Happy New Year! (Alternate Title: I'm only 21 days behind)

Finally! I'm editing photos that were taken this year instead of last year. :)

I've edited these pictures in two batches, so party pictures will come as soon as I get to them (maybe even this weekend!). For now, some pictures of the adorable little ones whose parents were kind enough to let me chase them around with my camera this year. But first, a little background.

Every year, for the past 10 years (!), my good friends Liam and Karen have invited friends (including me) to celebrate the new year with them and their family in Florida. I've never turned down the opportunity to go, because (1) they are some of my favorite people and (2) they invite some of my other favorite people to join us. It's a great reunion, especially now that we've gotten to the age where we don't have a lot of events like weddings to bring us together every year. (Also, Alex and I met (for the second time) and started dating after New Years in Florida, so add that extra layer of nostalgia to it all.)

There are small variations in the group each year, but the core hasn't changed much since we started. The most notable change to the group has been the addition of some new little faces. And they belong to the aforementioned little ones whom I chased with my camera. Like this one:

This is Eleni, Leni for short. She was so much fun to photograph - she couldn't get enough of looking at the screen on the back of my camera, pointing to the pictures I had taken and excitedly declaring, in a way that only a two-year-old can, "That's MEEEE!!!!"


And I couldn't get enough of showing her, because, hey, that's the kind of positive feedback I need! :)


Leni also got a big kick out of Alex, and the feeling was mutual. She took him on walks up the stairs to demonstrate her stair-climbing-prowess to him (he was impressed) and led him around the yard looking for aliens (he played along). She had some serious powers over Alex. I'll have to consult with her to figure out her secret! ;)


I was even able to get a couple cute shots of Leni with her mother, Ruth, and sister, Lily.


And this one, which I love, of Ruth and Lily on the beach (not that you can tell).


Of course, Lily had her moment to shine on her own too.


And then there was Jack. Jack is Liam and Karen's addition to the group. He was surrounded by grandparents and grandparents' friends most of the time, so he was tougher to track down, but that didn't stop me from trying!

Jack is a very serious young man.


I mean, he's already trying to walk! At four months! ;)


But he's also willing to relax and enjoy the lovely Florida weather.


As long as his mom is close by!


More on Florida is soon as I get to it!