Wrapping up 2013

I think I'll package up the rest of the month/year in one post. If it's anything like my gift-wrapping skills it won't be anything extraordinary, but at least it will get done.

December treated us to a couple weeks of really cold temps, but for the most part it was a bearable month all things considered. We had some decent snow storms, and I will say this...regardless of not being a fan of winter, I do think a blanket of snow helps to boost the seasonal spirits. I grew up with mostly white Christmases, and I love a reminder of those memories. Having a backyard now is great for the boys, and I'm enjoying the freedom of not having to accompany them on every trip outside. :)

I guess in some ways I consider ourselves to be a young family, so I'm still working on what our traditions will be around the holidays. I think we nailed down a couple we want to stick with, but I guess we'll wait until next year to see what others will be a good fit for us.

Christmas Eve we finished up delivering the last bit of our Christmas baked goods, and we had planned on a trip to see Santa afterwards, but after pulling up to the Sugar Shack, we found that we missed him by a day. We ended up heading home with what will continue to be our Christmas Eve dinner tradition of Chinese takeout. We stole that tradition from the Bacon Family! :)

Once bedtime rolled around for the boys, we went to lay down and all of us ended up falling asleep before 9:00! It was a good thing D woke up halfway through the night, or the boys may have been overlooked by Santa. Even on his days off D can rarely sleep in, so he was up early watching a movie when Zach woke up to use the bathroom. Hearing the TV on he went to investigate and saw his stocking and got the rest of us up in a hurry. Starting our morning off at 6:30 AM was definitely not my idea of fun, but the boys' enthusiasm and a cup of coffee were all I needed to get going. They had a great Christmas, and we're very fortunate that we could do for them what we wanted to.

We made pizza last year on Christmas and we decided to do it again. I think that will be our Christmas dinner tradition moving forward. Leave it to us to have the holiday food traditions nailed down before anything else. :) Anytime we make pizza we need help to eat it, so joining us for dinner was Mom, Dad, Joy, and JT. Their company was a lovely way to finish up the day!

The rest of 2013 was mostly uneventful. The boys and I all came down with a nasty case of the flu, and sick is how we spent the rest of the year.

We didn't have the best start to 2013, but D and I both agree that once things turned around, the year ended on a really good note for us, and we're hoping the trend continues throughout 2014.

Cheers to all our family and friends for great things in 2014!

A year.

Probably one of my favorite parts of each day is getting my daily photo of Archer. Carrie has been so good about texting them to everyone this past year, and I love all the little glimpses into how he spends a second of each day. I love this kid!

It's always great to come together to celebrate that first year mark, and Grandma DJ put together a great party for her first grand baby's first birthday. :)  I think that first birthday is as much a celebration for the parents and relatives as it is for the little one.

There really isn't anything out there that can prepare someone for a baby, and I know Archer has had some challenging stretches, but Carrie and Bobby have come through it all beautifully. I'm already looking forward to seeing how much Archer changes over this next year.

I remember the phone call I had with Carrie when we first got the news that Darius had been offered a transfer to Salt Lake. I knew what it meant it be able to live close to her and the rest of the family. I'm so grateful for this opportunity to be around, to watch Carrie become the mother that she is and to see Archer grow and be able to spend time with them both.

Warm Florida...

Time sure has been getting away from me! Just when I think I've caught up my train gets derailed and I find myself behind again. Such is life...

December was nuts but a lot of fun. I'm thinking there needs to be a bigger stretch between Thanksgiving and Christmas. There doesn't seem to be enough time to squeeze in enough holiday fun into just one month. I keep going over the things we didn't find enough time to do, but I shouldn't lose sight of all the great things we did squeeze in.

The boys and I had planned a little visit to Florida back in October, but as we were sitting at the gate at the airport, ready to board, the boys' behavior dictated a very loud and dramatic exit from the airport instead of a walk down the jetway. Not exactly the pleasant flight I had hoped for. Lucky for us we found a small window to make up the trip, and we enjoyed a few days with the Bacon's....after a much better travel experience!

We love all the Bacon's, but we were extra excited to see how much Emma had changed since we last visited. It's so much fun to see a little person change so quickly in a short amount of time. She definitely did not disappoint and was full of the lively, sweet/sassy personality we had been hearing so much about. It was so nice to spend most of our time just hanging out at their house. Patti and I did a little sewing, which totally took me back to when I was a kid around the holidays, watching my mom sew our Christmas gifts. Love it.

After we finished up sewing projects and dinner, Patti majorly treated the boys and I to a little visit to Magic Kingdom. We enjoyed a few hours to watch the fireworks show, electric parade, and a couple of rides. I loved seeing the castle frosted with lights for the holidays. It was gorgeous, and it was such a treat to be able to visit the park during that time of year. Thanks again Patti!!

I loved that we were able to find the time to visit the Bacon's, especially during the holidays. I love their home and how much they get into Christmas. I don't know anyone else who decks their house with 4 full-sized Christmas trees and a few bonus smaller ones! It was another great, and always special, visit with some of our favorite people.