Project 365, Week 52

This is Post 52, the last of the year and it is full. You'll have to take my word for it, there are so many photos I did not include. Its a really special time of year.

December 23

For Jason's gift, Amanda planned an experience day in Mystic for the two of them. She showed up to his house and completely surprised him! They had such a fun day and it was sweet of her to check in.

Our elf-central space kept growing in its untamedness.

My family from New York arrived two days early to be put to work. I could not have physically done it on my own so they swooped in and made it all happen. What an absolute gift that allowed me to keep Christmas at my house for another year.

Shaun spent time teaching Amanda and Aiden how to do bows, a tradition that's been passed down for generations and Melody caught them in action after I'd gone to bed.

December 24

Another day of prep. Uncle Lee cooked nine pounds of bacon!

As we pulled out of the driveway to head to church, I noted that it would be the last time for our family as we've been to do that. Next year, Avery and her husband will meet us there, coming from their own home.

Lots of special people to us on that stage who, for this night, were the "candle lighters". This service is one of my favorite parts of every year. Its just so beautiful and so special and I cried through most of it.

My brother's family is only with us every other Christmas, and this was our year!

Amy and Colombo put on a lovely evening  for Christmas Eve dinner.

Melody and I discovered we have matching old lady shoes. Comfort is king!

After, the girls slept over and the stockings were stuffed.

December 25

Christmas morning, but only adults were awake. We were well into our second cup of coffee, with brunch prep underway before we saw any kids.

What a joy to have family trickle in, everyone excited to be together, excited about the day and admiring the packaging of our "secret santa" gifts and looking for clues.

The day was done in multiple shifts as people came and went, as food was prepared and consumed, as presents were opened and games were played. There was extra weight to the day; a weight of love, of sweetness, of recognizing the tension of the in-between place we are in...on the verge of a whole lot of shifting and changes. More and more kids getting married, people moving away, just...lots of changes. So we soaked in this year with its beautiful blessings.

The star of the show! Oh the life of the first! First grandchild, first great-grand, first niece/great-niece/second cousin. She is a perfect delight and this age is sweet in every way (except when she's up at night, but her parents deal with that).

This crew made it all happen in the kitchen. We try to keep Christmas Day food simple but there is still so much to do. I was able to sit in my recliner and listen to the sounds of my house full of people and happy sounds because of them (and a few others) and I let that be enough.

December 26

Ten years ago when I was doing the first set of treatments and the kids were little, Melody came to live with us for three weeks to run the house. This picture is an ode to that time.

December 27

For our 5th DiSalvaCour trip, we grabbed our passports and headed over the border to Montreal. We stayed in a beautiful hotel with an amazing breakfast each morning and a nice tucked away community space for games and puzzles. It was also one door down from the Metro station, which, combined with walking, is how we got around. 

The ride through Vermont was picturesque, with a lunch stop at a cute place in the itty bitty capital of Montpelier.

December 28

This day our outing was a stop at Notre-Dame Basilica and then to a little outdoor Christmas market.

December 29

Breakfast was maybe my favorite part of the trip. The restaurant had pretty Christmas lights with soft piano music playing, delicious food and an attentive waitstaff. As I lingered, people filtered in and out and pretty much everyone went for the chocolate croissant. :)

My second favorite part was watching our crew have great fun on the subway. I love that they don't require anything fancy or expensive to have a great time.

This day we went down to the port to check out the St. Lawrence River. A thick bank of fog made visibility difficult, but the weather was warming up and we had a nice stroll down cobblestone streets of Old Montreal.

December 30

This day was an outing to an indoor farmer's market where we grabbed lunch and some goodies.

This girl was quick to hang back and walk slow with me, to carry my things, to lend me a steadying arm so I wouldn't slip on the ice. Plus, she's just fun to talk to and hang out with.