1000 Words, No Pictures--Xmas and New Year's Eve

I still have not downloaded the pictures from my camera or copied Dad's picture disks, but I have missed blogging, so I'm just gonna post entries without images until I find time to manage my stuff!

Christmas was glorious. We got to hang out with lots of family members. Santa came to Granna and Papa's house, because we just couldn't fathom Christmas morning in our stinky apartment. Plus we had just finalized the deal to buy the Dream House, so we were feeling even more resentful of the apartment. We had gatherings with my dad's side, my mom's side, Peter's family and even a little time with just us. Loved it. The kids loved it. Every year I try to keep things simple, and every year, simple gets harder. But it all worked out beautifully, and Jesus's birthday was well-spent by all.

After all the holiday hustle and bustle, I really needed to get away. With my impending Return to Work (maternity leave is so dern short!), it was just a necessity. So I rented a cabin on Pickwick Lake, about 2 hours from Memphis. We invited Uncle Matt, Aunt Laurie, Caroline, Hallie and Annsley, to come along. It was just what I needed, a little R&R away from the city. The cousins had a blast playing Go Fish and Cranium Cadoo and WebKinz. Daddy/Uncle Peter mastermined a nature walk with scavenger hunt, which produced lots of neat leaves, rocks and tree limbs. The nearby hotel had an indoor pool that cabin-renters could use, so we took advantage of that. We made smores in the wood-burning stove. We ate spaghetti and pancakes. We got a ton of fireworks, but they were outlawed in the park, so they are mostly still untouched. We did do sparklers and poppers, though.

We celebrated "New York New Year's" which really is more fun, because there's a ball to be dropped and Auld Lang Syne to be sung. When Central Time hits midnight, it's rather anti-climactic and hardly even acknowledged on TV. The kids got sparkling juice (Sprite with cran juice) and the grown-ups got sparkling Brut, all in fancy plastic flutes. We had party hats and noise-makers. By 10 minutes after 11, Caroline and Hallie were sleeping. Amelia and Rebecca slept through the whole event. Annsley woke up from the noise-maker production. And Molly, who feel asleep 20 minutes before the ball dropped, woke up for the toast and promptly returned to her slumber. The grown-ups played a little Pictionary, and we were all asleep by about 12:30 or 1, which, frankly, is really late for us.