The Recap!

Wow! It has been a bit since I have posted. I am getting back into the groove now after the holidays, so all will return to normal.

Miller and I were lucky; we had just over two full weeks off for Christmas break. So, we went back to the US and enjoyed some really needed time with family! We were so lucky to get to spend December 21-January 4 at home with our families. Ben and I split up. He spent the time with his family, and I spent the time with mine. While we of course missed Christmas together, we wouldn't have traded the time with our parents and siblings for anything!

We left the morning of December 21. Because of the time zone difference, we also landed midafternoon on the 21st! As usual, Momo was her usual curious, but good traveling self.

There was a good snow just before we arrived, so we were lucky enough to get to go sledding!

I feel like we got to have the best of everything with this trip. We get to have an amazing life here in Greece, and we didn't have to miss out on our family and the traditions we love so much in the US. It is not often a person gets to say everything is perfect. We really feel blessed. The only bad spot at all with the whole trip is that Mom got the flu right on Christmas! Thankfully, she was feeling better by the 26th. Check out some awesome Christmas photos below.

Leider is OBSESSED with the Packers this year, and loved getting Packer gear and a Packer trivia book.

My brothers were all home for Christmas too.

Miller got European Ticket to Ride for Christmas.

Leider and Momo getting some snuggle time in. I think Leider liked it more than Momo...😂

My favorite part was all the snuggle time I got with both my boys. I love that no matter how old they are, they still snuggle with me!

New Year's Eve was full of all of our usual traditions as well: naps, board games, family and friends, the annual barefoot run around the house, Leider going to sleep at 9pm, and all the yelling at woohooing at midnight!

Dad and Miller ran the barefoot race. The snow had unfortunately melted by that point, so it was not a snowy run. However, Miller said it was significantly easier without snow!

Ben came back the last few days before we left, so we celebrated New Year's together.

Check out this New Year's crew (minus Leider who was already in bed)!

It was hard to leave the US on January 3rd. It was so nice to be with family. However, it was also nice to return back to this awesome country we are exploring. The weather is certainly better here! I am excited to see what 2025 has in hold for us as we continue our journey here. We all officially have our residency cards and we have many amazing European adventures planned for the upcoming weeks and months, including going to Rome, Taelynn visiting, and running a half marathon in Cyprus!

The last few weeks, we have just been living life in the usual groove. Winter here in Greece is very mild, so we are lucky enough to spend time outside pretty much everyday. Ben has begun volunteering in my school one day each week in my classroom and the library. I continued my bouldering and running. Miller is loving his flute, chess, art, and writing clubs. We are living life like normal Greek citizens, which honestly feels pretty cool.

Yesterday, the weather was gorgeous (60 degrees), so we went on a nice five mile walk along the promenade and coast. We got some great views and great sun. 

Us on our 5 mile walk along the Aegean coast.

Check out that view of Mt. Olympus! See the snow on top?

We didn't bring Momo on the walk yesterday. Instead, she enjoyed her new favorite spot: the warm heater.

This coming week (January 27-February 1) is a super exciting one for us. First, we have Family Day! It is so hard to believe the boys were adopted six years ago. I am the luckiest mom! Secondly, we will be traveling to Rome this weekend to celebrate Miller's upcoming birthday in February!