White Christmas

 After much thought and soul searching and a few bumps in the road, we decided to take off for warmer weather for the holiday. It was the kids and my first Christmas away from home, but we discovered that "home" was wherever we were together.
Fortunately for us, we have 2 very supportive families that helped us to celebrate Christmas both here in CO and down in FL.
With both our family and my sister's family leaving for Christmas, we celebrated an early Christmas here, including a full Christmas dinner.  We were spoiled rotten with gifts and family time together.

An unexpected guest at dinner

Then we jet-setted to the gulfcoast. We were well prepared for spring/fallish weather and were pleasantly surprised with 70 and 80 degree weather, beach visits, swimming in the pool, last minute shopping, Christmas light viewing, playing with cousins, launching rockets, seashell collecting, building sandmen and sand angels, eating on docks, seeing dolphins. It was definitely our version of a white Christmas.

 One of the most special moments was that we were there for our niece, Madalyn's, fifth birthday, it was the first time we were actually there to celebrate. An unforgettable trip for all of us, we left little bits of ourselves out there.

Now we are home and still settling back into the routine of normal life, silently counting down to our next vacation. The time we can be together without the schedules of work and school and housework, the adventures we try to find each time we go somewhere. Time where we can spend with family, both near and far.