'Twas the week before Christmas...

...and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. When writing this, Mr. Clement Clarke Moore, could in no way imagine our lives in 2013, with all of our gadgets, electricity, horseless carriages and flying machines. While all of the innovations and great inventions have moved our society forward a great deal from the 1700 and 1800s, there is a sense of peace and calm in this poem that is quite attractive to this modern lady. Now don't become confused, I'm not advocating giving up all of our modern conveniences...not at ALL! I got my fill of "wilderness" life from my lovely parents, who took us on many adventures in our station wagon and pop up camper. That was primitive enough for me. However, simplifying this busy month of December and bringing some peace into our homes seems like a very novel and nobel goal indeed.

We were able to celebrate our 'first' Christmas a bit early, as Abuelita came to visit us this past weekend. It was a lovely visit, even though Eric was pretty busy with work related tasks most of the weekend. I was able to run a few errands solo, which is such a lovely gift these days, since we had Abuelita willing and able to look after Evan for a bit. Steve came over on Saturday for a nice Holiday meal and I finally broke out our China that we received for our wedding, for the occasion. We trimmed the tree and hung the stockings together....and Steve and I tackled installing a new thermostat (one of your more traditional holiday activities :-)

Here are a few pictures from our weekend!

Opening Presents!

Trying to get our little Santa to sit still and keep his
hat on. You know how hard that is!

Hmm, Hi Abuelita!

Abuelita and Evan, Christmas 2013

As we enter the final hours before Christmas, I hope that you have a moment to just sit, breathe and relax. The holiday will be grand, no matter if there are still to-dos left on the list, on the morning of Dec 25th. 

Jesus is coming, thank goodness, whether we are ready or not!