After a wonderful Christmas in Bellingham, we were off for a week at Lake Chelan to meet some friends for the New Year. We were the first to arrive of the group. We settled in to our nice quiet condo...and then within two hours everyone had arrived. It certainly wasn't quiet anymore :)
But that was A-Okay with Jackson! He loved having all the kids around. He and Ocea hit it off right away (this is a good thing, because we've been match-making with the Rietz's since Jackson was born).
Jackson got to experience his first snow.
But that was A-Okay with Jackson! He loved having all the kids around. He and Ocea hit it off right away (this is a good thing, because we've been match-making with the Rietz's since Jackson was born).
Jackson got to experience his first snow.We enjoyed a nice walk using our new fab back pack (Thanks Rietz Family!).
Jackson was happy to be outside.
We walked along the beautiful lake.
And Jackson got to taste his first snow.
Hmmm...
Yep...tastes like snow. You always think it's going to taste better than it actually does.
Awww - there's a happy family.
Here's the whole group of us (except for the Baines and Foote couples that came up just for the new year). 
Jed and Cisco always find time to be silly.
And here's one of all the girls. Looks like I'm going to need to have a girl baby next...Everyone else has got one!
Jackson learned a few things while we were in Chelan. One of the most important was learning how to get off the bed. Pretty good for 9 months :)And he learned how to clap.
With all those big kids around, his walking improved a lot, too!
One of our the best reasons for visiting Chelan is to go to our favorite vineyard, which happens to belong to our good friends, The Bensons.
The vineyard is beautiful. 
And the wine is delicious!
Night at Benson Vineyards was particularly beautiful.
Our New Year's Eve celebration included 12 adults and 8 kids between the ages of 5 weeks and 4 years old. We celebrated and watched the ball drop on east coast time so that the kids could see it. 
They all cheered then hugged and kissed before heading to bed. The adults stayed up for the west coast New Year, but kept it pretty mellow.
What a fun time we all had in Lake Chelan. Maybe we can make it a yearly tradition!
We were back in Seattle just a few days before it was time to head back to Prague. Jackson got to enjoy a little more quality time with Leif and Ocea.
And then we were off... We will miss our friends and family so much. Now that we have Jackson, it's so much harder to be away. We love you all!
