We kicked off the holiday season with my holiday party. It was great to have a night out together and Maren had her first overnight stay with Martiza. And from the photos Maritza sent out way, I think she had just as much fun as mom and dad did with their evening.
We had a great Christmas with both sides of our family surrounding us. My mom and dad both came into town to share in Maren's first Christmas. And boy was she ever spoiled. We sent out the warning early saying please don't buy her too much. The hotel is small and we don't have the space for it, so please wait for February for her first birthday. Grandparents being grandparents totally ignored this plea. My mother was the worst offender. She had to ship a box with her gifts because she had so many. And when it arrived it was the size of a washing machine. And when grandpa caught when of this, he couldn't let nana show him up, so he went out an bought a nice sampling of gifts as well.
On Christmas Eve, we went on a Santa hunt to try and have Maren's picture taken, but we failed in that attempt. So, we opted for pictures with a giant Christmas tree and Nana and Grandpa.
That night we celebrated Christmas Eve at the hotel restaurant, which is actually quite nice. If you are in the Oakland area, I suggest stopping by. It has a great view of the lake. Traditionally we host Christmas Eve at our house and Derek prepares a fantastic dinner. But it was kind of nice to just walk down stairs have dinner served with no preparation and no dishes to clean up afterwards. We also opened gifts with my side of the family that night. Maren loved the what was inside the package, but really wasn't into ripping open the fits yet. Most of the gift opening was caught on video by a very sick daddy. (Unfortunately Derek had a terrible cold on Christmas.)
The following day we did our traditionally stocking opening with my mom at her hotel and then headed over to Derek's parents to spend Christmas day. My mom and dad joined us for dinner later in the afternoon.
The next day Jody, dad, Maren and I loaded up in the car and headed down to Corcoran for a Roark family Christmas. I think the last time this crew was together was probably my wedding. So, it was nice to bring everyone together. And I know my grandma loved being there with all of us. The crew included my grandmothers brothers and sister, her children, her grandchildren and great grandchildren.
The following day, we drove back to the bay area and had a little holiday dinner with Derek's closest friends and parents at one of our favorite restaurants Bellanico in Oakland. Unfortunately, this is one of those moments where I didn't use the camera. But we had fun nevertheless. You'll have to imagine it in your head.
From there we moved into a week of visits from friends and relaxation. Derek and I both took the week off of work. And I am so glad we did. It was really nice to just spend time together as a family being lazy and just enjoying one another. This is the first time we have ever taken vacation days for any extended period of time and not actually gone anywhere. Two great things stick out in the week though.
First, I got Derek a cook book from Chez Panisse for Christmas and with it came dinner reservations. We've been wanting to go to this restaurant for a while and I was finally able to get a reservation. (You have to book a month in advance and pretty much take what you can get.) It is a pre-set menu and we were hoping it would not be a pork night because Derek can't eat pork. When they called to confirm the reservation two days before, I asked what would be served and was informed veal would be the main course. We were very bummed about this because neither one of us eat veal due to ethical issues with it. So, we were a bit troubled, but thrilled when we arrived and actually found out we would be having lamb instead. The dinner was lovely. Once again, it was great to have a little date night. And thank you to Cindy for watching Maren for us. (once again. . .no photos of this evening . . .and I forgot the dang menu at the restaurant. Oh well. . .)
That same night, very late in the night, my dear friend Jamie and one of her little girls, Peyton came to visit with us. It was a short visit, but a great visit. We pretty much sat around talking, sharing memories and receiving much needed parenting pep talks. Lately, Maren and I have struggled with nap time. Jamie was able to witness this and talk me through it as tears streamed down my face. Maren loved Peyton and they had a ton of fun playing together. Thank you! And we look forward to our next visit together.
And we rang in the new year at our friend's Trevor and Cindy's. There were four couples and their kids there. The kids played really well together. There were three boys around 18 months and Maren. She loved it. And they were all troopers. They played their hearts out until around 10:00. And when we finally made it in the car, she crashed out immediately. There wasn't a peep out of her as we pulled her out of the car, through the party in the hotel and up into our room, where you could still hear the band from downstairs playing. She didn't mind one bit. She was already in sweet dream land. Pictures exist of this evening, but not in my camera. So, as soon as I receive them, I'll post them.
2009 has been an amazing year. It was filled with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. I think it will go down as one of my most rewarding and challenging years I have faced to date. In 2010, I look forward to settling and nesting in a new home with my baby girl, Derek and Griffin. And who knows, maybe another little one too. (I mean, we need to keep a little bit of crazy going.) Happy New Year to all!
1 comment:
Well, you knew I'd be proud of this post :-)
I think you did great with the pictures! You got special family pics that are priceless! Way to go! What a busy month!
Loved seeing you and your cute little family so much! We'll have a wild gathering with all my fam when you're in your house (let me know how that goes).
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