Happy New Year

We rang in the new year with Larry and Ben in a low-key fashion. Sam and I cooked dozens of tamales and a double batch of his famous chili while Larry and the boys watched a movie. We ordered Chinese food (a Pam Russell tradition that we've kept alive for years) and read our fortunes in the cookies. Some of us made it to at least see the ball drop in NYC, but Zion passed out early in his room and Ben crashed on the couch.

The next day we had Sam's side of the family over to celebrate a late Christmas. It was nice to have everyone in our Evanston home and to see the kids interact. Here are some pictures.

Ink'd

For Christmas this year, Sam and I decided to exchange tattoos. Sam went with both boys' names in a design he and a friend designed. I decided (after advice from the tattoo artist that Sam's was too masculine and large for me) on getting a tribal-like Z on my forearm. Never again will I need to look away when getting blood drawn ... I'll always have the boys' Z to look at. Here are our new tats.

Zen's New Groove

Enjoy this video of Zen dancing to tunes from Zion's phone.

A few more shots from Missouri...

Christmas in Missouri--pictured below:

The boys gather to show off new gear, Zen and Grandma on Christmas, Jake proudly rides Grandma's big wheel, Great Grandma shares a cuddle with Zen.

Christmas in Missouri

It was so nice to get together with Rebecca,Jess, Jake, Michael, Mom and Grandma for the holidays. Jasper fell and broke his hip on Christmas Eve, but he got through surgery and was recovering nicely by the time we left. Jedi is taking a vacation--with Rebecca and Jess in Atlanta! They decided she would be a good dog for a trial run, as they are expecting to get one of their own in the future. Our time in Missouri was spent cooking, enjoying each other, watching Jake and Zen interact, and taking advantage of the mild weather in the south to spend some time outside. Here are some pictures.

Rub a Dub Dub...

2 cousins in the tub. This was at the beginning of their time together, so they were a little subdued. Very polite, actually. Such beautiful boys!