Happy 2014!

The Weedons enjoyed a relatively quiet Christmas at home. Midnight Divine Service and then the Mass for Christmas Day. After services, David, Meaghan, Lydia and Dave joined Cindi, Bekah and me for a scrumptious Christmas repast: beef tenderloin, studded with whole garlic cloves and sprigs of fresh rosemary, then the whole wrapped in bacon; asparagus; paleo rolls and regular popovers; homemade cranberry sauce; chocolate and pecan pies and various chocolate treats. A game or two of liverpool, and then Cindi, Bekah and I began to pack.

St. Stephen's found us heading out before dawn for a week's stay in North Carolina with Dean and Lauren, Sawyer and Annabelle. Lots of fun - and another Christmas feast: turkey, gravy, baked taters, baked sweet taters, turnips in butter, Miss Hazel's rolls, chocolate pie and a paleo chocolate torte with a coconut crust.

Lots of fun...and lots of laughter. Went for a walk at Kerr Dam one beautiful day. I was supposed to carry Sawyer in Dean's backpack. So I put it on. But wasn't sure how to get him in it. I asked Lauren for help. She burst out laughing. Turns out I had it on upside down (Dean: "How is that even possible?"), and looking back at the car, I had dumped the contents of one of the pockets without even realizing it! Sigh. Handy, I am not. Silly, I may be.

Sawyer and I played the piano and sang together and that was lots of fun. Holding Annabelle was simply amazing. The child is the most passive, gentle little one I've ever held in my arm (quite the opposite of her lively cousin, Lydia or her lively brother Sawyer!).

Hearing Dean preach was a great treat - he's quite a good homilist and each time I hear him, he's even better than the last time!

Seeing my dear Lauren in all her glory as mom and pastor's wife and still as childlike and fun-loving as ever makes my day, but boy do I miss having them around here. Like lots.

Bekah shines as an auntie. She dotes on the little ones no end. And they love her too!

Lots of Liverpool in NC. One game DID get a wee bit out of hand. SOMEONE might have been so aggravated that Lauren ended up with a pile of cards in her lap...

We had an amazingly quick trip home - no traffic, no construction. We'd have made it in about 13 hours, but we did stop for dinner in Mount Vernon. And...well... we pulled up, and began unloading stuff. Cindi brought the garage door opener, but when we went to enter the house we realized the door was LOCKED and not a single one of us had thought to bring keys. Good gravy.

Off to Edwardsville to pick up the spare from Erin (who had graciously been house-sitting for us), and that allowed Cindi to pick up a few groceries and all of us to drop in on the Glen Carbon Weedons and give Lydia lots and lots of kisses and hugs.

That's about a wrap - and here are some pictures of the fun times: