On we go!

So the New Year came in with a bang, quite literally, as we welcomed 2013 with a few fireworks and a delicious Raclette and fondue meal with good friends. It was the perfect way to usher in the New Year. There was laughter, good food, good friends, and a chocolate fountain!! Really how could you go wrong? I am not usually into New Year’s eve, but this is the second year we have celebrated this way, and I must say that they have been really wonderful.

And now, well now it is time to move forward. We will start to take down the Christmas decorations and replace them with our winter things. The tree will go down this weekend and then we must get back into life. Programs start back up next week and with them, the return of our regular rhythm. We have had a really good run over the Holidays. There has been a lot of playing, both inside and out.
 

{Please note that these are 40 year old Fisher Price toys, making their way through yet another generation!}

Overall, it has all flowed smoothly. Lots of good sleeping has resulted in good mornings, even for the non morning person, (ahem, that would be me!) We did do some school work as it was requested, but overall we just hung out. Our copious amounts of snow meant some days we were snowbound and there were more than a few pajama days, but hey, it is the Holidays after all! Now we have to rub the sleepy Holiday dust from our eyes and emerge into the New Year. It might not be pretty!

As for me, I settled on a word for the year, “MORE”. Not more in the materialistic way, goodness knows we have more than enough and I am grateful for it all, but more in the meaningful way. More of all the good stuff, the laughing, the playing, the sharing, the creating, the exploring, the learning, more of all of the stuff that really matters. More of the stuff that you can’t buy. More of each other, but not just in a quantity of time, more in the quality of time. We all live, learn, and work under our little roof, so we spend lots of time together, but I want to spend more of that time really being together. I watched Julien the other day and realized how big he is. Not just in height, but in his whole being. He is growing so fast. Noah too, everyday more is learned, more is developing. This year I want to slow down and get more from everyday. Just more of them, as much as possible. I can’t slow down time, but I can try and get more from each day, each hour, each minute.

So I wish you all a smooth passage back into “normal” life. I am expecting a few days will be challenging, but I am hoping for a continuation of our easy days to resume once everyone gets back into schedule. I am also hoping to continue our sleeping patterns. Nothing like getting 10 hours of sleep every night!! Of course, I just jinxed it by saying that....