Having a baby in early January, I figured we'd have a long haul during the holiday season. I start gearing up in November. I come from a family with a lot of Christmas traditions and my husband comes from a big family, so starting in Thanksgiving we spend the next six weeks running here, there and everywhere to get to all the festivities. This year was no different!

We had the various holiday parties, tree cutting day, decorating day(s) and cookie making/baking/holiday shopping/wrapping/planning days.  We also headed to my husband's home town of Puyallup on the 19th of December for 5 days to visit friends and family with at least two things booked for each day.  We had a ton of fun. LB starting getting a cold on the first day though, and for the first time in his life (and much to our resting dismay!) he ended up fitfully sleeping with us every night. We came home sick and exhausted just in time for Christmas Eve. We spent it in Bellingham, quietly, with the other grandparents. It was a much needed "break" and LB continued with his cold, on holiday overload, unwrapping presents and sledding every day. On the 26th we took off for Leavenworth (per longstanding tradition - 31 years now!) for a week of cross country skiing, sledding and relaxing by the fire. Again, though, LB was sleep and camped out in our bed until the very last night when he made it through in his pack and play!

We came home to recover for 5 days (while we unpacked, undecorated and unwound from the "vacations") until we switched gears for LB's birthday. He's two this year, so we didn't want to make a big deal out of it. A simple sledding party (his favorite activity!) up at Snoqualmie Pass at my parent's cabin. Lo and behold, there was an avalanche. My parents have owned a cabin with my grandparents for over 30 years on the hill at Hyak and never in a million years have we ever been worried about an avalanche. Until the morning when my mom called in tears, telling me to check my email. She had forwarded pictures of their hill and all the distruction. The cabin above theirs slid completely off it's foundation. Ours was unharmed, but the feelings of loss and sadness for our friends is overwhelming. So, needless to say, the sledding party with all the cousins was cancelled.

So, with the weekend plans cancelled, we woke up on LB's birthday and had playgroup at our house as usual. After he woke up from his nap we went to the train museum in downtown Bellingham. To say that LB simply loves trains would be a HUGE understatement. It was a hit. He wandered around saying "Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness" over and over. Then we went to the best of all kid restaurants - Red Robin! I knew they'd have fast service, give him balloons, sing to him and present his own special icecream sundae. Does life get any better? We came home from the big night out and quickly opened up presents (a shovel, rake, metal vehicles and a recorder - remember playing those in elementary school?) and an exhausted LB went to bed happy and satisfied.

I need to do a better job of sticking to my plan of keeping things simple. Because, really, that's what made this birthday the best for him!