Happy New Year!

Please forgive the lack of cropping - I can't figure out how to do so on my in-laws' computer. Anyhow, here we are seeing in 2009 at a party thrown by Stace's brother Dean and his wife Jenny. She also hosted her parents and sister, and sister's husband and children. Cora had fun playing with them, and dancing to the adults playing the Guitar Hero video game on the television.
A rather superfluous photo of Cora, but with her little pony tail, we thought she looked so grown-up. We just had to show it off. She really is growing up fast now, and understands so much of what we're telling her.
The lovely spread Jenny and Dean put on for us. Yum!
Also on Wednesday, we saw Dunc and Lindsey and their girls. The littlest one, Charlie, was a week-old when we last saw her eight months ago.
We took a very cold walk up Ham Hill with the girls. Cora loves being outside, despite the weather. We were all very bundled up, as you can see, though my feet hurt at the end from the cold. The frost was thick and there were ice patches in the mud.
Chelsea is just about exactly one year older than Cora, and they had a great time playing together.
Also Wednesday, we visited with some of Stace's other family, including 4-year-old Ben, who Cora also enjoyed playing with. Sadly I realized as I downloade our photos that I didn't take nearly enough of them playing together!

On Thursday, Sue and Gord cooked a big roast turkey meal for New Year's Day, and Nan and Dean and Jenny came over to help eat it. And on Friday, Cora spent the day with Sue and Gord, while Stace, Dean and Jen and I went into Bristol to shop and have a leisurely wander around IKEA. That's such an engrossing place, and especially fun without a little one tagging along. Stace and I are full of plans for our house for the new year. If 2007 was the year of Cora, and 2008 was the year of buying and selling real estate, it appears that 2009 will be the year of DIY.