Now that the Christmas decorations are put away and the baby's room is all set, it's time to get back to blogging! So much has happened since my last update - I will try to remember it all! First of all - CHRISTMAS!! My favorite time of the year - I love everything about it from the smell of the tree to family to anxiously awaiting Ol' Saint Nick. This year, it was my families year so everybody came home and it was wonderful!! I love these Christmases because we have my niece and nephew here which means Santa comes alive again in our home and there is nothing more exciting than that!!! Christmas eve was really wonderful - my aunt and her kids came over for dinner, a gingerbread house making contest and the reading of the Christmas story. The whole evening was fun and electric but my favorite part was one my nephew, Tommy (5) and niece, Kiera (2) dressed up like Mary and Joseph. Their dad, my brother Tom, was the donkey and rode them around the room where they presented the question to each person, "My wife is with child, is there any room for us in your inn?" We were to reply, "No there is no room in the inn." They were cute and at first we were all chuckling but you could tell my little nephew was getting tired and frustrated and I stopped to think about Joseph and what a huge burden he must have felt that night. They eventually got around the room and walked up to my mom and she told them they could stay in her barn. They went over to our make-shift manger and lying there was my three month old nephew. Joseph & Mary knelt beside him and we sang Away in a Manger and Silent Night and I couldn't help but feel the Spirit confirm to me the truthfulness of those events. I know that Christ came to this earth in the most humble of conditions and that He lived a perfect life for each one of us - so he could take on the sins of the world. I am so grateful for this knowledge and for my sweet little niece and nephews for portraying the Spirit so beautifully! We finished the evening with a few games and Tommy & Keira were begging to go to bed - this way, Santa comes much sooner!! :-)
We woke up to a wonderful morning - the kids were so excited and it was just a really great day spent together as a family. On the 28th, Nick and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary - can't believe it's been 4 years but am so grateful for every second I have with him. He proves to me over and over again that Iam a lucky girl. He surprised me with a spontaneous getaway down to the harbor. We stayed in a hotel right by the harbor and ate dinner at Phillips - this is where we went to celebrate our engagement! It holds a special place in our hearts! I love him so much and am so excited for 50 more! My family was still in town so we came back home and spent the evenings playing games and just enjoying each other's company. New Years eve was filled with wonderful food and more games - we were so focused on Settlers of Catan on New Years that we completely missed the countdown and ended up realizing it about ten minutes late - ah well!! But happy new year to everyone!! On January 2, we celebrated my younger brother, Adam's 26th birthday - where has the time gone!?! - a day early! We went out to eat and then headed back to my parents for some ice cream cake - YUMMM!! SO happy birthday Adam dear! You sure are a great guy and I love you so much!!! I think that pretty much brings us up to date - no wait! On January 3, Nick's sister, Michele, who has been living with us, left for BYU-Idaho. It was sad to say goodbye to her because she is so much fun but we are so excited for her and what adventures she will be having! We hear from his parents that she is settled in and everything is going great! Now I am caught up! Yesterday we had a baby appointment and I am on the books for induction on Wednesday morning, the 14th. We can hardly believe its really here and can't wait to meet him! We feel so blessed by this miracle baby, we truly believe he is! Everyone I talk to is so shocked at how well my pregnancy has gone considering my health circumstances and all I can say is that Heavenly Father has been watching over us each and every day, at every test, every moment. I feel so blessed to have such amazing family support as well and from friends. This is one lucky dude!!! So, hopefully I can teach Nick how to get on here to announce our sweet sons arrival!
