Festivities and Future Traditions

The Baxter family stepped away from the traditional ho-hums and re-addressed a tradition they had years ago. Instead of decorating gingerbread houses, they used to make candy trains. How fun, right? Here are some pictures of the variation on a theme that I came up with, complete with aerial view:

We really had a lot of fun doing this and hope this tradition carries on next year. (At least in our branch of the family, even if the whole Baxter clan doesn't want to make these next year.) Since Kirk and I aren't huge sweets fans, we gave our train to little Miss K., who we thought might enjoy all that candy a little more than we would.

Angel Lily

My sweet cousin lost her 14-month-old baby earlier this month after an 8-month fight with leukemia, and Kirk and I weren't able to attend the out-of-state funeral. We felt so bad, especially because we know how hard it is to lose someone dear around the holidays. So, I drew this picture of my cousin, Keri, and her daughter, Lily, from a photo she posted on her blog, and sent it with my family.

It's been a bittersweet experience, and I can't even imagine what it would be like to lose a child, but their little family has been so brave! I'm glad Lily isn't suffering anymore, and I'm sad that everyone who misses her will have to take on a different kind of suffering.

This holiday season, I'm thankful for my family and will squeeze them a little tighter.