Sunbeams

We were still on vacation on the first Sunday of the year, so Josh missed the first day of being a Sunbeam in our ward. But this past Sunday, we were home and I got a couple pictures of our little guy looking so grown up.



He didn't have any freak-outs going to a new class or anything. There are about 9 or 10 new Sunbeams in his class, so Josh has lots of friends from Nursery in class with him. We just have to work on sitting in his chair for more than 5 minutes at at time... I can't believe how big he's getting, and we are so proud of him!

Sledding!

We went sledding with my family the Monday after Christmas. We went to a place called Happy Trails in Easton, a little ways past Snoqualmie Pass. They have warming tents at the top of the hill where you can go to get warm (duh) and they have a stove in the tent where you can keep a pot of chili warm for lunch and a fire pit outside the tent for roasting hot dogs and marshmallows. We had tons of fun. I wasn't sure how Josh was going to like it, but he LOVED it. At first he would wait at the top of the hill for someone he knew to be ready to go down and hop on with them. Eventually he was brave enough to go down by himself. He didn't even complain about having to climb back up the hill. I took Lucy down a few times. She didn't cry, but I don't know if she really liked it, either. I think she just didn't like being cold. (Warning: lots of pictures below.)


























































































































































































































It was a fun day, and I'm glad we were able to go and spend time with my family.

Visiting

While we were home for Christmas vacation we were able to see some old friends and visit with extended family. One night we went to Dean and Michelle's house. Sean and Anika came, too. We met little Leah for the first time, and found out that Anika is pregnant again. Soon we will all have two kids. It has been fun to watch each of our little families grow. I forgot to bring my camera that night, so I copied these pictures from Anika's blog. (I hope you don't mind, Anika!)



Terryn giving Lucy loves.




















Terryn and Kara had fun playing together. As you can see in the background, Josh only had eyes for the train set. I believe I have already mentioned that he is a little obsessed...



The whole gang together. We all knew each other in the Singles Branch, but since we've all been married, I don't think we've lived near each other for more than 6 months at a time. Dean and Michelle were off at school in Iowa for a few years, and now that they are back in Washington, we are in Texas, and Sean and Anika are in Vietnam. I'm so glad we are still able to get together when we're all home for holidays and things like that.

I was also able to spend an afternoon with my mom's sisters and my girl cousins on my mom's side. They always crack my up when we hang out. I love being able to spend time with them playing games, eating good food and talking and laughing. Alas, no pictures :(

I got to go do a puzzle with my good friend Megan from our old ward in Spanaway. I was great to just sit and talk while we did the puzzle and catch up on each other's lives. I miss being able to talk to her all the time.

I also go to spend an afternoon with some old friends that I grew up with. Alycia, Katherine, Beverli and I were in the same ward growing up, and I was roommates with Alicia and Katherine for a few years at college. When I got back from college, I taught seminary with Bev for the last few months of the school year. Alycia and Bev were bridesmaids at my wedding. We haven't all been in the same room together for many years now, and since Bev and I were in town for Christmas, we decided to have a little get together. It was so much fun!! We made pizzas for lunch, and just talked and talked and talked. And played a little Nertz, too.


I love catching up with old friends!

Christmas Day

We spent Christmas Day at my parents' house. My brother and his family came over in the morning to open presents and have breakfast. Christmas breakfast has become one of my favorite traditions over the years. When we were kids, we rarely had sugar cereal, so for Christmas morning, we could have whatever cereal we wanted. (My favorite has long been Lucky Charms.) My mom would also make cinnamon rolls and we would have hot chocolate and sometimes warm Christmas punch. Mmmmm...I love Christmas breakfast!

In the early afternoon, my Aunt Catherine came over, and Adam's parents also came over. We had a late afternoon Christmas dinner, followed by games and chatting. It was a fun, relaxing day. We got Josh a Thomas the Tank Engine track set. He LOVES it and played with it the rest of our vacation. He is pretty much obsessed with trains.

Christmas Eve

We were able to go home to Washington for two weeks for Christmas vacation. We stayed with my parents and had so much fun visiting with family and friends. We spent Christmas Eve with Adam's family at his brother and sister-in-law's house in Edgewood. They have a dog and three cats that Josh just went NUTS over. He LOVED to chase them around the house and love on them. Lucy also liked to watch them and laugh at them. We had brunch, opened presents, and had a yummy Christmas dinner. After dinner we played games and chatted. It was great to see Adam's parents and brothers and sis-in-laws and their families. The hardest thing about being in Texas is being so far from our families.

11 Months Old!

I realize I'm very late with this post (her birthday is next week!) but I wanted to get a couple pictures up and do a small update on our Baby Girl before I do all the Christmas vacation blog posts.

That month between 10 and 11 months old, Lucy seemed to grow up so much. She became more interested in lots of different kinds of foods and really started to enjoy feeding herself. She became very disinterested in anything we tried to give her with a spoon. It was finger foods all the way! She continued to become stronger and more confident in her moving around, creeping along the furniture. Occasionally, she would also stand all by herself for a few seconds. She had a couple more teeth come in, and is now flashing toothy grins with 8 whole teeth.



















She continues to be the happiest baby ever and we just love her!