Here's to a Great New Year!

It has been a CRAZY month! I don't think we've had a free weekend or group of consecutive nights with nothing to do for quite some time now. I am definitely not complaining though, we have some amazing friends and family that we've been spending time with lately!

First, here are some more pictures of Christmas. I was definitely saddened to not have the majority of my family around to spend it with. It was bittersweet to have it be Colin's first Christmas, as well as my first Christmas without my family.







For the New Year/Rose Bowl celebration, a group of our friends decided to rent a house in Waldport right on the beach. 11 of us packed up a ton of food, lots of games and our warmest clothes and settled in on Thursday evening. After ringing in the New Year, we watched the Rose Bowl on Friday and after the upsetting loss, we tried to not let it ruin our spirits. How, you ask? By playing Taboo (utter failure), Hide and Seek (yes, we're all over 12) and by stuffing our faces with make-it-yourself pizzas.

Colin had a great time at the house. He loved that we brought some of his new Christmas toys, had new and exciting places to roam and all these people to play with.




On the final full day there, the girls of the house decided to take a trip up to Newport to eat at Mo's, go to Ripley's Believe It or Not, see the seals, and of course, get some delicious sweets. Meanwhile, the guys all decided to try their luck at Three Rivers Casino in Florence. From what I've heard, Shane was the only one who made it back without any fear of telling his significant other how much he had lost. He actually came back with an extra $60!




All in all, we had a great trip. On Sunday morning, Shane and I got up early (as usual) and took Colin to the beach, which was literally just a few steps off the back porch. We loved watching his reaction to the sand, waves, sounds, birds and all the things he saw on in the sand.







All in all, it was an incredible trip. We had so much fun with all of our friends, and it was an awesome way to ring in the New Year so Colin could be involved. I hope you all had an enjoyable Holiday season as well, and we wish you a happy and healthy 2010!