A lot has happened in the last week or so!  So much celebration.

I'm a Christmas Eve baby, so we celebrated my birthday with friends last Monday with dinner out. It was a nice gathering.  I really appreciated all who came to help celebrate with this time of year being so busy! We did a small family celebration on my actual birthday.  It was a fun pre-quel to Christmas.

It's a gravy seperator!  Yay!  (I'm serious- ever tried to make real gravy without one!?)

This night was also Mo's last night with us.  Boy did he throw a bash!  That crazy Elf on the Shelf knows how to have a good time.

"Smow" as they are known in the celebrity doll circle.

The next day was Christmas.  The girls were great and slept in until 8.  It was me who kept waking up hoping it was time to get up!

The girls and me heading downstairs to see what Santa brought.

We must have all been amazingly good this year because......

The girls got a nice new red wagon!

Todd got some ski boots he was drooling over.

And I got a very nice bag I'd been lusting after.

It was a special year!  All the gifts were so thoughtful and wonderful.

Papa J made Maisy her own purple cradle for her dolls.

Maren also got a custom Papa J pink cradle.  

The girls LOVE them!

Maren is really into books right now. She loves to mock read them.  It's hilarious to listen to her jumble on in nonsense words while pointing to pictures and flipping pages.

Maren reading a Christmas book.

Maisy got a princess game that involves lots of jewels, rings and crowns.  She loved playing this game with Todd.  It was funny to see Todd all blinged out!

I got Dance Central 2 for Christmas and Maisy happily joined in.  She actually did pretty well keeping up!

Maisy and Me feeling so fly like a g6.

We had a few days of trying to get back to normal at home.  There was a lot of stuff to organize!

We celebrated New Year's Eve at our house with friends.  We did the east coast version and celebrated at 9.  It was perfect!  I made the most super yummy carnitas, if I do say so myself. You HAVE to make it!

Getting ready for the count down!

Cheers!  Happy New Year!!

We spent New Year's Day completey ridding our house of anything Christmas and took a walk from a book that details the hidden public stairways in Berkeley.  We only got through about a quarter of what the walk should have been, with the girls, but we completely enjoyed looking at all the fancy houses and walking off some carnitas!

Maisy, Me and Maren descend our second staircase.

Maisy, Maren and Todd walking down the path to the stairs.

Maisy being silly.

Todd and Maren walk hand in hand.

Here is to a happy and healthy 2012. The last year has gone by so quickly, we have been so fortunate in many ways and for that we are very thankful.  We look forward to spending the next year making more memories, living, loving and laughing with all!

Happy New Year!

Love,

Todd, Becky, Maisy and Maren