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2022 Year in Review

Lauren Mulenos

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Perhaps it has something to do with having kids now, but 2022 flew like no year has ever flown before. I look back to January and February and think that was this year?! It went by so fast, but it also feels like lightyears away. I had so much fun looking back and remembering everything we did this year. It was definitely a hard year, but there was a lot of fun and good too.

I shared a bit more of our ups (and downs) in each section. I love sharing these with you, but honestly I do it for myself the most. I go back through all my pictures and posts and really try to appreciate each day for what it was. I hope you’re able to do the same!

Keep reading for a high level look at what 2022 included for me.

January

I think January was my hardest month of 2022. Started the year off with a bang! When we arrived back from our Christmas holiday, our apartment was leaking from all the rain. This essentially turned into a 6 month renovation due to mold, failure to successfully patch the leak, lack of workers, and travel, but it impacted the first 6 weeks of the year in a bigger way. We lost use of the twins’ nursery and they had to stay in our bedroom. It’s not uncommon for babies to sleep in their parents’ room; however, our twins have always slept in their own room. At this point they were 3/4 months old and were on the cusp of being too big for their bassinet and woke up more than usual. It also was hard for Nick and I to sleep with all the noises and such. We also couldn’t watch a movie or show due to the bright light of the TV. I pretty much lived in our master bedroom because I was shut in there all day with the twins and all of our pets, as construction workers were in their nursery all day and Nick used the downstairs as his office. Did I mention that Nick had just gone back to work from paternity leave (still working from home), so I was adjusting to that as well? I could not even try to get them on a schedule because they would wake each other up, plus the construction was loud. Oh and I was trying to work as well. Some highlights were that Baylor won their bowl game, we went to Dallas for my sister’s first wedding shower (it had a DIY Hot Chocolate Bar), some of my extended family got to meet the twins, I got my ears double pierced, and the twins went on their first hike. They also started teething. Did I mention that January was hard?!

February

The quickest, but sweetest of months! I spent most of this month planning all the details of my sister’s bachelorette party for the following month. We took the twins to a drive-in movie and they also had their first beach day. They had been to the beach before, but not in swimsuits or on a sunny day. I made the decision to stop pumping this month. The twins had refused to nurse a couple weeks prior and I came to the conclusion it was best to stop. They had been combo fed since the beginning, so were already used to formula. Because of this I got to have my first chemical peel in MONTHS. My favorite part of February was going on a family roadtrip to Yosemite. I want to go back to the National Park, because it was stunning, but I also loved our time at this cabin. This month was also probably the height of my postpartum anxiety, plus stopping breastfeeding did a real number on me physically.

March

Back to Dallas we went, and then I went off to Austin for my sister’s bachelorette party and my first trip away from the twins. Spring was beginning to show and I remember taking lots of sweet walks, sunshine, and the farmer’s market. Nick and I bought last minute tickets to John Mayer and we were randomly upgraded to have floor seats! I flew to Dallas solo to go to my sister’s bridal shower and hopefully some sleep and ended up getting a gnarly sinus infection. I was miserable the whole time, but at least I didn’t have to care for children and be sick. A highlight this month was getting fitted for hearing aids! I’ve suffered from hearing loss for as long as I can remember, so this was a step in the right direction for my hearing.

April

My sister’s wedding month! Pretty much all my free time was spent around that. There were also lots of beach days and more sunshine. I was finally cleared (6 months postpartum) from my physical therapist to be able to work out. I had a c-section and have diastasis recti. Other highlights were a concert at The Hollywood Bowl, Easter, and visiting the bluebonnets in Texas.

May

The highlight of May is that the twins started sleeping through the night! We found out by accident though. We were so tired coming back from my sister’s wedding that we just decided to let them wake us up instead of dream feeding them at midnight. If we did this in the past, they would wake us up around 2:00 am. We were both pleasantly surprised the next day! Technically this was the end of April, but we started counting it in May as we didn’t know if it was a fluke or not. We also started the twins on purees this month, so that stands out as a milestone. We saw lots of shows for the Netflix is a Joke Comedy Festival which was a really fun time. More beach days too and the start of our favorite Cinespia movie season, as well as my first mother’s day with the twins earth side. The twins got to visit Arkansas for the first time, as we traveled for a family member’s wedding.

June

More beach days and more travel! We took a group trip (twins included) to Paso Robles, then topped it off with a trip to Napa, Lake Tahoe, Mammoth Lakes, and Seattle for Nick’s sister’s wedding. We celebrated Nick’s first father’s day as well by renting a Sprinter van and going to the Petersen museum. I wore a bikini in public for the first time postpartum this month. Wasn’t my favorite, but I think it was good for my mental health. We also bought the twins a dog pool for some summer fun.

July

We spent the fourth of July at a Cinespia movie screening which was fantastic for fireworks. I’m still dreaming of this guacamole. This month marked the twins being here for the same amount of time they were in my belly - 38 weeks and 1 day! We went to the Palomino Festival and got to see Kacey Musgraves and Willie Nelson, along with some other talented musicians. My whole family was actually in town for that, so that made it extra special and fun. At the end of the month we went to Sun Valley, Idaho was was beautiful and fun. The twins rode on a boat for the first time and we got to be with family in place that was new to us. We want to go back, especially in the winter to experience it then.

