late tidings i bring.

as per usual, our holiday season came and went much, much too quickly.  we skipped some of our usual traditions this year though, braving the chill was not at the top of my list with a little one in tow.  that included foregoing most of my shopping trips and staying indoors with my laptop, a warm baby, and zooey deschanel on repeat.  we wrote christmas lists,  hung a bit of garland and what not. and although, we spent christmas at my parent's home in florida, we still got ourselves a tiny tree to enjoy for a few short weeks. 

the boys got to ditch out on the last few days of school before winter recess and hop a plane to the sunshine state.  we flew out on what happened to be the day they shut down the slc airport for 6 hours. we spent 12 hours that day with a needy baby and a madden in an overcrowded airport. this could have been the death of me had mark and his friends not been flying out the same day for work.  so, we found a cozy spot in terminal c, got some cafe rio and watched the snow fall.  needless to say, walking into my childhood home that looked like santa himself lived there and smelled like homemade rolls that night was heavenly.  florida may not feel christmassy outdoors, but my mama makes the inside simply magical.  she still wraps the doors like presents and even decorates all the bedrooms,  it's wonderful. 

my sister and her family came down from savannah, and one of my fellow utah sisters came with her husband.  it was a small gathering as far as my family is concerned, and i think the first christmas eve in years that i haven't been up till 4 a.m. wrapping gifts. christmas morning was lovely.  marlow slept through his first christmas as grandma rocked him, max had the best christmas morning reaction for the second year running, and my niece, elly, got our old childhood dollhouse my dad built long ago and my mom revamped. sentimental and homemade gifts filled my suitcase home,  that's my kind of holiday. 

this season was the perfect way to end 2013.  it will be remembered as the year that brought us our littlest boy and changed our lives for the best. the year of a little adventure and a lot of growth. the year i finally did christmas cards and almost got them sent out.