I posted about when traditions don’t happen. It’s a bummer, but we can’t plan for every contingency. And we’ll survive the disappointment.

That said, it’s pretty awesome when fun happens despite all odds. I got home from Vienna still suffering from laryngitis and a cough. It’s led to many canceled plans, and adjusted schedules. BUT sometimes you get what you need, even when feeling thwarted at every turn. This weekend, I missed performances at work, missed celebrating my friends at the music awards, and other fun stuff. But I still got to marvel at the Nutcracker with the fam, and we baked and decorated dozens of cookies. Watching Tess help Sylvie frost a cookie (as she slurped up all of the sprinkles) was adorable and awe-inspiring. And sharing all of those firsts with Katherine was a lot of fun too! It made me see everything with fresh eyes. As Tess solemnly recited the names of all of the characters in the Nutcracker, as Griffin twirled all the way home, I realized we’ve actually created holiday memories with the kids that they already look forward to as part of the season. So this was our holiday marathon catchup, and we loved almost every minute.