I’m not gonna lie. This Christmas was action-packed. Retail during the holidays is relentless, and when you throw in our usual Thanksgiving-Birthday-Dance-Recital-Birthday-Christmas-New-Year’s routine, it pretty much makes it certain that life becomes one giant hamster wheel ‘o fun.

Everyone was pretty civilized about how my recent job transition completely upturned our family’s nicely calibrated alternating holiday travel schedule. Yes, it was our year to go to the valley. No, we did not go. Yes, everyone had to drag themselves back up here. Again. But if these last years have taught us anything, it is that no matter our well-laid (lain? layed? layered?) plans, life always intervenes. And as such, we are learining to roll with it.

Stella danced her role as Latin Christmas Ornament with great beauty. Her birthday was a pre-tweener extravaganza with giggles and loud top-40 music and goofiness. Steve’s birthday was a great success of homebrew, ribs, friends and family. We all soldiered through the fact that crab season didn’t open in time for Christmas this year and we had to suffer (not really) through the Mexican feast of tamales and homemade chile verde. The kids got desks and books and toys and fun things, and yet chose to spend the better part of the day playing with a giant cardboard box. And because we are the type that never quits while we are ahead, we brought in the New Year right proper with more dancing and merriment. Boo to the yah.

Once again, I took full advantage of the fact that my mother has immersed herself in her passion for picture taking, and let her take on the lion’s share of picture taking. Hey, it takes a village, people!

I did do the work to gather all the pictures up, crop, correct and upload. I even went the extra mile and videoed that bad-boy. You’re welcome.

And Happy New Year.

Christmas 2012 Slideshow from natalie on Vimeo.