Hallllooooo!

Today is the birthday of two women I adore. Happy Birthday to Annabelle and Laura, my wonderful, wonderful and out of all whooping sisters!

I’m beginning the year with one last look back at 2013 and photos from the holidays…

We spent Christmas with my family in Princeton. We arrived just in time for the candlelight Christmas Eve service at my sister’s church:

Back at my sister’s house:

Christmas Eve dinner at the kids’ table:

My son gained a few new fans of his music:

Very demonstrative fans:

The next morning the kids opened their gifts:

It wasn’t the same without Auntie Laura, my nephew, and my parents’ 9th (soon-to-be-born) grandchild, who couldn’t join us for Christmas…Hooray for Skype!

My brother recently heard his son counting up to 14.

“Who taught you how to count?” he’d asked him.

“My grandpa.”

“Which grandpa?”

“My grandpa with white hair. Who doesn’t talk,” he replied.

That evening we had our second annual Christmas talent show:

And then an even newer tradition…As a special request from my dad, (the one with white hair, who doesn’t talk), we sang Christmas carols:

It was a Christmas full of music, love, and laughter:

The next morning, this happened:

My daughter landed in the ER with a virus that ripped through my family, taking people down one by one like some Biblical plague. We drove away from Princeton armed with prescription-strength anti-nausea pills and ziploc puke bags for the road. Fortunately, the plague ran its course quickly. I’ve been telling everyone, “The holidays? Well, despite the fact that 10 out of the 15 of us got violently ill, and even though my daughter ended up in the ER, it was thoroughly delightful.” I had convinced myself that this meant that my family was so super special that even the plague couldn’t ruin our holiday, and then I sheepishly realized the blindingly obvious: it’s easy for me to say this, as one of the 5 who didn’t get sick!

We got back home to Charlottesville, and had a visit from my friend Amanda and her kids:

And then it was back up to Arlington to spend a quiet New Year with my parents and sister:

A round of our new favorite game, Telestrations (thanks, Janel & co!):

New Year’s Day just wouldn’t be the same without Dduk Gook:

My parents:

2014. I’m ready!