Growing up Maine: Happy 2013!

...and we're back!

Per usual I dropped off the grid when we headed home for Christmas. This year my vacation from the internet was extended on both ends. After the tragedy that took place in Connecticut, I just couldn't bring myself to go online or watch the news. To be honest, I can't name the shooter or any of the victims, but I have been praying for those families every day since. I just can't bear the details. After we initially heard the news I shut my laptop, hugged my kids, and then spent the last two weeks of December spending quality time with the people I love.

As for my absence since Christmas...all I can say is that we have all been transitioning back to the real world, and none of us is handling it particularly well. I have been feeling worn down and lonely. It is hard (read: exhausting/daunting/at times downright awful) to shuffle the kids all around during the holidays, but in a lot of ways it is harder to be home alone with them again. Lily is acting like an attention-starved-fire-breathing dragon. Ben has had a cold for the past two weeks (which he gave to EVERYONE in Maine) so his nighttime sleeping habits have returned to "cruel joke" status. Matt is back to working his contract job while simultaneously trying to interview, AND keep all of his plates spinning with his own software company. In short, the new year is sort of kicking our asses a bit. I know it is only temporary but it has been a ragged start to 2013.

I have my Christmas post more than half written. Ben's 8 month post, though it will be a full week overdue is almost done as well. I just need to go through the 800 pictures I took in Maine and add some of them to the posts.

As for the rest of this post, (an idea I totally stole from Julia) I present you with our year-in-review!

January:

I looked like this!