It has only been in the last 24 hours that I feel like we have entered into the recovery phase from the excitement of the last 6 weeks.
Please don't misunderstand, it was a really great holiday season, probably one of the best in recent memory, but boy was it busy.
My goodness, it was So Busy.
There was our trip home for Thanksgiving, followed by Samuel's Birthday which included a weekend visit from Aunt Emily, a weekend visit from Nan, our co-op Winter's Solstice celebration, a last minute, additional trip home for Christmas, the babies very 1st Birthday Celebration, and then returning home just in time for New Years.
Along the way there was continued sickness among the children, and quite a few Christmas gifts sewn late, late into the night.
New Years Eve ended up being a really lovely, quiet evening, just us and Uncle Eggies, enjoying a relaxed dinner, some football and the rare treat of a late night viewing of The Chronicles of Narnia for Samuel after all the little brothers were tucked into bed. He stayed up until midnight and watched the ball drop in Times Square, I was pretty impressed.
The house felt really warm and festive, but in the quietest of ways. The big brothers had spent two whole days making paper chains. I originally thought the task would amuse them for about 20 minutes or so, but they really took to it, turning the kitchen into a "paper chain factory". Isn't it funny how the strangest things take on a life of their own? Honestly, the result was pretty stupendous.
I walked around, camera in hand, trying to capture the warmth and calm on the very last evening of 2009, a year that was anything but for our family.
It has only been in the last few days that we have been finding our rhythm again.
It feels a bit like holiday detox.
We are slowly reclaiming our schedule and regaining our household's normal.
And while we certainly enjoyed all the visiting and celebrating that was had, it feels awfully nice to have the chance to find a cozy spot and soak up some January sunshine with the people I love best.
Happy New Year!
It feels like it's going to be a good one, don't ya think?
xoxo
..................................................................................................
In an effort to catch this space up, I have posted a good number of wordless photo posts with the intention to ammend them as my free time allows over the course of the next week or so. In the mean time, enjoy a glimpse of what we have been up to all this time!