Saying good-bye to Christmas—putting away all the decorations—getting back to routines—it’s depressing. I had to buy some grocery store flowers to cheer myself up.
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Brian and I went to Boston for a few days to start our 2016 off without the kiddos. Mom and Jennifer entertained the girls while we had a nice time walking around the city and eating some yummy meals.
We felt at home. Our hotel was on Chestnut Street – just like our real home is on Chestnut Avenue.
Funny how we go to get some time to ourselves, but our girls are never far from our thoughts. We had to snap a picture of this giant Playmobil Santa for our Playmobil loving kids (wake up Brian).
And we thought of the girls when we saw the ducklings from the Make Way for Ducklings book.
Here are some other random photos. It was so nice to get away!
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Well I wouldn’t call it walking in a winter wonderland but we did have some nice strolls through the woods of Michigan.
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Every year I make a wreath for my Mom-in-law. This year it was a quilt wreath:
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Toyland by Victor Herbert and Glen MacDonough
Toyland, toyland
Little girl and boy land
While you dwell within it
You are ever happy thereChildhood’s joy land
Mystic merry toyland
Once you pass its borders
You can ne’er return againWhen you’ve grown up, my dears
And are as old as I
You’ll laugh and ponder on the years
That roll so swiftly by, my dears
That roll so swiftly byChildhood’s joy land
Mystic merry toyland
Once you pass its borders
You can ne’er return againIn the photo below we’ve just finished opening our gifts. Our Swiss Christmas is our time to have a big meal of raclette cheese and open our presents at our house. Claire is jumping for joy, Bea is happily engrossed in her new toy and Brian is putting together a lego set. Yes – it’s a messy scene but I don’t mind. I’m enjoying these fleeting years when I can see my girls right in the middle of their own Mystic Merry Toyland. Just like the song says so eloquently – the years roll so swiftly by and I’m just so very, very thankful that my job is to coordinate our version of Joy Land for two little girls.
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I forgot to show you – I finished Bea’s quilt around Thanksgiving time. Nice to have a husband tall enough to hold up a big queen size quilt. Bea chose the arrangement of the blocks last January. There are so many ways to arrange Roman Stripe quilt blocks. I like that this quilt has a little more weight that others that I’ve made because I did foundation piecing onto muslin. It’s just one more layer but it makes it a bit more cozy. I hope she snuggles under it for a long long time.
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Just like Picasso, we had fun painting with light.
A string of Christmas lights:
Bea put small flashlights inside her socks:
Oh and do you like my new BIG photos. I’ve had them too little for too long.
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We went down into the city to see the Christmas Market last weekend. The weather was strangely warm and foggy. The crowd was big.
Laowai 