August

My birthday month! We had a fun day in Malibu and on Rodeo Dr., then finished it off with a gathering with some friends. Nick and I had our first trip sans twin, which I still need to write about. So good and so needed! We went to Texas and dropped the twins off with my parents, then just made a quick drive to Fort Worth.

September

September was spent trying to catch our breath before we flew through to the new year. We took a group trip to Lake Tahoe (sans twins) by way of Napa and it was magical. We stayed at RNR Vacation Rentals property again which was once again a great deal.

October

The twins turned one! It is on my list to share their parties on the blog, but the week around their birthdays were wild. We took them to Disneyland on their actual birthday, then had a party here in Los Angeles, flew to Dallas the same day, then had a party for them there. We entered the toddler sick stage and have literally been sick once a month since then. We also celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary. Halloween and fall in general was extra special with our autumn babies. We took some special family photos at home and at the beach. Oh! And we went to Palm Springs too, for a company trip for Nick. This month was a lot of fun, but also was disheartening. I found out that my ulcerative colitis was back in a different part of my colon. I was prescribed new medications and have been on them since.

November

Nick’s birthday month! We went to San Francisco and Napa and had so much fun staying at The Bungalows at Calistoga again. I felt really lucky to get to attend to a Creator’s Conference by Amazon this month. We celebrated our first Thanksgiving sans family, here in Los Angeles. We had a great day filled with friends and then attended a large Thanksgiving meal with some other friends we were lucky to have met over the years we have lived here.

December

I hit the ground running in December by going on a girls trip with my sister to New York City. I would highly recommend visiting NYC during Christmastime. Shortly after that, we headed to Dallas (and Arkansas) to celebrate Christmas with my family. We switch families every other year, then made it back to LA to ring in the New Year with friends.

And just like that, 2022 is over. I have some thoughts that bleed into 2023, so I’ll share more of those on my first post of 2023. Overall, we were on-the-go so much. I think this was good in the sense that having a new baby can keep you inside and isolated. We forced ourselves and were forced out and it was good for us, because it never gets easier. Before you know it, they are in full-on toddler stage and once they are mobile, you are playing in a different ballgame. Overall, 2022 made me smile. I may still be lacking sleep, but I have the memories to prove it!

That was my year! Here are some of my other favorites things from 2022!

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My Top 6 Favorite Books in 2022

  1. Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson (This was my favorite book of the year!)

  2. The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth

  3. American Royals III: Rivals by Katharine McGee (The second book wasn’t my favorite, but I felt like this one redeemed the series! There's one more left and I’m excited for it.)

  4. Liking Myself Back by Jacey Duprie

  5. Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad

  6. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Technically I tarted in 2021 and was in the middle of it when I had to go in for my c-section, but I finished in 2022.)

Favorite First Time Meals from 2022

My Favorite Album of 2022:

I think if I had to pick, I’d say Harry’s House by Harry Styles. I also really appreciate Meghan Trainor’s catchy new songs and marketing genius from her album Takin’ It Back. I’m usually much more of a singer songwriter girl or even country, so my own picks surprise me. Another song specifically I loved was Bless Me by Kirk Franklin and Maverick City Music.


My Favorite Show of 2022:

I’m having trouble remembering what all I have watched this year, but I’d probably have to say The Bear and Severance have been my favorites.

My Top 6 Favorite Pieces of Clothing from 2022:

I had several other favorites, but stopped with six, because that’s where the clear break was for me.

  1. Amanda Uprichard Hera Bodysuit. This made me feel so good postpartum!! I have it in two colors and want to buy it in white too.

  2. Agolde 90's Mid Rise Loose Fit Jeans. I liked these better than the 90’s pinch waist loose fit simply because of the length. These were probably my most worn jeans all year! I am considering updating them to these high rise kick jeans or these Lana straights to give me a bit more figure, but overall I still love them. I have the mid rise in black too and am probably even more obsessed with those than the denim color! They fit a bit tighter and I like the shape they give me.

  3. Lunya Washable Silk Tee Set. I thought the OG tank set was my favorite, but I pretty much live in these. They are so good!! I spoke more recently about them here. Use discount code LAURENMGIFT20 for $20 off your purchase.

  4. Buru Everyday Shorts. These are cute shorts that have pockets and an elastic waistband. Feel put together wearing them around the house or wear them out! I have them in two colors and want more. I’m kind of in-between size S and M, but ultimately picket medium for length.

  5. Show Me Your Mumu Everhart Jumpsuit. I was able to grab this at a sample sale, but after trying it on, I would pay full price for it! I got it in black, but it also comes in blue denim. Such a great piece to dress up or down. I’m in a small, but would consider a medium for a longer torso length and slightly more give in the waist.

  6. Sam Edelman Laguna Boot. These were a total surprise, but I love them! I bought them last minute for our New York trip and they are so good. They are waterproof and comfortable too.

Now that we have gone through my favorites, let’s look at some of YOUR favorites for the year!

Thanks so much for coming along this ride with me. I don’t need a bigger and better year next, but I will take the same level of happiness and memories, because 2022 was so full. Cheers!

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