We closed out 2016Â with our favorite kind of party – a low-key evening in our pajamas with wine and some of our closest friends. Â These two were pretty pumped to be having a sleepover:
While the kids ran circles around the house, the grown-ups sipped champagne and ate caviar-topped galettes. Â Jack Chen for the win, once again!
Finally, at 11 pm, all was quiet in the kids’ rooms. Â We laid out a chocolate smorgasboard, poured ourselves one last round of Veuve, and toasted to 2017. Â Bring it!
We bemoaned the little ones’ refusal to sleep in on Sunday morning, but perked up when Jack laid out a spread of his famous chilaquiles for breakfast.  It was cold that morning and we reveled in the coziness of sipping hot coffee in a warm house while looking out on the nearby frosty rooftops.  It was a perfect day for hunkering down inside.  Or…was it a perfect day for a swim?  The latter, apparently.  We all convened at the shores of Alki after breakfast and these crazies stripped down just in time to take the Polar Bear Plunge with the dozens of other adrenaline junkies that had gathered at the beach for the event.
Juliette watched with equal parts amusement and confusion – I can’t tell if that’s a smile or a grimace!
Shane shot out of that water like a bat out of hell, wrapping himself in a bunch of towels while the other three enjoyed a celebratory embrace.
Y’all are NUTS.
I much prefer Alki in July, but hey, winter beach days can be fun, too.
We got a text from Jack and La Verne as we were driving home, asking us if we wanted to frolic in the fresh dusting of snow at Jefferson Park.  We swung by the house to grab our sled and a thermos of hot cider, then headed back out to play.
After a couple of sled runs, Jules and Nico got to work on their snowcastle.
Shane and Jack got to work on the biggest snowball ever.
Juliette spent much of the morning carrying a chunk of snow around, asking if I wanted to pet her puppy. Â “He’s so soft, Mama!”
Nicely done, gentlemen.
Between snowman-building and dragging Jules and me around in the sled, Shane got quite a workout that morning.
When he got tired, Juliette offered to pull me. Â I think she moved me about a half-inch before telling me to get up and walk.
The hill beckoned…
And we answered.
What do you do when you start to feel a bit chilly? Â Nuzzle into a good friend.
Oh, Jules…
There’s a special kind of magic in the air on a Seattle snow day – you feel like you’re playing hooky, even if you already have the day off.
Cold and tired, we left one last set of tracks in the park and then tucked ourselves into the car for hot cider.
Juliette took a long, late nap and woke up roaring to go again. Â I had one last holiday tradition up my sleeve, as we hadn’t yet visited Gene Coulon park for their annual Clam Lights display. Â It was on its last night, and, well, I’m a sucker for this kind of stuff.
It was awfully chilly that night, and I was pretty beat, but I’m so glad I rallied for this.
Happy New Years, friends!  2017 is off to a lovely start.
