A Final Merry Merry

Okay, okay. I promise to wrap up Christmas with this post. Yeesh! For such a peaceful and mellow holiday, the blogged version has dragged on.

We finished up our celebrations with a visit to Grandma Carol and Poppy's in Seattle. Aunt Ann and Uncle Pat were in town, so it was a real treat to see family and enjoy some quiet moments in front of the fire. Stella loved playing her new Candyland with Grandma and Poppy, and she didn't take off her new nurse outfit for the whole visit.

A pre-Christmas snow walk - 2009

On a side note, I've been doing a lot of looking back lately. With the new year and Phoebe's first birthday just around the corner, I realize that just one year ago our lives were so radically different. Stella hadn't hit the three year old feisties, I was waddling around mumbling about how uncomfortable I was and little Junebug was a dreamy little dancer in my belly. The last year has brought about such intense and massive change. Some of it has been incredibly hard - see Brian's accident, three year old fits, adjusting to even less free time as adults and a couple. But it's also been incredibly beautiful - see the absurd amount of joy Phoebe brings to our lives, Brian is alive (Can I get an Amen?), three year old wisdom and humor, sharing dinner every night with my three favorite people. So while I must admit I literally find myself daydreaming of a full night of sleep and wonder when Brian and I will ever finish a conversation with one another, I wouldn't trade this humble life for anything. What a year indeed.