I just took the stockings down and cleared my collection of bottle brush trees from our mantle this week – the holidays were a little hard to let go of this year (as in all years, to be honest). They were just so slow and sweet and packed with time with my favorite people.
We came home from Portland to a couple of unopened gifts under the tree, which the kids made quick work of tearing into…
And then we laid out a game plan for the rest of the week. Isaac’s school was open, but Juliette’s was not, so we took advantage of the three-of-us time to do some cross-country skiing at Cabin Creek.
It was snowy that day and we loved gliding through the fresh powder. This course really pushed the limits of Juliette’s and my Nordic downhill skills, but we did it!
The uphill slog:
And the downhill glide.
Proud of you, Kiddo!
Juliette has passed my shoulders and is approaching nose-height – this kid is going to be taller than her mama in no time, it seems…
On Thursday, Shane and Juliette headed out for a downhill day at Snoqualmie with a couple of Juliette’s friends. They had a blast, zipping down the slopes. I had a blast, binge-watching Bad Sisters back at home under a pile of blankets. It’s rare that I have the house to myself, and I made it count!
We did pick up Isaac a bit early from daycare those days, so that he wasn’t completely left out of the fun.
And we checked a couple last things off our holiday bucket list, like a visit to the Menashe House (Juliette missed round one last month).
I had postponed my annual getaway to Cedarbrook with Nance and LaV earlier in December, but we made up for it on New Years Eve Eve. There was shopping and movies and dinner at the hotel bar and ice cream in bed and lots of overdue catching up. Life gets busy, but it feels good to know we can count on this tradition to stitch us back together!
And then New Years Eve! The big bash! Our nearest and dearest came over that evening after Isaac was in bed, and we ate tacos and drank all kinds of things and told lots of stories.
(Story time with Aunt Nance in action!)
We struggled to find a playlist that appropriately matched the vibe of the evening and so I put out a call for 90’s song requests; suddenly we were embarking on a three-hour dance party, bopping to REM and Offspring and Warren G. Jason’s got moooooooves.
Juliette looked at us like the crowd of tragically un-hip 40-somethings that we are, but couldn’t resist getting in on the Boot Scootin’ Boogie.
Kris Kross makes you jump-jump? Things got progressively sillier as the night went on.
There was a 10:30 pm Domino’s order and some intense debate over Nirvana vs. Pearl Jam and then we toasted at 11:15 pm as the nine year olds’ energy was waning.Â
People split and the house was suddenly very quiet and then suddenly not-quiet as Isaac started crying while I was brushing my teeth. He must have sensed that he just missed out on an epic party, so I ended up rocking my dozing boy as the clock struck officially midnight. I think I got the best of both worlds.
New Years morning brought the annual Polar Bear Plunge at Alki Beach. Juliette was feeling extra-bold again this year and decided to join her dad.
All smiles pre-plunge!
But then reality hit…
And then my poor girl really wasn’t happy.
Isaac was like, “What were you thinking?!”
It took a hot minute, but once Juliette was re-bundled her smile came back. She’s much braver than her mama!
Cheers, polar bears, to a fresh new year!
We got a bonus break day as school and work were closed on January 2nd, so we decided to give Cabin Creek another go, this time with Buddy on board.
Isaac fussed a little as we were getting him strapped in, but once Shane started to cruise he fell silent and zoned out in the very best way.
The snow was icy and super-fast that day; Juliette and I both took a couple of falls and there was a moment when I wanted to chuck my skis into the woods and just walk back to the car, but we stuck with it and eventually re-found our joy.
Sweet dreams, little boy.
We spent our final afternoon together cozying down at home, having tickle fights and doing puzzles and playing piano.
One last nap together, and then it was back to business with a vengeance. January has felt a bit nuts, work-wise, but oh, those lazy holi-daze. They were awfully good.
