December

I would have said I was a little bummed about missing out on some of the usual seasonal festivities this year, but posting this makes me think we ended up having a pretty blessed and magical month. 

Year 2 for Night of 1,000 Candles with the Venturas. We got to meet Eli who might be the chill-est baby ever, plus, we didn't freeze!

 

Risked our lives hanging icicle lights at Elizabeth's new place, but dang if they weren't lovely. Our adorable Jewish neighbors brought more presents than Santa.

 

We will have to take this instead of snow.

The cheeriness of the Saluda Shoals lights balanced with the terrible traffic to leave us only slightly less festive returning than when we set off. 

Cookies with Meemaw. We ate the whole first batch so had to do round 2.

Candy cane hunting around the house. As with egg hunting, there might be a surprise treat pop up around mid-February.

Christmas Eve we saw my fam on Zoom for the reading of The Grinch which we failed to successfully record. Conn has declared that Dad now must survive another year. Meemaw and Gramps came with gifts and for pizza and cards. Daron and I were trounced. The boys finished their Lego advent calendars. I remember when I was excited to open the same windows every year containing only a line from a stable animal. I will say, for a  new fan (just starting the 2nd book) Silas's Harry Potter one was pretty fun. Rory's Star Wars one was totally lame.  

Post-Christmas we visited the Williamsons and got to try out their backyard nature trails. All 5 cousins had a sleep over with the brave or crazy grandparents. They had the time of their lives. (The kids, that is.) We have entered the time of year where all the males in the house vent sit after exiting the shower. Daron even let us have a fire for an afternoon!

New Year's Eve was actually pretty fun as far as more staying home goes. It helped that we had Elizabeth. We drew some celebratory activities out of a lunch bag with a rudimentary clock taped on it. These confetti poppers were filled mostly with dust swept off the floor by the fifth snap (3rd intentional) but were a hit none-the-less. We went through the blog as a year-in-review and Silas seemed to think the most noteworthy things were the pants he was wearing in each picture. Actually it was a wake-up call that we have gotten way too lax with the "running" tights. We rang in 2 hours till on Zoom with the Brouceks and their basket of treats, did some glow stick dancing, and wore these stylish hats. I can't say I hated 2020, but welcome 2021, the year I will actually floss!

Happy New Year!