Merry Christmas, Julie

My sister told me it's unacceptable that I haven't updated my blog in 26 days. So this little update is for her. (And anyone else who agrees with her.)

Here's what happened during December:

• I turned 32. Happy birthday to me.
• Matt worked like a dog. The holiday rush always keeps us busy, but this year, Matt added a commission to the mix. He worked very hard, and we didn't see enough of him. (But we know better than to complain about having lots of work.)
• Zelf's face got mutilated in an unfortunate stroller accident. Adding insult to injury, later that same day, he fell out of my pocket and disappeared while we were Christmas shopping. Sad, sad day in the Richards household. Thankfully, he reappeared the next day with new clothes and a fixed up face, so Riley assumes he briefly returned to the North Pole for reconstructive surgery.
• I performed a violin duet of Away in a Manger on three different occasions. Which I hope makes up for three solid years of neglect.
• We spent Christmas in Utah with Matt's family at their cabin in the mountains. We had a great time playing in the snow and not working.
• Riley got chap stick, band-aids, and a pink re-useable bag from Whole Foods for Christmas. (Along with a few other things.)
• I gave myself permission to neglect my blog.

Away in a Manger

We attended a lovely Christmas pageant tonight. Riley tried her darndest to get Zelf a starring role. Such a stage mom.

Wish Big

Here's Riley's Christmas wish list:

• chapstick
• band-aids
• a purple reusable bag from Whole Foods

My bank account thinks that's reason enough to be very grateful this Thanksgiving.

A Bedtime Story

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who slept with four pacifiers.

Years later (two, actually), the little girl had long since outgrown her pacifiers. But she continued to exhibit obsessive bedtime behavior.

And they slept happily ever after.

Then end.

Halloween Traditions

For Halloween, we joined our group of friends for the third year running for a marathon evening of trick or treating.

Riley departed from tradition, however, when she forgot to throw her annual post-trick-or-treating meltdown. A happy holiday, indeed!