And a Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, all! We are finally wrapping up the holiday season, the tree and trimmings are packed away to be brought out again for next Christmas day! The holidays brought a lot of memories, gatherings with Christian's family, my family members that are local, and lots of friends. There were dozens of cookies, cups of cocoa and coffee, snowflakes, songs, and always a camera near by to capture every moment.

West enjoyed being the center of attention at the Calkins Family Holiday Open-house, and put on quite a sweet show in his new (to him) Antique Amish Rocking chair.

The snow started to fall mid-day on Christmas and the family took a walk in the snow and we broke in West's new ATW (All-Terrain Wagon!). It was a great time to look at the twinkling lights and work off a few of those inevitable Christmas calories.

Santa, along with help from family and friends, was very good to all of us and we're looking forward to putting their generous gifts, like a new canning set, a cordless drill, and lots of books and toys for West, to great use. I was also given, in addition to a few other goodies, a beautiful Silver Shamrock necklace from Christian. It was a delightful surprise! West received a Megablocks Bulldozer and driver, blue fuzzy slippers, books, a Playmobile 1-2-3 Airplane with pilot and bubbles, and he actually wanted to play with the toys more than their packaging. I was shocked!

New Years eve was quiet and fairly unremarkable. I worked most of the day and when I arrived home we settled in with a great movie, "Stardust", and some yummy pizza. At midnight with eyes only half opened and ready to hit the hay, we toasted with a bottle of Sparkling Apple-Grape juice, to a 2008 full of adventure, memories and lots of love and laughter. And I was that horrible Mom who poses her son for a picture making him completely miserable. In this moment we discovered he has a very bizarre fear of glittery garland causing him to whimper like a frightened puppy and rub his hands together, so it was removed from his sight as soon as the photo session was over! I think it was worth all it, though....we got one with a smile! (And he'll never have to see purple and silver garland again. We just hope he gets over the fear before it becomes one of those irrational things that will follow him into adulthood!)

We wish you and all your loved ones an amazing 2008 full of togetherness, loads of laughter, adventures galore and, most importantly, sharing the health and good fortune each of us has with those who have not.
Cheers!