Happy New Year!

Good morning and Happy New Year!

Susie mentioned the other day that I don't blog enough and though she was using it as an example it to highlight my excessive facebook/BB time, I took note and promised to blog something in the New Year.

We appear to have made it though the holidays with little permanent physical or psychological damage. It was a 3-week journey filled with field trips, parties, and visitors. While the energy and excitement level was high, I think that all four of us are looking forward to a few days of down time before returning to school/work.

December started with very cold weather, and Ms. Bean being invited to ride the school board float in the Scottish Parade. Since she is still only 5 (though acting more like a teenager all the time) , I went with her and it was a highlight of the month for both of us (though 1 month later I am finally defrosting).

Early in the month, my Mom and I took the girls to the Alexandria Ballet version of the Nutcracker which was a delight, we attended a few birthday parties, and in the 14th we really kicked off our Holiday Festivities with Wassail at Claude Moore Farm. While Little-Bee, Tom and my Dad beat on trees and left bread for the birds to assure a good harvest, Susie and Ms. Bean cooked a Goose in the colonial kitchen. I ran back and forth with my camera and tried to capture it all. Interestingly, it was the first time that Ms. Bean made the correlation between the fowl on the kitchen table and the animals in the farm. I thought from the original shock she demonstrated that we might have a little vegetarian on our hands, but she appeared to recover by the end of the week.

At some point we got up our tree, send holiday cards, polished the menorah, wrapped, laughed and danced. Ms. Beans school had a holiday concert which was delightful and baby-bee invited me to attend her school holiday party. The girls went canoeing with Santa at the YMCA, and we attended our office parties, a couple neighborhood parties, and a Festivous Celebration which included a POLE and the TUR-DUCK-HEN that my in laws sent us as out Christmas Present. Ugh, yeah. We also managed to squeeze in a mini "stay-cation" with trips to the Natural History Museum, the (newly renovated) American History Museum, and the Zoo.

Christmas eve we spent at Bill and Tara Lenz house, Christmas day at home where Tom cooked dinner for 12 and made it look seamless. The day after Christmas Carolyn came for a along weekend, and on the 30th my dad turned 66 which afforded us the opportunity to visit with my Brother.

So, while this reads like one of the many Christmas Letters we received this month, it might explain my lack of blogging and utter exhaustion that I am currently experiencing. January promises to be slower (though we are beginning Ice Skating Lessons for both girls this month and Ms. Bean starts art classes at the Art League).

No real resolutions this year, I never seem to keep them so really don't see the point. However, I have an informal self commitment to finish my 2008 book over the Inauguration Break (any bets) and I, of course, need to drop a few pounds. That, is for another post.

Just heard to knock at the door, which means we have our first New Years visitor! Wishing all of my readers a Peaceful and Prosperous New Year! DON'T FORGET to eat your Back eyed Peas!