I'm so excited for Christmas! I get to see my dad's family, eat my Grandma's cheese ball, give/receive presents, and escape from the confines of my desk for six whole days! As Ryan and I hit the road for Ohio I thought I'd share a few outtakes from my holiday photo shoot with Maddie, more coming tomorrow. Ryan's taken to calling this plaid jacket my Christmas jacket and seeing it in front of a giant (half decorated) christmas tree definitely brings the point home. Am I turning into my mother circa 1992? Never! You won't catch me wearing a wreath covered turtleneck anytime soon.

For those traveling- Be safe as you hit the Christmas trails. - b.

Winter has come to Philadelphia, I know because it's snowed (twice!). The most glorious, thick, ground covering snow I ever did see. I'm now ready for all the holiday delights that come with snow. The candy canes, the hot chocolate, the present wrapping, the tingling fingers from frost. Snow walking is pretty much my favorite winter activity ever so of course Ryan, Nellie, and I had to immediately bundle up and enjoy the crisp whiteness.

Last February, when we moved, Philly had pretty much seen all the snow there was for the winter so we missed out on the magic of city snowfalls. Everything looks suddenly new under a blanket of snow and the city lights shine brighter somehow. We walked until the sun grew too low to see clearly.

Nellie is her absolute best in the snow. She's so sweet and playful, and once inside the cuddliest dog there ever was. After wrapping her up in a towel, she joined us on the couch to watch a Christmas movie and fall fast asleep in our arms. A wonderful end to a magical wintery day. - b.

This past Friday Ryan and I decided it was time to really start getting into the holiday spirit. We started blasting Christmas music, pulled out our giant box of ornaments, and began the arduous task of decorating our Christmas Tree. Okay so it wasn't really arduous as our tree is only 3 feet tall, but it is a tricky thing deciding what ornaments to hang and which ones to keep tucked away for another year. We were totally on the same wave length and our tree is the perfect mix of ornaments from childhood and the ones we've bought together. I love this little crooked evergreen with all my heart. It's our own version of Charlie Brown's Christmas tree. - b.