Happy New Year! (wait, it's January 7th. well, happy new year, anyway)

Greetings, fellow humans!

It's two weeks past Christmas and one week past New Year's Eve, and less than one week until I start a new semester. So, here are some things to wrap up and some things to look forward to!

First, when we saw you last we were only beginning our four days of magical Christmas romping. We'd gone to John and Fran Power's place for a Very Power Christmas, and we were gearing up for some Bork and Bosco time (and some Bosco Bork time. it's not as confusing as it sounds, really).

We hung out with the Borks for some pre-Christmas Sunday supper. Bo got some cool new toys:

Not pictured: the 72 piece blocks set that will stay at Grandma Bork's house and some new Matchbox cars from his auntie and uncle

I, too, got some cool new toys, courtesy of Paula and Greg (let's be clear: it was all Greg).

Racing grannies, an angry nunzilla (who is yelling at the grannies) and a cow about to shoot that ball out of his pie hole right at the nunzilla (Trevor has been shooting that cow at me for two weeks now. thanks, Greg. thanks ever so much.)

Greg also got me this ermahzing rubber chicken. Don't feel bad; I put that sign on him. It used to be on the little pink doll, but I thought the chicken made more sense in our household.

But the pièce de résistance is the sound that my new effigy makes. Here, take a listen.

So, after the gift exchanging, we said our goodnights...

Good night, Grandpa!

...and Trevor and I popped over to Sean and Angi's place for one last hang-out with Rae and the gang. We played Cards Against Humanity and laughed until our faces hurt.

Rae, Auntie Fran, Uncle Neilly, and Sadie (who is eating...something)

Christmas Eve morning was spent with the Madels in River Forest and we were so happy to get to see Doug and Jean, Becca and Jason and their families, but also Grandma, Grandpa, and Jim, who'd all driven down from Door County for the holiday. We did some brunching, some chatting, and a little bit of gifting.

Sadie got a cool new house with locks and keys from Grandma and Grandpa Madel

Gradma Madel tries on a new shawl while Angi, Sadie, and Sean stand by

Grandpa, Jean, and Destiny

Grandma checks out the owl jar from T. and me

Destiny asked me to not put this on the blog. So here it is. I love being an aunt.

After T. and I gave our stomachs a rest and our bodies a nap, we headed downtown to spend Christmas Eve eve with the Boscos, Borks, and Ericksons. We ate a lot,

Grandma! I can fit this entire pear slice in my mouth.

And now I can cut another piece! By myself! (um, no, you can't. put down that knife.)

talked a lot, and gifted a little more.

What?! MORE toys? Holy Christmas, Batman!

Uncle Jimmy is, as always, Santa Claus.

On Christmas morning, Trevor and I woke up and lounged around with coffee and the new books we'd exchanged (oh, what? you're surprised that we get each other books for Christmas?), and then wandered over to the Bosco's house to stuff ourselves on pizza, macaroni and cheese, and pie. I think there might have also been salad, but I don't know what kind of beanbag was paying attention to that.

This is what Bo did that morning:

Oh my goodness! Look at my OUTFIT! I'm SO CUTE!

So that was that. Almost immediately after Christmas, on Trevor's first official day of vacation that wasn't a national holiday, he got sick. So we hung out a lot inside, watching t.v. and movies, reading our many new books, and slowly weaning ourselves off of holiday food. It was hard since both Fran Power Sr. and Grandma Madel had sent us home with eight hundred thousand cookies.

We had a quiet New Year's Eve--just dinner out and then some movie watching--and then Trevor's cold germs finally caught up with me last Thursday. So I'm coughing like a...a person who has a chest cold (sorry, that's the best I could do) and starting to really rev up for my faculty workshop day on Thursday and the first day of the semester, which is next Monday.

We hope that everyone else had just as lovely, family filled, and as fattening a holiday season as we did. Happy New Year, to all!