Our celebration this year included lots of fun gatherings with friends and started much before the actual day and lasted well past it... We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with just our family, four +. It was really neat (and a huge relief) to finally have our Jesse Tree banner finished to be able share with friends the real reason for our cheer(more about that soon.) Here are a few fun shots- mostly of the kids enjoying gifts that Grandpa and Grandma packed in when they visited last month. (Thank you again dear families of ours!)
In the way of gifts, Isaiah is thrilled to have a new dog which was first named with the local word for "they" but more lately is called "Pup." And thank you Auntie H and Uncle G for the super cool airplane! Matt helped Isaiah assemble it "all by himself" (toy drill was included for the assembly.) What a toy- perfect for our little engineer! (When Grandma and Grandpa were with us we opened still more gifts- a fun walkie talkie set and lots of cute clothes that more family members sent... we were really spoiled!)
Marian was also delighted to receive a baby doll and a stroller and a plastic tea set to dine with. She has made sure to take good care of her baby by spoon feeding Baby from her tea cup and by giving Baby a plate and cup to take along on her stroller rides.
This last family photo is hilarious to me... I would title it "Web Cam Face". The one thing I really dislike about web caming with family or friends is that our kids usually seem so sedate when they're groggy headed, eating breakfast, staring at the computer... it's just wonderful to see the people we love and hear from them, but for them to see us? I think web cam only captures 2% of the life and energy and spunk that our kids really have in them! This photo seems to capture my sadness for web cam just perfectly, still, I really love this photo!
In pregnancy news: I'm 15 weeks along with "K3" and glad to feel more pregnant lately. I've just finished an awkward and fairly short season of not being nauseous, not really showing (emphasis on "really"), not hardly feeling pregnant, and being a bit eager for some reassurance. I'm actually glad to feel more now- possibly our little one twittering around? The unconfirmable pudge has given way to a more assuredly pregnant feeling.... We're so excited!!
