An Extra Special Christmas!

Christmas. One of my favorite times of year. The feel of the season, spending time with family, incredible food and the birth of our lord, Jesus. All good things that bring joy to all.

We just finished our Christmas morning together, Craig, Makena  and I. I cherish these mornings. Sweet sleepiness combined with overwhelming excitement of the day and the curiosity of what Santa brought and put under the tree. I always loved Christmas morning as a child, there is truly nothing better when you are young. Now, the joy and excitement is a different kind that comes from watching my daughter open her Christmas gifts and smile as she discovers what is in each wrapped package. Different, but just as exciting as being a child.

This morning was no exception. It was beautiful to wake up with those I love and hurry to the tree. Later, after all had been torn open, wrapping paper strewn all over the room, new toys and clothes ready to be loved, and then everything cleaned up...I sat rocking my sleepy girl and looking at my sweet hubby and finding myself thanking God for the amazing life he has provided for us. I truly feel so blessed and fulfilled.

I am so excited to share that this Christmas is even more special than usual as we get to announce to our families and friends that we have received an extra special Christmas gift as a family. We are having a baby!!!! She/he is due July 10th and we feel overwhelmed with joy. What a precious gift from God.
As many of our friends and family know, we struggled with a miscarriage in June (on Father's day to make it even worse) and so this pregnancy feels like such a wonderful miracle. It was during that difficult time we were reminded to lean on eachother during the hard times and to trust that God has a plan and knows what is best for our life. We have grown stronger as a family and feel really ready and overjoyed to welcome our new addition. Makena is excited to be a big sister and enjoys patting my tummy and saying "hi Baby!"

As I sit in the quiet now after the hustle and bustle of Christmas prep and the joy of the morning, I keep imagining what next year will be like. I cannot wait to meet this new little one in July and watch Makena as a big sister...and of course, Craig as a Daddy again. We are all so overjoyed! Thanks to all of our friends and family who have kept us in our prayers before and during this pregnancy. We are so happy! Lots of love!

This was our ultrasound at 6 weeks (we are now almost 12 weeks) and will have another done in a few days.

Winter is here!

Ahhh...winter.... That means that the last few weeks in our house have been filled with the smells of pine needles, cookie baking, mistletoe and symptoms of the flu :) All of the good things that come along with colder weather and winter time. I do truly enjoy this time of year as we prepare to celebrate Christmas and remember the reason for this season. However, I do not enjoy the illnesses that come along with the cold. Kena and I both caught the stomach flu and let's just say, it was far from pleasant. But, other than that we have been enjoying life!

 Last week we had a great visit with Mema and Papa. We always enjoy heading up to their house, snuggling by their fireplace and chatting with them. There is nothing better than having grandparents who are as precious to you as parents. I cannot imagine life without them. I have always felt blessed to have grandparents who were so involved in my life. I don't think they ever missed a sports game as I was growing up and  I always strived hard to get good grades in school to impress them. Always inspirations to me, now I love to share them with Kena and visit as often as possible. They are the home that I always can come to. I love that they have been married for so long and still randomly tell eachother "I love you" just when working around the house. They truly fill my heart with joy and I aspire to be just like them.

Last Tuesday we baked up a batch of cookies, bundled up and jumped in the car together in search of the perfect tree. We headed up to Smokey Point and stopped at a tree farm there. They happened to be closed for the day, but when we drove up the welcomed us to come in anway. Needless to say, we had the whole farm to ourselves. Kena entertained us by singing Frosty the Snowman, Bailey wanted to sniff every tree in sight and Craig and I enjoyed laughing and being with our silly family. We found the perfect tree (thankfully rather quickly because it was FREEZING) and took it home to be our Christmas Tree for the season. We both have always loved large trees and always seem to underestimate their size until they come towering in our door...and nothing changed this year :) I put the lights on as I watched my mom do each year and we have yet to put the ornaments on, which should be happening tonight.

Last Tuesday evening we had a nice get together with my family to celebrate Craig's birthday, which was yesterday (Dec. 12.) We had dinner at Famous Daves, Craig's favorite, and I baked a german chocolate cake for dessert (an annual tradition.) We had a wonderful suprise when Jessica, Justin, Audrey, Mia and Madison joined us! Audrey made Craig the most precious card ever! (see below) We enjoyed spending some fun time with them while they are visiting from California. And yesterday, we headed to Cinebarre in Mountlake Terrace to watch the Hawks game on the big screen. It was a great game and I think Craig enjoyed himself...which was exactly my goal. I love celebrating him!

New developments this week: Kena is making great sentences "I can't reach it" "Mama, do this" "Let's do it!" "I can see it!" I love to watch her develop. She loves to count and can count to 14 and we are working on learning colors. I can't believe how she is growing!

Life is good! We are excited for Christmas and to celebrate Jesus' birthday...and to spend time as a family!