Maeson's Birthday mostly

Being a child of divorce, we generally have two Christmases. This year, my siblings and my stepdad came to my house on Christmas day. My mom is still in Nicaragua and she was sorely missed at our celebration. We went very simple on the food this year - I popped two frozen lasagnas in the oven when I got home from work (yep, I worked on Christmas day - mental health crises don't take holidays ;) and everyone else brought sides - garlic bread, salad, drinks, and dessert. We mostly just hung out, but there were some gifts exchanged. Including this gift from my mom and stepdad:


Coffee from Nicaragua! A big ole 2 lb bag of it! They do know me. I took other pictures, but none of them were truly blogworthy. Probably because I was/am still learning the new camera.

On the 27th, we celebrated my niece, Maeson's birthday. She's five (5!) this year. In the time this past year that I spent without a regular job, Maeson and I hung out on weekdays. I really miss my little helper now that I'm back in the working world. Here are some pics from the night.

Maeson and friends with her cake.

This is Jack - so cute.
He got a real kick out of shooting my nephews Nerf dart gun.

The beautiful birthday girl.

Amari - really a human cartoon.

How I love my family! It's big, complicated, and often chaotic, but it's mine.