Our Holidays - In Pictures

I have loved every holiday so much more as a parent than I did as an "adult" or I guess since I was a child myself.  Having children truly gives you a rare opportunity to look through their eyes and even re-experience your own childhood or at least the joy that such events bring children.  I'm taking full advantage!

I find it rather difficult to manage two children and capture time with the camera.  Thankful for the random phone pictures and some my sister managed to get, but this year, I MUST improve on this!

These are not in order of events and I'll apologize in advance for the wide range of poor light, poor photography skills and iPhone level talent.

Brother enjoying his early Christmas present… Momma also enjoying it.

Santa CAME!!!!  As Ann said.  I'm pretty sure Santa brought the gifts that I loved as a little girl and John too (as a little boy… except for the doll stuff).  Who doesn't love Calico Critters and Lincoln Logs?  

I loved our Christmas morning at home so much.  

I've also loved playing "Critter House" with Ann so much!!  Way cooler than Barbie.

Christmas Day.  This kid napped through the entire holiday only waking to eat and poop.  The life.

So did Daddy.  Kiddddddding….

Sick kiddos arrived between Christmas and New Years.  At this point I thought it was just a cold.  

It wasn't.  RSV hit and hit hard.  This little guy enjoyed 5 days in the hospital.  

This virus doesn't mess around.  I spent New Year's Eve in the hospital snoozing next to my baby boy and John spent it snoozing at home with Ann.  A far cry from our New Orleans trip to kick off 2013 but we couldn't have woken up next to better little faces!  

Caroline and Ann at John's parents' house.  Ann absolutely loves Caroline.  This is a deceiving quiet moment at the Teeter house.

This is what I love about John's family.  

Or maybe it is all of these wonderful little people, or not so little anymore I guess.  

Ann has taken on my annual responsibility of passing out Christmas presents.  The joy!!

Ann and Brady love each other.  She helped him a lot with gift opening.

I hope I pass on a singing voice to Ann because she certainly enjoys listening to Mom and I!!  I think she has one... she is on key most of the time but she also seems to have inherited my stage fright along with it.

Grandma and Ann lovin on each other!

Yeah... this is what we got with the sibling shot.  

Ann posing for Aunt Sarah while I'm away...

Another forced pic of contemplating the meaning of Christmas.  How Sarah commands Ann to pose and I can't get her to smile for a shot with her brother is beyond me.

Trying to be in a picture with my child.  

And finally some of Ann's favorite people.... Aunt Sarah and Uncle Brady.  They want my daughter and may kidnap her at some point.  I'm fine with that for a few days... ahem.  

When I was looking through pictures to use I realized I find much more joy in the snapshots of the room rather than the posed smiles.  That is a true representation of that point in time and the imperfect picture shall do.  Life is imperfect and part of my goal for this year is to accept it and enjoy it!  Blessed to have a new year to experience and two children to experience it with.