Ahhh the holidays! Time for cold weather, lost of driving
and of course spending time with family!
It was a family filled holiday season for us. Christmas Eve was spent at my dad’s
house with both my sister’s in-laws and my in-laws. There were fourteen of us, and Mason our dog. We drove out to B’s parents house
that night and spend Christmas day with B’s family.
In my family, when we were little, my parent’s had us sing
Happy Birthday to baby Jesus before we opened our presents. It was a way, outside of church, to
remind us that the real reason for Christmas was Jesus’ birth. While I get made fun of quite heartily
this is something we have done since C was born and will continue to do. I remember so vividly the coffee cake
mom made every year, and signing to baby Jesus. While I didn’t make mom’s coffee cake this year we still
sang and had a pretty darn good Boston coffee cake.
Santa filled our stockings and C made out like a
bandit with presents from Mommy, Daddy, Nana, Haha and other family
members. My dad joined us for
Christmas dinner at B’s parents place.
We drove back home late Christmas night and I had a few days
of work before heading back to Dad’s on the 30th. The T clan descended on dad’s house
for NYE starting on the 30th and a few people trickled in on the 31st. There were 38 of us this year and we
deeply missed those who could not make it!!! We spent those three days catching up, staying up, eating up
and chatting it up. I think I stay
up later with my relatives on NYE than most any other time over the year. We’ve been getting together for NYE for
the past 10 years. I honestly
cannot say I know any other family that is as close as we are. I am so very blessed to have them in my
life and can only hope that my generation can continue the work our parents
started by creating such a solid family foundation. We’re expecting one
marriage and two babies in 2013- so far!
Hopefully Baby Bates will be new baby # 3 in 2013.
Multiple cousins have expressed interest in running a half
or full marathon to help raise funds for our adoption. I think it is going to be an amazing
experience for many of us to do together.
What a way to help bring our baby home- how loved will this child
be? I am looking into ways we can
run a race up here in New England and make the donations tax deductable for
people. Both spring and fall races
are being looked into.
On NYE dad had us take a field trip and revealed the waiting
room dedicated to Mom and Aunt M in the new breast center. Dad had the routine mammogram waiting
room dedicated to the courageous and dedicated two women of our family who
fought breast cancer and lost. It
was a really cathartic experience for me, and a lot of the family.
B and I celebrated four years of marriage on NYE!!!! I
can’t believe it has been four years.
It seems both longer and shorter.
I really am one of the luckiest women on earth. B is an amazing husband and my
love for him grows everyday.
We came home late last night and I am so exhausted. It is 2013 and it is a brand New Year
filled with new hope and unknowns.
I am so excited (and a little trepidatious).
Happy New Year everyone, May your 2013 be filled with
wonderful things!
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