BELATED

Birthdays. Months ago. But I hardly touch my camera these days, which means I hardly ever remember to blog. My youngest two turned 2 and 3. Love these cute littles of mine, even with their overly bold personalities.

SANTA

"I'm totally going to post!" And then I don't. I feel so far behind, not to mention disconnected. Not carrying my camera with me everywhere has been a bless and a curse; I don't feel like a slave to photographing my family every day BUT I have hardly captured a thing. So, to catch up from last year, Santa came. Like literally came to our home. Some dear friends gifted us with a magical visit from the big man himself. He brought balls, bears, and bells for all of the littles, plus a little pop-up play tent to share. It was so fun to see the looks on the kids' faces as he jingled his way to the door and burst in with a loud, "Ho! Ho! Ho!" A couple of days later, Santa came again and toys were left by the tree for Christmas morning. Bikes and baby dolls for all. Pokemon and Strawberry Shortcake, too. It was a wonderful winter.

SNOW DAY

Oops. I didn't anticipate a three week absence. But it has been a nice break from 365 and weekly blogging. On the other hand, several long overdue posts. Like this one.
A month ago, I surprised my littles with a trip to the snow. What an adventure that turned out to be. I purchased puffer jackets this year, knowing sweaters were not enough to keep us warm last year. I borrowed snow boots, knowing tennis shoes soaked immediately in the snow. And I doubled up on gloves, knowing frozen fingers put a quick end to any fun. We were fully prepared. I even purchased a couple of sleds when we hit Payson. What I didn't anticipate was a lack of snow. Payson - no snow. Pine - no snow. On top of the Rim - no snow. It was such a let down. Instead of returning home, I headed west for Flagstaff. Slowly, we began to see evidence of snow. It wasn't until we were on the road for Snowbowl that there were decent amounts. Up the mountain we headed. We circled the lots at the top a couple of times before settling on a spot. We ate a quick lunch in the car and then donned our gear. The kids had a blast. Throwing snowballs. Making snow angels. Playing snow tag. We played for about two hours before the cold finally got to us and we were ready to leave. I love this tradition of ours - and I love that the mr.'s sister is part of it.

365.2: WEEK 52

Another 365 project, in the books. Persistence has paid off and I have another year's worth of memories captured. This past week - the last of the year - was spent adventuring. On Monday, the day after Christmas, we went to the new OdySea Aquarium in Scottsdale. Tuesday was spent playing in the snow with my birthmother's sister and her two kids. Wednesday we worked on riding bikes - gifts the three oldest received on Christmas. Thursday found me and the littlest two at Build-A-Bear while the bigger kids were at the movies with my parents. Friday was our (now) annual New Year's bonfire. And Saturday we celebrated New Year's Eve with some our favorite neighbors.

 December 26th - December 31st

Part of me wants to keep going with the photo a day, but I am pretty sure the mr. and littles need a break from my camera. So I'll take a year off and revisit my 365 project in 2018. For now, I'll continue capturing major events and adventures.