Visitors from the West

 Marc & Diana (Jason's sister) came to visit!  They found cheap flights from Utah (and now I understand why they were so cheap--who wants to visit Boston when its 15 degrees?!), and we had fun showing off our city!

Clam chowder!

 Museum at Concord and Lexington

We did a lot in 5 days!  You'll have to visit Diana's blog to see more pictures.  These are all excellently taken from her camera, by the way.

 Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House (Home of Little Women)

 We toured a little bit of Harvard, Marc's future medical school :)

 Oh, Freedom Trail, we meet again.

Rubbing lucky John Harvard's foot. 

Thanks for the visit, Marc & Diana!  

I'm slowly getting over my anxiety of entertaining house guests, and enjoying some post-company hibernation for a few days...but do come again soon!

Why Hello Bird!

Guess what I spotted right outside our window!?  A cardinal is a sign of good luck, and a bright, fresh perspective into your life!  And most importantly, SPRING!  This little guy was my little tender mercy.  Thank you, Heavenly Father, for creating such radiant things in a dreary world, and for the sweet reminder that life is beautiful, and that Spring is just around the corner!

If I Had a Hammer

 Remember Lincoln and his toothbrush?  Parls has likewise found a favorite household object that is rarely found out of his grip.

 Very well!  I wouldn't mind so much if I wasn't the one getting smacked in the face all the time with it.  Speaking of Parley-inflicted-injuries, before I realized what he was doing, he gave me the biggest baby hickey on my face!  It's huge!  I look like I was slugged across the jaw!

Rub a Dub, Two Boys in the Tub

These boys are becoming the best of friends!  Parley is CRAZY about Lincoln!  He wanders around all bothered and pestered until Lincoln wakes up, and then perks right up!  He probably has more separation anxiety being away from Lincoln than from me.  They can get each other gut-busting about the silliest things and Link is learning to share, or at least how seek higher ground when the crazy baby comes to play with his toys.  Oh how I love my BOYS!

Daddy's Boy

 Mom found this cute picture of 2-year-old Jason (on the left).  Look familiar??  I see a lot of Parley, and a TON of Lincoln!

Then we gave all the boys haircuts recently, and couldn't even tell the difference between J's & L's hair!

I'm Pegging You

 Marc & Diana (you can't see her cute ponytail in the back)

Brett, Sabrina, Adie, Chase & Parker
Can you believe people are charging ~$150 for a custom family like this on Etsy!?  Man, I am in the wrong business!

Snow Day

It must warm Jason's Idaho heart to see his son in snow gear, even if he looks like the Michelin man :)

Magazine is a Funny Word

 In an effort to contain my magazine collection that seems to multiply like bunnies, and because he loves me, Jason made me beautiful magazine rack for Christmas!

 These are the gifts that last forever.  Thank you, Squeeze!

Cabin in the Woods

 We got to spend a few days up at the cabin that Jason's dad built in Island Park! 

(Thank you, again, Diana, for the pictures!)

Jason's been talking incessantly about getting me on a snowmobile since the day we met!  Finally crossed that one off the bucket list.

Now THAT is the way to spend a winter vacation!

We're looking forward to many more family get-togethers up at the magical cabin :)

And a Happy Two Year

Today marks two years from the day we rolled into Boston with everything we owned in a Penske.  New England had just had a monumental series of snow storms, and a good 18 inches of snow was there to greet us.  I mostly remember being colder than I ever had been in my life, living in a basement apartment where I could feel a draft on my face while we slept.  The sun would go down at 3:30pm, and my husband would come home after 9pm every night.  My high-maintenance 2-month old would never let me put him down or sleep for more than 20 minutes at a time.  Groceries were costing twice as much and my entire savings from my last two years teaching was spent on our first and last month's rent.  On the morning of our first snowstorm, our car was towed off the street because of parking regulations (no parking on the even side of the street when it snows), and my phone had hardly a bar of reception, so half the time, I couldn't even call my mom! 

Yet we were SO HAPPY!  We had each other, and we were on our first adventure, with a job, a home, and a little baby.  We were hundreds of miles from any family, but we were living the city life and we were loving it!  Two years later, things are rosier, and I still can't get enough of this exciting and ridiculous city.  Here's to Boston, and here's to us!

Post Christmas

 And then we just hung around, played games, and ate our weight in chocolate truffles! 

 

 We're glad Diana got a new lens and flash to try out on us :)

 

Remember Link's fearful aversion towards dogs?  He would be paralyzed with fear every time "Marley" came near for the first day or two, but by the end of the week, he would "pet" him with a single finger.

Idaho-ho-ho

 We had a grand time in Idaho!  What a vacation!  The kids loved playing their cousins, and everyone got to meet Parley.  Mom Millar made it magical for everyone!  Christmas is so much more fun with kids!

 Grandma made Lincoln a new blankie because the old one (on the left) is getting pretty nasty.  You should see the perma-brown corners where Link has chewed the life out.  Can you believe these two are made from the same fabric?  Wish us luck as we try to make the old one disappear.

 My favorite gifts were these knitted animals from Aunt Diana!  What treasures!  You really should see the rest of them she made on her blog.  Adorable!  (And you have her and Kati to thank for all these amazing pictures!)

 

I immensely appreciate all the delicious meals Mom always prepares.  Not having to cook is a perfect vacation in itself!  I have so much to learn from her masterpiece dishes!

Christmas Dinner with Mom, the DeGraffs, and the Spencers