In the middle of December, our little family headed to Mississippi to visit with my mom and our family out there. My stepfather, who was diagnosed with cancer just last May, was not doing good and had started hospice. I wanted to help my mom have one big Christmas with everybody together and wanted my stepfather to meet the baby. I originally felt guilty about going so early since the entire family Christmas dinner/celebration was moved up to the weekend we were there - over a week before actual Christmas. But we had a lot of fun and it was so good to have everyone together. My stepfather passed away a few days after we flew back to California. The girls and I returned to Mississippi to attend his memorial, and we came back on New Years Eve. And that concluded 2012.
On the crochet front, I have been very busy trying to finish up Christmas gifts, and I also create my own pattern for a mandrake from Harry Potter. With everything going on, I did not have time to test it as soon as I hoped, and I am hoping to revisit the pattern, make a few changes, and get it out for testing before this month is over. I am so pleased with how it came out though :)
2013 has started in a flurry as well - our baby turned one, school and work has resumed, and Mr. River has been having to take several double shifts. Which is hard to do when you're also balancing kids and taking over so that I can do my work as well. We are busy bees.
But now that things are resuming normalcy somewhat - though Blue does still ask to hear Christmas music so she is sad to leave the holidays behind us - we are trying to find our "norm" once more. The weather has been cold here, and we were very sick with the flu, so we spent a good week and a half indoors. We are now all going house crazy, so I have taken the girls' snugglesuits out, bundled them up (it's only 50 here, so not that cold), and letting them romp around outside to their hearts' content. And we're off to go do that just now :)
