It's 2013, oh my!

Here we are in a new year. December behind us and is quite a blur. I never updated about Thanksgiving or Christmas or any holiday festivities. January is almost over.

Christmas time came, it was wonderful/ hectic / sickly / refreshing / appreciated time.

We traveled to Homer Alaska to visit Aunt Janice and Uncle Ed and Marta and Troy and Reidun. The flights out there were long and I got sick on the plane. Lucy had an anxiety attack on the plane and Nora screamed at the slightest request. We left DC at 7am and got into Homer, 11pm East Coast time, taking three separate planes. After that traveling fiasco, we drugged both girls coming home on New Years Day and I drugged myself too. I am not proud of this but it was the best $9 I ever spent. The flights home were long and tiring but we made it and I will not be stepping on an airplane again for a long long time.

I'm not very eloquent and I certainly can't explain what it meant to us that we got to spend time with our Alaskan family. Because of all the gifts we gave and received this past holiday season, none was more precious nor more appreciated than time. It's the most valuable possession we have.

Here in a few pictures is a snapshot of our trip.

Meeting Maggie and Ed.

Lucy falling in love. She gave this horse a carrot as often as we would let her.

Learning to be Alaskan.

Playing in the snow!

Snow blowing the driveway.

Catching a ride. 

Feeding Maggie a carrot  take 63

Snow Cave!!!

Swedish Candle fun.

Watching the fire.

Still my baby. 

Enjoying the fire. 

Todd Family

Playing with my purse.

Maggie... again. Seriously, this kid couldn't get enough.

Candy Land with the twins!!

Nora and I sick and napping. Wasting daylight. 

iPad sharing. 

Sleigh riding with Troy

Grandma's Wedding Dress. 

Karu! Interestingly, he is the same age as Lucy.

Winter Spit

That snow cave was HUGE! It fit Nora, Lucy, Troy and the twins! 

Happy New Year in Anchorage... in Reidun's guest bed!

Mommy and baby moose eating in the front yard.

Waving on the way to town!

She got pretty comfortable in the snow!

Road behind the house. 

Goodbye Marta... we love you!

There is so much more I want to say but the words aren't there.  Only gratitude and love. Goodnight.  

A Lucy Cop-Out

It's not the Thanksgiving post I promised (sorry Aunt Molly) but a blatant cop-out... of the Lucy variety. It could be her age, it could be that I am away from her so much now (after being with her 24/7 for almost 14 months) but this kid has me completely and utterly wrapped around her finger. She just has to flash those dimples and I dissolve. Lucy weaned in the middle of the October and gave up the boob addiction but traded for a pacifier addiction. I feed into it... maybe because I am so relieved she no longer wants to nurse or maybe I feel guilty for not being at home with her anymore. Either way, she is addicted and I am not even attempting to break the habit until the new year.   

Lucy is crazy and so funny. She loves a good cuddle and she is still rocked to sleep each night. She is feisty and devilish and a spitfire. But, at the same time, she is laid-back, go with the flow, let us do anything. She is a classic second-born. Maybe that's my obsession  I will always be able to identify with her in that way. Don't worry Nora, Aunt Katie has plenty of "special" weekends planned for the two of you. 

God knew what he was doing when he blessed Lucy with her charm and those dimples. And yes, Lucy dressed up as the Thanksgiving turkey. She loves dressing up. See, I gave you a little slice of our adventures. 

Halloween... was a month ago

Happy Halloween! It was almost a month ago... it's been a non-stop crazy month. A quick recap...

We carved pumpkins. I can claim the happy face pumpkin, Marta made the one with the holes, Mary carved the haunted house and you and Daddy did the ghost in the jack-o-lantern. You and Marta made these insanely adorable and very delicious monster brownies. Seriously, look at these things.

 Nora, you insisted on being a purple brewha and carrying a Yoda Easter basket. Lucy was a strawberry, not a tomato or red pumpkin. A strawberry. We trick or treated and enjoyed the crisp cool air because.....

 Lucy had croup! In the middle of a hurricane! Hurricane Sandy was in full force when we lost power and Lu was having some breathing difficulties so Daddy hooked up our mini generator to power up the nebulizer  We even took a flashlight bath to help open up her airway. Unbeknownst to me, nebulizers do not help with croup and the swelling of the trachea. At 11pm Lucy woke up in clear distress and could not catch her breath. After an initial check by Marta we braved the hurricane and whisked her off to the E.R. where some steroids helped her swollen trachea. The next morning and day, we were all exhausted. Thank goodness the area had basically shut down due to the hurricane so no one went to daycare or work and we all just rested. 

A few random pictures to end our October. 

Lucy traveling around the house with her backpack.

REAL Birthday party fun!

Make believe birthday fun. 

Playing Nonna's piano. 

Story reading with Nonni and Teddy. 

For my final installment in October:

Nora, you were in your first ballet recital  Now. Don't get ahead of yourself. You take "Pee Wee Princess Ballet" at a YMCA with Ashley. The recital was 15 minutes, tops and in a workout studio where the parents sat along the mirrored wall. But you were asked to dress up as a princess and you chose Belle. It was crazy cute. And you are quite a good dancer because you love to follow directions. In fact you always want to play, "ballet class" or "gymnastics" or "school" where you are the teacher giving directions. So you are good dancer, not because you are the next child prodigy because you thrive off of following instructions.... as long as they don't come from your father or I.  

And my Thanksgiving goal is to have November all neatly updated by (gasp!) the end of November. Don't start counting down, I know December starts on Saturday.