Ringing out the final days of 2012

The birthday boy + the celebration

December 26th :: Big Birthday + Boxing Day

Just because Xmas was over did not mean that we had to stop celebrating.  Oh, no.  Steve's dad turned 70 years old and we had a small dinner party for him complete with mounds of crab, cheesy bread and the requisite kahlua kake (a Hecht family tradition!).  We wore paper crowns, sang happy birthday and watched a homemade movie commemorating Steve's dad's life and legacy.  It was a perfect ending to his visit and I think he enjoyed being doted on.

Dark lighting prevented us from getting any group shots and most of the pics were blurry from that evening.  The above shots were the best I could do.

December 27th :: Playing Catch up

McGyver left before the sun came up and we slowly greeted the day.  There were thank you notes to write, helicopters to be flown and batches of waffles to be made in preparation for the Harry Potter Marathon scheduled for the next day.

December 28th :: Harry Potter Marathon at the Vigeant/Judd Compound

Yes, 19 hours of Harry Potter movie time.  Our boy would join in for 12-1/2 of those hours and watch movies one through five.  This has to be one of the coolest childhood fantasies realized.  Steve delivered Grady over to his best friend's house at 6 am.  Their family had just purchased a big screen t.v. and invited a dozen or so kids over for the movie marathon.  When we picked him up that evening, it was a sea of bodies and blankets in the t.v. room.  The kids looked dazed and were very, very quiet.  G came home and bumped into walls, took a shower, dropped his toothbrush while brushing, ate a quick dinner and climbed into bed.  It was a fun, but exhausting day for this nine year old and one he will never forget.

December 29th :: BFF arrival!

I woke early to gather up the ingredients for making paté with Jill.  I scurried down the road in my pajamas and assisted in making a double batch of rustic chicken liver paté.  I didn't photograph it because, let's be honest, paté looks like cat food.  It was , however, delicious and I can't wait to share with the Rangel girls, who are the best little food critics I know.

Kacy and family arrived and were staying in Jenner.  I still had a sick boy and now Steve had caught whatever Grady had, so they were housebound and I took an afternoon drive to Jenner to enjoy a sunset with my bestie and enjoy an incredible meal at River's End.  It was a perfect afternoon that spilled into a delightful evening of food and wine.  No surprises there.

December 30 :: Christiansen Clan at the Ponderosa

G anxiously awaited the arrival of the Christiansen clan.  They spilled out of the car for a round of quick hugs and swiftly put on their mud boots and went exploring in the back hills looking for dinosaur bones and communing with the cows.  There were tree houses to be visited, b.b. guns to shoot and chickens to be chased.  Boys are so easy to please.

December 31st :: New Year's Eve

We started this day with a big breakfast for the kids and a walk on Middle Road for just Kacy and myself.  We then drove over the hills to Bodega Bay for lunch at the Dog House and then came home to ready ourselves for an evening of food and fun.

The Mahleys stopped by for the first toast of the evening to celebrate their trip to Stockholm for the Nobel Prize ceremony and their upcoming 50th wedding anniversary.  Steve was still bedridden and the festivities went on without him.  Poor guy.

Jack (10), Grady (9-1/2), Harry (7-1/2)

We sauntered down the lane for drinks and an amuse-bouche at Scott & Jill's house.  The boys were treated to ants on a log and salty potato chips.  We then came back up the lane to finish making their cheesy pizza for the evening and get them started on a gaming and movie marathon!  They couldn't have been happier or more satisfied.

Things started to get a little festive here, as we had lots of J sparkling wine to help us end the year 2012.  There was dancing, lots of laughing and a little Saturday Night Live on Hulu to get the silliness ratcheted up a notch.  Again, Steve was in the bedroom listening to all of our shenanigans and was such a trouper.

Happy New Year's Eve 2012

He rallied and joined us for a forced group photo, complete with paper crowns and silly faces!  I think this is one of my favorite photos of the year.

Boys + Mamas 2012

It felt like it all went too fast, but it always feels that way!  I enjoyed every single second and loved cooking for my people and having them in our home.

It was the perfect way to end this year surrounded by the people I love, in the place that I love so much.