This year, when it came to getting the family dressed up for holiday photos, I just wasn’t feeling it. In truth, these last six months have been a bit of a mess. The apartment renovation, which was supposed to be a short story with a happy ending, has turned into a much longer saga that I’m not really ready to discuss yet. As of a month ago, we are back in our place, but it’s not finished, we haven’t gotten our stuff out of storage yet and there is still a lot of work to be done. Living out of suitcases for so long has taken a toll on all of us.

So, a posed coordinated New Year’s Day photo, like everything is wonderful, just didn’t seem to represent us this year. I figured we’d just skip it.

Then, on New Year’s Eve, Ruth came over to watch the kids so Mike and I could go to an early movie. Everyone was in a good mood and I got inspired.

“Can everyone do me a favor? No one has to change or clean up. Can you just sit on the couch so Ruth can snap a pic of all four of us together?”

Mike said, “If I take off my hat, my hair is going to be all over the place.”

“Leave it on,” I told him.

“Do I have to put on pants?” Mazzy asked.

“Nope.”

We all gathered on the couch. Ruth asked if she should crop out the mattress on the floor when she took the pic. That’s where Mike and I have been sleeping while our master bath and bedroom are still unfinished.

“No,” I told her. “Leave it in.”

This is our life right now, at the close of 2018, going into 2019. A bit of a mess, but knowing we are still very lucky and getting through it. With or without pants. Happy New Year, everyone!