Holiday Recap

Snow dusting our window garlands

The holiday season this year was full, just the right balance of activity and plans and down time at home.  And I imagined myself perfectly prepared for it all this year.  The preceding fall maternity leave would surely have allowed me all the time needed to make this the most relaxed, well planned and perfectly executed holiday break.  And then it arrived and I was reminded that a maternity leave isn't really a vacation.  I was busy doing other fun and rewarding things – like admiring our new girl, and spending quality time with the small fry, lest she feel forgotten, and other essentials like dreft-scented laundry, washing bottles, and the other daily responsibilities that come with keeping a home and family.

The family star

The thing is, that it will never be perfect; not in the Martha Stewart-TV-set-style that exists in my mind.  But it was perfect in its imperfection.  There was last minute rushing around to keep the number of stocking stuffers per person balanced, remembering that groceries must be purchased in order to make the Christmas day meal, and the obligatory last minute wrapping and assembly.

World's best peppermint bark

We had a great time and made the most of the time off together. And probably only I noticed that there was still some cat hair on the couch or that we never got around to making those pecan sticky buns I'd planned.  It's just normal life with a little bit of a work break and a lots of special details crammed into the week.  We hope you had as nice a time as we did.

Spritz cookies

Very fun new toys

Christmas Cookies!!!

And now we've welcomed 2014 with a crisp snow, a house that is almost free of pine needles, and an extra pound or two from those butter-laden cookies.

Cheers to a happy close to 2013.