Back! And, Happy New Year! (from Mommy)

We spent Christmas with Jeff's parents this year and returned home late Tuesday night.  We had a great visit, but of course, it's good to be home, too.  We had good news and bad news when we got back.  The good news:  22 Christmas cards that arrived while we were away.  In addition to the ones we had already received.  Seriously!  We're thankful for so many loved ones near and far!  The bad news!  Our fridge/freezer stopped working.  We tossed most of the contents today and are hoping for a cancellation so that a repairman will visit us Friday, but otherwise, we won't see him until Monday.  It could have been worse:  Since we had been gone, our fridge wasn't completely full of groceries.  Also, we think the problem was only 24 hours old or so, so nothing had rotted-just thawed.  It could have been a lot more expensive and gross.  (I had also been planning to clean out the freezer to make room for meals that I'd freeze ahead now and bake after the baby's arrival.  That task is done!  I'm sooo glad I hadn't started making meals to put into the freezer.)  For now, we're hoping to just repair but not replace the fridge.

Anyway, we celebrated Christmas locally before we left and had nice times with family and friends.  We had a good visit with Jeff's parents and also got to spend time with Jamie and Michelle, Lou and Lionel, Uncle Bill and Aunt Connie, and cousin Jill.  It was a super-busy and fun time, and we'll try to share pictures of our adventures.

We hope you and yours have a Happy New Year!