. However, I have no memories of sitting around the dinner table with my mom and dad, so these boring daily routines have deep meaning.
Maggie turned three in February, and we had a super small moment together just the 4 Kelloughs to celebrate. She didn’t mind as she got to eat cake and enjoyed a new stuffed animal that could talk and say her name. Although I love simplicity, there was a part of me that felt like she deserved so much more. I am looking forward to celebrating her more in 2020 as Kristen is already dreaming up a party with friends from church and school.
Our backyard was a favorite for 2019 as Bear began to hit the stage where he could do more outside than just lay on a blanket. The mosquito situation is infuriating at times, but we refuse to let the tiny demons keep us from enjoying our giant backyard.
The sunset breaks through our back window in a way that makes our living room glow once a day. The thought struck me one day to capture an image and this is what I got.
2018 was a pretty terrible year in many ways, so at the beginning of 2019, going to church as a family was still a bit of an overwhelming prospect. Easter Sunday was one of the first Sundays after some time when we were all at church together again. Also, looking at this photo reminds me I need to learn my angles better because I default to profile like a pregnant woman showing off a baby bump.
When we finally found a free Saturday in April, we drove an hour and half to a bluebonnet field that we knew of, only to find it had been tilled to dirt because the flowers had already come and gone. We drove around for a few minutes and found this TINY patch of bluebonnets and, dang it, we were resolved to get at least one pic of these babies in front of the flowers. Bear was born right after bluebonnet season in 2018, so this was his first experience. Maggie choked him with love.
First birthday parties are my JAM. I love being with my extended family. I love hosting people in my home. And I love choosing decor, food, and costumes in theme. Being born on May 5, Bear’s Cinco de Mayo party with fajitas and Mexican flare was a no brainer. And he smashed his cake without fear or restraint.
With Bear’s birthday came the last of our monthly photo sessions. These were such a significant part of our lives, and since we are feeling some doubts about having more kids, this could be our last monthly session ever. Bear made sure to give us some photographic gems to go out on.
For my birthday towards the end of May I asked for a quick family photo shoot. We went to one of our favorite spots near Rice University and snapped some quick pics. This image that Kristen took represents the dream I had since I was 8 years old. Being a husband and father was a goal for me ever since I saw the end of Forrest Gump (at way too early of an age thanks to my dad). There’s a moment at the end where Forrest Jr. gets on the school bus as his father watches on. This was the exact moment when I felt being a husband and dad was how I wanted to spend my life. Family life, without a doubt, is full of ups and downs, but I’m happy I’ve achieved my dream. I guess it’s time for some more dreams in 2020.
Being in ministry has a way of bringing a variety of incredible people into your life. Sometimes, you don’t realize how important some of these people are until you leave them behind as you take a step in a different direction. Lexie and Trey were in the 9th and 10th grade when I came to Gonzales as their youth pastor in 2010, and they had just started dating. I am a staunch opponent to high school dating, but these two were the caliber of teenager that somehow rose above the common immaturities and issues I observe in young relationships. Leading them was a highlight of my time in Gonzales, and they continue to be friends from afar. We invited them to come for 4th of July, and we’re glad we did, because visiting them in 2020 just got much more complicated as they are expecting their first child!.
At the end of July we took a vacation just the two of us to Excellence Playa Mujeres in Mexico, and we’ve been talking about going back basically every day since. This was a sweet few days where we had nothing to do but sit around. We sat by the communal pools, we sat by the all included bar, we sat in the 8 different all included restaurants, we sat in our room hot tub, we sat in our private rooftop soaking pool, we sat by the beach. We sat and sat and sat and it was glorious.
While on vacation, Kristen’s mom kept Maggie in Austin and my mom kept Bear in northeast Texas. An hour further north is where my grandparents (step-mom’s parents) live. Five hours is a LONG drive with kids, so I took the opportunity to take Bear to see them since I was already on that side of Texas. I hate how complicated it is to get away for a weekend to see family, but I’m glad I snuck in this quick visit.
On August 11 we arrived at 7 years of marriage. Here we are in front of some of Houston’s finest brown bayou water. We went to a place called Finn’s Food Hall for dinner and were not disappointed. What Houston lacks in picturesque scenery, it makes up for in endless delicious food options.
One of the incredible blessings of working at my church is the free preschool for my kids. This year, Bear joined Maggie in staying until 4 pm two days a week instead of just 2 pm. Kristen now has two full days without the kids, which is life changing.
We did our family Christmas card photos in October and I couldn’t be happier with the results. My camera remote has made it possible to get quality family portraits every year for free!
In November we visited my college friends David and Stephanie in Augusta, GA. Our kids basically line up four years in a row, and it was fun to spend a few days with them in their giant historical home. It was rainy during our stay, but we almost didn’t notice as they have an entire third floor play room. That plus the 15 passenger van I rented to cart us around for the weekend made for an awesome visit. We are looking forward to a few years in the future, however, when the kids can leave us alone for 45 minutes so we can play a board game in peace.
This year Bear was big enough to start taking baths with Maggie. Having a boy and girl means that they will both have a better understanding of human anatomy than I ever did at their age coming from a family of all boys. Bath time together makes things a bit easier logistically, and there are some super sweet moments as they splash together.
THANKSGIVING IS THE BEST. That is all.
My brother makes an annual visit from New York each December, and my dad and step mom usually come down to Houston to see him. This means more family time in the holiday season, which is becoming more and more important as I see the value of my children spending time with their extended family.
Holiday travel is an excuse to take some detours to see family that is not always easy to get to. We were going to visit my Grandmother during our Christmas travels in 2018, but she got the flu. Fortunately, she was healthy this year and we got to share a meal as we passed through Waco on the way to Kristen’s extended family Christmas gathering in Ft. Worth.
I’m obsessed with family photos. I’m not sure if anyone at family gatherings cares about them as much as I do, and I might irritate some with my determination to make them happen, but I don’t care. Gathering the weekend after Christmas in Ft. Worth with Kristen’s family was awesome because the weather was incredible, and Maggie got to play with her cousins. On my side of the family, there are no children Maggie’s age, so gathering with Kristen’s family is always special because of the opportunity for her to play with family members in her same stage of life.
2019 was a steady climb towards things getting easier and better for the Kelloughs, and I’m happy we were able to document so many moments in pictures.