HAPPY NEW YEAR!  And Happy 67th Birthday (+1), Dad!

You would think with 9 days off, I might have posted at least once, but it turns out Christmas was not quite as relaxing as I had initially expected.  We had three Christmases in fact, and as you can see here, I wasn't the only one who found it a little overwhelming.  

More than the constant travel and carload after carload of presents though, what I found most overwhelming was this, and this, and this.  There are very few similarities between that docile little thing and The Toddler That Ate New York, and yet only a year has passed.  Thank goodness I'm keeping track, or I never would have believed that's just one year's worth of transmogrification.

Still, our various Christmases were certainly a hoot.  We got a taste of our impending trip to BVI by cramming 9 of our 11 crew members into my parents' living room, which should accurately simulate cramming us all into a 50 foot sailboat.  Thankfully, I don't think the sailboat will have a piano.  That would be two very long weeks.

Of course the highest highlight of the season was finally getting our grubby mitts on one-month-old Ewan, #1 Maternal Cousin of the Elliott.  He took an instant liking to Sarah, and who can blame him.  His uncle he is less sure about.

And if you're wondering, we are still setting up our Christmas/New Years (and possibly Valentine's Day) letter, so go out with a lawn chair and wait by your mailboxes.