The New Year

So I don't really want to start the new year off by apologizing, but I just had myself so much fun over the holidays that I didn't find time to write, despite the 478 awesome Christmas-themed blog ideas I had stored up for the season...they'll have to wait for next year. This year we had a particularly special Christmas because my brother and sister-in-law were home from Hawaii, and my husband's sister was home from California, and of course it was Retta's first Christmas, and then there is the unfathomable excitement of a 3 year old over Santa and elves and Rudolph. I swear that if we could've figured out how to harness Rowan's energy and enthusiasm for the holidays we could have powered a small nation for at least a year.

We enjoyed our family visits oh so much- there was fondue-eating, ice skating, gingerbread house making, wine tasting, the releasing of wish lanterns, parties, a new Christmas-themed Baby Talk, and then there was Christmas itself, when Santa left **gasp** a magic Dora doll that turns into a fairy when you wave a wand over her chest. She also sings an incredibly irritating song about "our fairy wish can take us anywhere, let's explore, and make our fairy wish come true!" but in the spirit of the season I am trying to calmly tune her out.  Rowan also got a bike from one set of grandparents and her first camera from the other set. She's been practicing using training wheels in snow pants and becoming a real shutterbug with her camera-- she's taken over 300 pictures on it since Christmas...it's a mix of portraits of her favorite people and blurry pictures of the ceiling, but I love hearing her say, "Daddy! Let me bring my camera when we go out in the woods so we can take pictures of nature things like grasshoppers and chameleons!"

By the time the siblings headed to the airport, we were ready for some home time, so New Year's Eve was probably our quietest one yet, involving sushi, a bottle of wine and a movie, but as we watched the ball drop and another year begin, I looked down at baby Retta sleeping in my arms and felt thankful for the year that was and the year that is to be. Last year at this time she hadn't even arrived and now she's saying "Ho,Ho,Ho," and "Jesus" and will be walking soon. It feels like a blink since 2012 began, and yet so much happened in the space of time between then and now.

A lot can happen in a year, or so little for that matter, depending on what you make of it. I am hoping the coming year will be one of peace and good health for everyone, and a transformative year for our family. Things are great as is, but I feel like we have some exciting things on the horizon.  I have been enjoying my coursework with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and am excited about becoming a certified Health and Wellness Coach this year.  Aaron has been growing his environmental consulting side-business, and we have some other plans in the works for exciting changes regarding our careers. I'm sure the girls will surprise us with many new tricks, and hopefully we'll be able to manage a little traveling this year too. Anyway, at the onset of this new year,  I am happy to report that the Megquier household is bustling with activity and all are well and excited for lucky 2013!

Here's what we were doing while Wonder Parenting gathered dust:

Choppin' down the family Christmas tree

Rowan puts the star on our tree

Retta's first ornament!

Rowan took money from her piggy bank and bought treats for the cats and dogs at the shelter

Proud little volunteer

She had so much fun playing with and feeding the animals!

Rowan enjoyed addressing the gift tags this year

Rowan and Aaron with the first little snowman of the season

Retta checks out the snow

The stockings (my latest sewing project) all hung by the chimney with care

Rowan wearing my Christmas dress from when I was 3

Santa baby

Rowan's adorable letter to Santa (with a portrait of Santa and a tracing of her hand at the bottom)

Fun toys in the stockings!

Major Christmas Jesus-cloud action on the drive to Ellsworth

Retta liking the Elmo teether from Rowan

Cold smiley baby

9 months on Christmas day!!!

There are lots of other wonderful photos with extended family, but I don't even know where to begin--these are just a sampling of what was on my iPod.

Last but not least, the latest episode of Baby Talk! My brother actually put all of the Baby Talk episodes on a blog so they're in one place..the latest episode is "Christmas."

Here's the link:

The New Baby Talk Blog