What's up, 2013?

I realize we are almost a week into the new year, but with all the Christmas catch-up posts and such, I haven't publicly acknowledged it.

So...Happy New Year (a week late)!

I typically make a few resolutions, but I didn't this year. I think I have accepted that I never really keep them anyway, so what is the point?

Plus, last week my parents had Amelia with them, so Darryl and I pretty much feasted on fattening food and restaurants all week, so while most people were cutting their carbs and going to the gym twice a day, we were eating steak, risotto, chicken parmesan, Mexican food (not at the same time). This week is a "getting back on the wagon week" for us. I'll just say the scale was NOT kind this morning.

Yikes.

ANYWAY, I feel like I have been on Christmas Break forever, and I'm not complaining...but it is hard to get back into the routine. Amelia went back to school today (technically, her school started this past Friday to make up for the "hurricane days" last fall, but she was still with my parents), and I go back next week. And guess what? I have done very little to get ready.

Again, yikes.

If you have made it this far into my blog post and are still awake, kudos. You might also be wondering what the point of this post is. Really, I don't have one. I think I'm just delaying the many things I have to do.

Better get to that to-do list...

Christmas: Rounds 1, 2, and 3

Round 1: Christmas Day

We spent Christmas Day here. It was a really low-key day, partly because that is how we wanted it, and partly because the weather was too terrible to do anything else (rain, wind, tornado warnings).

At about 6:45 that morning, Darryl and I were so excited that we woke Amelia up to see if Santa had visited, and indeed he had! Amelia had asked Santa for a tent, Princess and the Pop Star Barbies, and some superhero ("super-here-e-o") toys, and she was excited to see that he had delivered!

Amelia was so fun this Christmas season. Christmas night, I let her stay up past her bedtime so we could watch The Polar Express (again!) together...mainly because I just didn't want the season to end. Everything this year was more exciting, shinier, brighter -- MAGICAL. We loved every minute.

At least there was a little more fun to look forward to...

Christmas: Round Two

Two days after Christmas, we went to Florida to visit our families. On Thursday, we did Christmas with my parents. We had a great time devouring ham and all the fixings, and of course, Amelia was pumped to open presents.

My mom had given my dad an iPad for Christmas. Let me tell you something about my dad: he HATES technology. (This might lead you to ask why the iPad would my mom's choice for a gift for my dad...well, she -- and the rest of us -- are determined to bring him up to speed, at least a little.) He now has an email address and has discovered Netflix, so he might admit to liking technology at least a little bit.

Christmas: Round Three

The next day (Friday, for anyone who is trying to keep track), we did Christmas with Darryl's side of the family. We spent some time hanging out outside around the firepit at Darryl's sister's house, and then we had dinner across the street at Darryl's brother's house.

Darryl's sister, Ashley:

Amelia and Avery making a hot chocolate toast. (They did this on their own...cracked. me. up.)

Our niece Savannah--she is growing up so fast!

Ashley, Amelia, and Avery

The fam just chatting around the table

Our nephew Cameron (also growing up so fast) and Avery

This photo makes me laugh. The girls were anxious so open presents, so Darryl set a timer on his phone and Amelia and Madison watched the minutes tick by. Oh, the anticipation!!

All the cousins

It was a fun, lively evening!

Other Notes:
1. I assure you that Darryl was very much a part of all our Christmas festivities. However, when I point the camera his direction, he does things like this:

For all we know, that is Dr. Evil behind that iPad.

2. Another fun part of Christmas in Florida was that on Saturday, my mom and I ventured out to see the movie Les Miserables. Y'all. Loved it. It is not a flawless movie (ahem, Russell Crowe), but overall it is a wonderful movie. I want to see it again at the theater.

Also, if Hugh Jackman proposed, I would say yes. That is all.

I really have more to say about it...that might be another blog post. Or not. Who knows.

3. And that wraps up the season for us. Amelia has spent the week with her grandparents, so Darryl and I have enjoyed a week of being lazy, having nice dinners out, and watching movies and football...but we miss our girl and look forward to her coming home Friday!

Christmas Catch-Up: Everything BEFORE Christmas Day

My goal this week is to get caught up with the blog so I can make a fresh start next week...so expect a random hodgepodge of stuff.

I took Amelia to see Santa at Bass Pro. This was also Amelia's last day of school, and when I picked her up, her teacher had given all the kids elf hats, and Amelia wanted to wear hers for her photo. :-)

While she didn't see all that pumped about seeing him through most of the season, she was really excited while we were standing in line. She seems to warm up to him a little more each year. (For the record, I HATED sitting on Santa's lap. I think there might be two photos of me with Santa.)

Another fun Christmas-y thing we did was take Amelia ice skating the Saturday before Christmas. This might have been one of my favorite things we did this season, even if my arm was super sore for three days from holding Amelia up. :-) The lighting kept us from getting really great photos, but here are a few.

That last photo makes me laugh. While we were there, Amelia made a new friend (actually two, because we also skated some with this girl's sister). At one point, the little girl was skating with her dad and grabbed Amelia's hand...Darryl asked me if if this was my new man/family. The photo does make me laugh because we do look like a cozy family of four, don't we??? I don't even know their names, but the little girls were SO sweet and we had fun skating with them.

Amelia also had fun the Sunday afternoon before Christmas when we invited her next-door neighbor friend over to decorate sugar cookies. I will not be surprised if Amelia's senior yearbook quote is "You can never have too many sprinkles."

I'm pretty sure that in this house's last days -- however many years from now that might be -- there will still be some remaining sprinkles in some floor crevice from the Christmas Cookie Decorating of 2012.

On Christmas Eve, we had our friends Rebecca and Damian over for dinner, and then we went to the bonfires in Grammercy. I had no idea this is a big tradition, but it was pretty cool. And loud.

And here are Rebecca, Amelia, and I being goofy on the way home.

When we got home, we got all ready for Santa to visit. We had already sent our letter via Princess the Elf, but we were sure to scatter reindeer food and leave some heavily sprinkled cookies for Santa.

This was such a fun Christmas season. Sure, it was busy, but we made lots of fun memories.

And yes, I'll be back with a Christmas wrap-up as I tell you about Christmas Day and Christmas in Florida!