Happy New Year!

Better late then never.....

Our Christmas card this year

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I spent most of my life not participating in this particular holiday. 

I am not bitter about that.

 I think that it has given me a better appreciation for what this holiday actually means.  

Joy abounds during the season.

People seem happier,

things look shinier.

I look forward to the breaks...

From school, from work.

I find that during Christmas time I am able to pause and to reflect on the past year.

What has been accomplished, what has been learned.

Thinking about who you love.....who you have lost.

What you are thankful for.

I am thankful.

I feel blessed.

Having all of the people I love together and safe was all that I needed Santa to bring me this year.

Thank you Santa.

*******

For a second year in a row we were able to spend this holiday with the other people that we love.

We stayed with Jeryd's Parents this time around.

I love staying there.

They live in this huge, fantastic, funky house in Boulder Creek.

It is a fun place to be a kid in.

They turned the upstairs space into the "lego-loft"...

yeah...

The boy's never want to leave.

Hell, I never want to leave.

It's a happy place to be.  

******

Looking back I realized that I didn't pick up my camera that often.

I guess I was having too much fun.

We did manage a trip down to the beach in between the torrential downpour that occurred.   

It was beautiful.

We couldn't keep Logan from going in.

Even the dogs thought he was crazy.

 Scarlet went in by accident.

She wasn't too happy about that.

Granny made her feel better.

Eventually she embraced the fact that we had no extra clothes for her.

A beach day isn't complete without a naked baby bum....even in December.

******

We were also excited to have Uncle Kyle with us.

He was willing to brave the waters with Logan.

Such a good Uncle

 It was a perfect day.

******

And of course...

What would Christmas be without a few presents!

Remy is patiently waiting for Uncle Kyle to wake up so we can start opening them.

Such a merry Christmas.

My mother-in-law always has such beautiful flowers throughout her house.   I couldn't resist taking a few photos.

 After Grannie and P-Pas house we headed over to Mimi and Pop-pops house.

I didn't hardly take any photos over there.

 This is my sweet Nephew Nolan.

When I look at this I imagine him saying:

"What the f*@# just happened.

Merry Christmas!

 ******

This year Jeryd surprised me with an adults only trip to VEGAS!

That's right....

NO kids!

I had no idea what to do with myself.

 We walked all over the place.

We ate fantastic food.

We drank.

We shopped.

We saw some shows.

I even gambled a bit (never doing that again).

This is the view from our hotel room.

It was super fun.

The whole "no kids" thing did not go over too well with my children.

They retaliated by getting incredibly ill.

Barfing, fever...

The whole nine yards.

My poor mom.

She did good though.

My kids are lucky to have such a good Mimi.

Thank you will never be enough Mom.

I owe you big time.

******

When we got home we slept/hibernated/recuperated through the new year.

We rang in 2013 asleep in our beds.

*****

Yesterday everyone was feeling well enough to leave the house.

Jeryd's parents live next-door to this amazing camp in the redwoods.

They built these cabins high, on stilts, in the canopy of the trees.

It is fantastic.

It was fun to explore the place.  

*****

Anyway..

I hope you all had an equally relaxing, exciting, happy, fun, joyful end to 2012.

Happy New Year!

xoxo