Winter Solstice

... is my second favorite celebration of the year, after Thanksgiving. Today was Woodland walk and quiet rituals with our Woodland walking friends, candle dipping at Bianca's, making dinner, eating dinner and cleaning up after dinner by candlelight, white bean soup with winter vegetables, late bedtimes, sweet, sleepy kids, finishing our holiday cards after kids were asleep. What's not to love?

Here are a few unrelated pictures of the kids at our neighborhood nature spot that we call the secret garden, during the cold spell we had a few weeks ago.