December, at home

Here are a smattering of photos I took during our December "vacation at home."

After returning home from our trip to LA we decided to postpone our planned trip east and spend some time together as a family, just the four of us. We kicked off the vacation with a week of just me, Molly, & Clara on our own, since preschool was on holiday and Zach was still working. Then we had a week and a half of just the four of us - puttering around the house, having little adventures to the supermarket, Habitot, or the park, and playing with the neighbor's kids.

Initially I was terrified of that first week alone with the girls, but it ended up being probably one of the most valuable chunks of time I've had with them. Particularly with Molly. Molly & I had a chance to reconnect in a way that we haven't since early in my pregnancy with Clara. Yes, there were moments when we were all melting down (I ended up sitting in the garage for a good 15 minutes after leaving Habitot one day while Molly & Clara both cried). But we figured things out, and Molly learned a lot about her little sister and about being a big sister.

The time we had with Zach home was also wonderful. I was very sad to miss New Years with my family, but they were remarkably understanding and supportive of our decision to postpone the trip. There were a number of reasons for that decision, including feeling like we'd been sick for two months, dreading the thought of traveling with Clara again (the drive back from LA was painful, to say the least), and giving Molly a break from the constant visitors (we're trying to understand and respect the fact that she has a hard time with changes and takes some time to warm up to "new" people, even if those people are people she knows and loves like both sets of grandparents). I think these (approximate) quotes from my father sum it up nicely: "It sounds like your children are trying to tell you to slow down" and "The children are the most important".

By the end of our vacation Molly was in a much better space (she had been "acting out" a lot before - understandably, but still not something we were happy with), and as a family we were feeling much more connected. Now Molly's struggling a little with the transition back to school, but it's nice to know that we have a solid bond to rely upon in transitions like this. Oh, and Molly seems to be enjoying Clara even more now! :)

Pictures: Sisters in tool shirts; A cow in a field; sisters; Molly makes presents for Nona & Opa; Molly decorates a gingerbread house (& later we learned that they're not really meant for eating); Clara; Breakfast scene; Molly as the "parking direction"; Molly; Molly; Molly; Molly painting; Molly painting; Molly moo; Sofi & Clara; Clara stretching.