I went back home to CT for three days around Christmas to spend time with the family. Those three days were spent baking, watching movies, and being ridiculous. I made chocolate cream pie and coffee cake completely on my own for the first time (what an accomplishment!), and discovered the secret to my mom’s annual sweet & sour meatballs: the sauce is made out of chili sauce and grape jelly! Never would have guessed that! It’s surprisingly delicious, I swear. We also watched ‘Love Actually’ and ‘The Hangover’, two movies I love and could watch over and over (this is rare for me, someone who has probably seen less movies than 98% of the US population).

And then I chased around my cats and sisters with my camera and took lots of pictures. Shannon secretly loves the camera and steals all of my pictures for her own personal use, it’s a fact. But I allow it because she’s pretty much the perfect subject – she’s her own personal stylist, makeup artist, and hair dresser and spends an insane amount of time on her ‘look’ every day, not even just for special occasions. I may scoff at this and think it’s downright silly/impractical, but she always looks amazing and makes it so easy to take beautiful pictures. AND she’s down for crazy posing and funny faces, what more could I want?! My other sister Jamie is pretty cute and stylish herself, and I wish she’d be more willing to be my guinea pig… buuuuuuut I’ll work on her! :P

Overall, it was a good Christmas. Christmas day with my mom’s side of the family was a little weird without the grandparents (one died this summer, the other was sick and couldn’t make it), and it just didn’t feel right this year. Surprisingly the day after Christmas with my dad’s family was more enjoyable – we drank glogg (a Swedish treat: red wine + vodka + cinammon, heated) and watched our first cousin, once removed trot around the house and play with toys. He’s only 14 months old and can already walk! The best part was when he stole my blackberry and lens cap and went running around with them. Then he put my phone on a little chair and started pushing it through the house, as if delivering it to someone. We had the brilliant idea of calling my phone while he had it, except Miles kept silencing the phone as soon as it lit up and vibrated, usually before we could hear the ringtone! What toddler knows how to work a cell phone?! Seriously. It was hysterical, especially when we COULD hear ‘baba o’reilly’ go off. Then he’d grab the phone, silence it, and put it up to his ear (backwards) and say hi. Cutest damned thing I’ve ever seen! I have NEVER, EVER wanted babies… but man, seeing my little cousin almost makes me rethink that mentality. How much fun would it be to watch a little kid of your own creation run around and be so damn cute?? :)