Last week I wrote about how mellow Christmas had become, and I have to say that this year was lovely. The presents were smaller, the words were gentler, and the overall volume was tuned down to just the right setting to really enjoy the season. I did have moments, I will admit, when I missed the whimsical "magic" that young kids bring to the occasion. Though these moments were fleeting, they really accentuated to me the fact that we are growing up as a family. Santa was conspicuously absent in most of our celebrations, and our little elf, Widget, didn't move around very much. We didn't chop down a tree, or put lights on the house, and the talk of presents was much abbreviated compared years gone by. That said, I wouldn't in a hundred years want to trade back the warmth and peace of this season for the frivolity that has so characterized the past. Sitting around a dimly lit tree, sipping hot cider with our cinnamon rolls, and allowing each person in turn to pass out their small-but-thoughtful gifts has allowed for an effulgence to set in that was realized this year more than maybe any other in my entire life. It was Christmas as it should be. Full of family. Full of joy. Just...full.

Have a good week!

We are winding down to the holidays and I have to say it has been a pretty relaxing year for us in this regard. Our kids are growing up and there is a lot less attention to presents this year, which I think is a good thing. Obviously we'll do a gift exchange on Christmas morning, but it doesn't seem to be the main focus any more. Some of this leads to a little less "magic" around the season, what with Santa and reindeer and all that being a thing of the past, but I like to think it is being replaced with new traditions that are more sustainable for us as a family. It has just been really nice to ease our way into the season as opposed to the normal hustle and bustle.

As for activities, we had a pretty eventful week. On Friday we hosted a large work party at our house, which was tons of fun. We feel like a lot of these people are part of our family, and it was nice to hang out and just relax for several hours as the night wound down. 

On Saturday, Evelyn and her band performed a few songs at the "Epic Music Festival" in Coeur d'Alene. They did a good job, and it is always fun to see how comfortable and confident she is up on stage. She also went out with different friends for most of the day on Sunday to play music downtown on the streets using acoustic instruments. They didn't make much money doing it, but she had a great time.

On Sunday, Addy played her saxophone at church for the annual Christmas Pageant, and Lindsey played the part of an angel, helping, in the process, to shepherd younger angels around the stage as needed. Also, the resort we ski at opened a new mountain this year and Addy, Jackson, and I had a great time exploring the new terrain. Rach is recovering from a minor knee injury so she wasn't able to go with us, but she should be up again in a week or two.

Alright- merry Christmas to everyone and have a good week!

Quick update- I don't feel like a whole lot has changed with us over the past couple of weeks. Winter is in full swing and we are skiing a lot as a family. Ev has a gig coming up next week with her band, and they have been practicing hard for that. This means that our house is regularly taken over by a bunch of teenagers with guitars and drums. I love it. Her and some friends are also planning a busking night downtown with acoustic instruments, so that's a little more laid back and should be fun. Addy is playing saxophone in a Christmas pageant thing. We finally got our house somewhat decorated for Christmas.

The biggest bit of news is that Rachel got in a car accident. Nothing drastic- just an icy corner and a little fender bender. Nobody was hurt. But our car has been in the shop for weeks, and it will be for a while yet before it is all fixed up. In the meantime I've been driving around these crazy roads in a rented Dodge Charger with California plates. Not a great look around here. I definitely don't expect any help if I end up stuck on the side of the road. Hopefully we get our car back in time for the New Year's trip we've been planning.

Well, enjoy some photos, and I'll have a little more to report on next time.

Have a good week!

Our poor van! Most of it is cosmetic, but still. This car has been through a lot.

I spent one entire day skiing with Lindsey. She is so much fun, and is always up for an adventure off the beaten path. I've mentioned it before, but it is hard for me to think of a better bonding activity than skiing. Lots of time to talk. Excitement. Fun. Elements of both risk and achievement. It's perfect.

This is when Addy was the only one who wanted to go up with Rach and me. Here we are holding up our respective lunches. Chili cheese fries for Addy, a nice warm cup of chili for Rach, and a sandwich bag with trail mix in it for me. Does this say something about personalities? I don't know.

These last two are from an overnight trip we did with family friends at the Wallace house. We skied all day, and in the evening the kids watched movies while adults went out to relax. It was a wonderful weekend.

I have to include these two pictures because I love this shelf and the items on it. The bottom one is for context- this is in the living room, in the back corner above the lamp. It's weird and it's quirky and it fits our family well.

This is a day that just Maren and I went up. Maren is probably the best conversationalist out of all our kids, and hanging out with her is definitely time well spent.