Happy New Year!

Hello!  I'm back!  It's New Year's Day and the post holiday buzzkill has started.  I have never really liked this time of year.  As a elementary and high school student January 2nd meant going back to class and the old routine of waking up before dawn and sports practices.  College meant another week of vacation at home when I was ready to go back to my friends and house but instead had another week of sitting around watching TV while my younger brother and sister went back to high school.  Also, although it is nice to put away all the Christmas clutter and have a clean slate the actual task of putting away the Christmas decorations is not nearly as fun as getting them out.  Wa-waaaahhhh. At least this year I have Frisco to look forward to!

Ben's Christmas was a success.  Here are some pictures of "Baby's First Christmas". 

 

Ben pulled this ribbon off a present and it became his favorite toy for the weekend, living up to the cliche about babies preferring the boxes and wrapping to the actual presents. 

 

What could be better than a shiny, spiral, flexible item such as this ribbon?!

 

Big moment...Benjamin's first Christmas present...the beginning of years of Christmas excitement and magic...

 

Oooh...it's a riding toy!

 

Justin's new lawn decoration.

 

Ben with Great Grandma on Christmas Eve.

 

Santa left a surprise on Christmas morning!  A puppy! 

 

The ladies on Christmas day.

 

The men.

present opening wreckage.  Put 15 people in a crowded room to open gifts and this is the result.  can you spot the toy dog and the real dog in this picture?

 

Oh, what else...New Year's Eve was very different from the booze and novelty noisemaker and stupid hat filled celebrations of my past.  Not only do we have a baby now (I know having kids doesn't mean that you can't have a night out for New Years Eve but this year we didn't have anything planned ahead of time so also didn't have a babysitter planned ahead of time) but also Justin was sick.  Ahhh...the days...when the midnight countdown was just the beginning of the night!

 

Ben was happy to get home to Allan this afternoon. 

I don't know if Allan felt the same way...

Also, the 27th was my dad's 55th birthday...the "double nickles" as everyone said. 

 

In his honor, here is a picture from last summer...haha just kidding!  That picture is obviously from the 70's.  I love the school color shoelaces in those Converses!