my look back on 2017

2017 was a fantastic year! Sorry but there are ton of photos. More than years past!! We did so much this year and I wanted to get it all in. I love documenting our memories and being able to look back, reflect and cherish all of these moments.  It is the best part of this blog. I LOVE being able to look at these photos and go back to that time for a second. It's so cool how you look at a photo and all these feelings from that moment flood back to you!! SO MUCH FUN! I hope ya'll had a great year as well and if not... there is much to look forward in the New Year! It's a new beginning!

I'm probably going to write a long blog so sorry! 

Our year was full of so many joyful experiences. Our Winter, we received snow and Haylee got to go sledding for the first time. Haylee loved it and we had lot of fun with her. She did not want to come back inside. Souwan celebrated with a low key birthday at home with his new table grill. The Rowan Museum had an awesome exhibit on Cheerwine. Haylee went to Discovery Place kids for the first time! We celebrated Lia's first birthday and Melissa's bridal shower too! 

The Spring was awesome because Souwan's family came into town from Alabama/Tennessee to visit us and we celebrated Laos New Year at the temple. They even got to celebrate Easter with us. Souwan's dad came to church with us for Easter service and he enjoyed it so much! We had a picnic to follow. Haylee had fun at our church Easter egg hunt, she loved getting all of the colorful eggs. Melissa & Korey got married! Carolina won the NCAA tournament and I won our office bracket challenge! Our family enjoyed a nice event at Hurley park with band music and bubbles. Haylee got her first bike and we purchased new bikes as well! I took my first flight (first time flying) to New York for a women's conference for work. We started potty training Haylee!   

Summer went fast. We celebrated our 4 year anniversary with dining out at a seafood restaurant uptown. Our herb garden was a success. We planted Camilla's! I hope they return this year. Our friend Justin came back from China and reunited with us after 10 years. We went to a few more birthday and celebrated Cheerwine's 100th. The bbq and Cheerwine was amazing! Souwan joined his office's kickball team. Haylee started ballet! Our family went to the zoo for the first time with our friends! Souwan competed in the Dragon Boat race again. We bought a new SUV a Nissan Rogue, RIP Janette the Jetta. Haylee turned 2 and we celebrated with a Princess Jasmine birthday party in our backyard with our new gazebo. It was a hit! Definitely will be doing it again! 

Fall was full of so many activities! We celebrated my birthday with a low key dinner at my favorite place -Asian Café. We visited Alabama and had so much fun at Nina & Bryan's wedding! We took Haylee to Disney World and Harry Potter world for the first time. It was the best memory of the year for us! We changed Haylee's crib to a big girl bed! We experienced Haylee's first Autumn Jubilee with our friends. We took Haylee to pick pumpkins at the Variety store and she painted it! She also went trick or treating house to house for the first time! We dressed her up as Princess Jasmine for trunk or treat as well. Our family got to experience the Caravan parade for the very first time together! I loved all of the floats! Haylee and Souwan volunteered to plant trees and clean up a neighborhood with the City of Salisbury. Haylee had her first visit to the Dentist and did not like it.

December flew by fast this year. We had so much fun at the Polar Express (Haylee actually sat and talked with Santa), Festival of trees, baking cookies for our Cookie exchange at church, celebrating Jay's graduation from UNC Charlotte and having a special day/lunch with all of the family. 

In 2018 we want to learn patience, writing, and calligraphy. We want to get better at photography, communicating, exercising, ABC/Counting. We would like to try new foods, get a dishwasher and bake more. Haylee's favorite toy was her kitchen and play doh and she worked really hard on potty training! Our family would love to go to Disney World for the food and wine event or Charleston. We would love to plant a fruit tree in our garden this year. I would love to give more to our local children's home, make a wish foundation and relay for life. Our favorite songs of the year were "look what you made me do" Taylor Swift and Hills & Valley by Touren Wells. The best advice we got were think before you talk, surround yourself with people that reflect who you want to be and how you want to feel, energies are contagious.

Our family had fun with doing a review of the year of our favorites:

Favorite Food - Cajun

Favorite Movie - When Calls the Heart Christmas, Beauty and the beast and Mickey Mouse Christmas

Favorite Book - Everyone can write, The Energy Bus and Princess bedtime stories

Favorite activity - Bike riding, Friday Night Dinners, Romp n Roll

Favorite TV Shows - When Calls the Heart, The Chew, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

Favorite Memory- Disney World/Harry Potter World

Looking forward to 2018 & Goals!

- Going back to Disney World

- Lee is graduating and we're headed to UMass/Boston!

-We're going to enjoy more of our yard 

- More bike riding

-Getting better at writing

-I want to finish my photography courses

-I hope to purchase more lens and gear

-I want to stay off my phone more

- I really want to hit our goal of paying off more debt and saving 10k (In 2017 we paid off two of our smallest debts)

- Staying healthy

-Finish designing & decorating our office

- Making a sun room

-Reading more books

- Make more family photos
- Being more artistic

- Learning to give myself grace! I want to accept not everyone is going to like me and be ok with that!

Goals for Davong Marie

- Try to do more mini sessions and giveaways

- Networking

- Design business cards

I wanted to say Thank you so much to every one who support Davong Marie. Especially my husband who supports all my big dreams and helps me with everything here!! It's been a wonderful 2017!!! I cannot express how grateful I am for each and every person! it's truly amazing and a humbling experience to be able to be a part of your lives!

We sincerely hope and pray that this New Year brings you new hopes, new dreams, and new beginnings. May this truly be your best year yet.
Love The Kiengkhams!

(Photos are from Nikon & IPhone)