What happened to December?

Hello long neglected blog!  I can't believe that the last post was November 27 (not including my very tardy Christmas/New Years letter).  What happened to the entire month of December?  Well... a LOT happened.  I just never got anything posted.  I suppose we were just too busy living all those happenings.  :)

This morning the last of our visiting family headed for home.  We spent the day taking down our Christmas decorations and trying to restore some order to our messy house.  It has been pretty quiet - and that was even with two additional teenage boys here hanging out with Jackson and Jonathan!  Sometimes 'quiet' is good.  I have to tell you, though, that today there was a certain sense of melancholy to the quiet.  I missed hearing the laughter and voices of a house full of family.  I missed trying to count how many places to set at the table for dinner, depending on which folks were going to be where at supper-time.  (It seemed that no matter the combination of people or events, it was always 15!)   :)   I missed the bustle and general chaos that have so encompassed the last three weeks here at Willis Creek Ranch.

But, tomorrow will begin a new week and, for us, a new semester - and even the real nitty gritty of this new year.  I will enjoy looking back over past weeks (and all of December!) through photos and cards and memories in my mind.  And I will attempt to catch up this blog.  But beware, it may take awhile...   :)