First Comes Love...

We partied hard with neighbors for New Year's Eve this year, and it was perfect - no need to dress up, tackle crowds, or spend big bucks - add to that great friends who are also neighbors, and it's a win/win.

I can't recall the last time I went out to celebrate NYE, and that's perfectly fine.  The holiday is always filled with such expectation and pressure, so staying home to party with the kids seemed to fit the bill (and who can argue with drinking Mimosas all day?) . We made pizzas, had a dance party, made a calendar of events for the year, watched a Netflix New Year countdown, then tucked the kids in early for a late night celebrations with friends. Here are some pictures from a raging night at the Lauckner's:

I've been procrastinating.  Our holiday celebrations were so much fun, but with so many pictures and things going on, it seemed like a lot of work getting it written. And I've got enough work around here lately  :) This Christmas was a special one for a couple of reasons: most importantly, Benjamin was with us and we got to celebrate his first Christmas!  However, Uncle John and Auntie Carolyn were in town, so it also meant a Grand Slam was in order. We celebrated Christmas morning a day early (there are only so many years we'll be able to get away with this) .  Kevin's family got a cabin on Lake Chelan for 3 nights starting the 26th, and since we  also wanted spend a few days with my family, we headed to Leavenworth the morning of the 24th. Abigail asked for a butterfly bike this year, and Santa figured George could stand to start early, so the two big kids got bikes this year!  A few days before Christmas, Abigail woke up and told me she had a dr...