Survived the Holidays.

We made it home at last. We hit the driveway a hair before midnight on New Year's Eve, another long day of travel under our tired and not-great-smelling belts. The kids ran around playing with all their toys while we dumped our suitcases in the laundry room. There was no champagne, and we eschewed party hats for a hasty bathtime. We dined on frozen leftovers which had definitely seen better days. Seth didn't even make it to midnight, while Ford and I watched the ball drop before passing out on the couch. It was good to be home.

We wouldn't have had it any other way. 2016 just was a shitshow, with a baby, a toddler, a return to work for both of us, and a big and nutty move. It seemed appropriate to close out the year gasping for breath and prioritizing sleep. There will be plenty of fireworks and lots of toasting in our collective futures, but this year we were just glad to arrive alive.

Our holidays were a fabulous, hilarious whirlwind. There are too many stories to share here. Too much laughter, too many misadventures, too many Christmas cookies. Our original flight- 12 hours after my last final- was delayed a day, which gave us an extra day at La Guardia. We spent it well, at the New York Hall of Science (and the truly incredible airport Hampton.) We got snowed in in North Dakota and drove to Arkansas, giving me a new appreciation for Seth's insane winter driving skills and what little traveling troopers our children have become. (And Cracker Barrel. God bless Cracker Barrel.) We hiked, we drank beer, we terrorized a nursing home, we explored northwest Arkansas (and discovered the bizarre Christ of the Ozarks), we opened a zillion presents, we wrote New Year's resolutions for each other (family tradition. no one cried.), we baptized our children. Finley appointed herself Chief Brusher of Ford's Teeth.

Not in that order. 

There are a billion photos here.

Finley and Ford became fast friends over the course of our adventure, which has been the most gratifying chapter of our lives to date. 

Finley's grandma taught her her about pedicures, and now she expects full service at home. When she doesn't get it, she does it herself. (In related news, lime green turns out to be a lovely color for a bathroom carpet.)

The big Christmas present hits were the Duck Death Trap (above), and Ford's activity table, opened and fought over upon our return. It is, naturally, Finley's new favorite thing.

Good thing we got her a bicycle.

And now we're back at it. And the photos of the week depict the recent developments that have us graying early. Finley can climb out of her crib,

And Ford can pull himself up on the coffee table. What. 

Here's to 2017 and our fabulous families and new adventures and hopefully no major emergency room time logged, as the kids continue to amaze us and we continue to wonder why all parents don't start drinking at lunchtime.