Unwinding in 2026!

Another week come and gone, and I suppose another year come and gone too. This has been one of our busiest holiday seasons yet, between the move and family activities. We have had a wonderful time, and it feels good to be starting fresh in a new year--one that will not have a big move crammed into it. Last year I set several resolutions about unpacking and other such things. This year I'm going to try not to put too much pressure on settling in, and just accept that it will take time. Instead of resolutions I'm trying the thing where you choose a word for the year. My word is "unwind." We'll see how I do. I have become quite wound up after many, many years of big life events one after the other. This year I am taking several deep breaths, maybe unpacking here and there, hopefully getting the first bits of a backyard put in, and then taking some more deep breaths. Maybe I'll take up weaving again. Wild stuff.

Jordan and Amanda's family came to visit this last week. The kids were in heaven. It's always sad but sweet when we drive away after saying our goodbyes at the end of the week, and hearing Jack fall into tears in the back seat. This is extra sweet since he's our tough guy and doesn't do a lot of crying usually, but the bond he has with his cousin Asher is special. He always cries after an Asher goodbye. 

I was grateful to have family over to our house for a playdate this week. We had initially planned to host New Years Eve, but frankly I chickened out because our house feels pretty chaotic to me at the moment, and my parents hosted instead. But lots of family came over the next day, and helped us put away our giant tree and get our bigger furniture pieces put into place,  and Amanda helped me pack the Christmas decor away and shared some organizing tips while our kids got absolutely filthy in the muddy backyard. It feels like a weight has been lifted going fresh into the New Year this way. We still have a long way to go settling into our house, but I'm taking a *deep breath.* One step at a time. And now for some pictures from our week: 

^^Bowling! We go bowling with family maybe once a year? The last few years since Alice has joined the family have been really chaotic. This was the first time that Alice was able to mostly participate in the bowling, and not run wild laps around the alley. It was lots of fun! Maybe we're turning a new page to an easier family outings stage of life? The cousins had their own lane and that was a joy to watch. (Props to Amanda for telling me to hop into this picture.)

^^We made a custom Haines Family "Guess Who" game for a few Christmas presents this year. Labor intensive, but such a fun personalized gift to give. 

^^New Years Eve--was fun to watch 3 of my brothers reading this family history thing all in a line on the couch. If Peter was there he would've been posed the exact some. Total brothers. We also had some dance parties and played "Pass the Parcel," or as Jack thinks it's called because of Bluey, "Poss the Pah-cel."

^^Sparklers at fake midnight! We didn't make it to the end. I didn't even make it to midnight this year, and that is odd for me. We were all fairly wiped out.

^^We got to see Tim and Abby's crawlspace playroom they finished over Christmas. 

^^The older cousin boys getting wrecked in our backyard. They had so much fun though.

^^Alice's bowling victory poses were everything.

^^We went for a walk at Orem City Center to see the Christmas lights. Didn't get any lights in the background of this cousin hug, but it's still cute and candid.