Love the New Year!

Is anyone else in love with the new year already? There is just something about starting fresh with good intentions on one's mind. It just feels good!

The holidays were wonderful. We headed out to New Ulm the Saturday before Christmas (12/20) just in time before the big snow storm set in. Well, actually. We got to Mankato and then lost most visability... but still made it to Grandma's and Grandpa's!

Sunday evening (12/21), we spent throwing a 40th wedding anniversary party for my parents at the Lind House in New Ulm! It was a total surprise for them. None of us are quite sure how we pulled it off given the fact that the planning all started months ago! The weather was, ironically, much like that of their wedding day 40 years ago in Tracy, MN! It was COLD and blizzard conditions. Still, many of their dear family members and friends turned out to celebrate their anniversary with them and we had a surprise visit by Rick, Becky, Kali, and Cody from Idaho!

Christmas Eve was fun, as usual! We sort of started opening Christmas gifts a couple days in advance in preparation for a hectic evening following Christmas and Santa's appearance at Grandma and Grandpa's. It was a great idea as Jack made good use of his time to play with his favorite toy from Mommy and Daddy... the Fisherprice People Barn Set. Seriously... for TWO DAYS straight! That got a lot of bang for the buck!! Sophie enjoyed her baby stroller/walker and cruising around too!

After we got the kids' presents opened, Auntie Anna along with James and Ellie rolled in delivering presents too! (Jack was snoozing.)

Sadly, Santa missed making an official appearance at Grandma and Grandpa's house! I had a bit of a beef with him that evening for missing us on his route. Apparently, Mrs. Clause absentmindedly left us off the list. Doesn't she know about our tradition we were going for?! Well, no Santa photo for Sophie with 'Our Santa'. Tears were nearly shed. Anyway, here are some of the hightlights from the Roeder Christmas Eve Celebration in New Ulm...

As per our routine of 6 years now, I believe, we made haste on Christmas Day morning to switch family settings for the second half of our Christmas Holiday. It was on to LeRoy for the Roe Family Christmas Day Celebration. Needless to say, packing up after 4 nights with 2 kids and a slew of pressies wasn't exactly a 390 minute process, so we rolled in late, per usual. We always feel we short-change whomever has us Christmas Day out of logistical circumstances.

We put the morning behind us and arrived in LeRoy for what always ends up being a FABULOUS gathering! Immediately, we dropped the bags and onto the fun! Nanny and Bapa don't miss a detail when it comes to holidays and fun things for the kids. I mean, Chris, Tim, and Mike were so enthralled with Guitar Hero Worldtour on the Wii! The actual children had fun too! ;) Between taking turns on Guitar Hero, playing on the airmattresses in the pimped out garage, sledding, and making hot chocolate and eating everything under the sun, there was more to do than we had time for, really. Here are some of our hightlights...

The feeling of a fresh New Year is great, not to mention getting back into a routine and leaving the craziness of the holidays behind! Maybe that is what I am more in love with? We took a serious hiedous from our home and schedules as we took off for a 6-day long traveling escapade between Rochester, New Ulm, and LeRoy. It was a wonderful 6 days and by the 6th night... it was GOOD to be home! Keeping that schedule with two kids 2 and under was a bit of a challenge and we all breathed a sigh of relief when we opened up the door to our house upon our return!

As for NYE, we spent it at home and had Uncle Andrew and Auntie Kati down too! We contintued a Roeder Family Tradition and got live lobster for our NYE meal. Jack had fun playing with them and was even OK with cooking them. However, when it came time to indulge... not so much!