Replay, Please...

I'm not ready to be done with Christmas yet...
Why can't the season last a little longer?
Next year I'm going to start decorating on Nov. 1st, just to drag it out.
Or not, Mike would never let that happen :)
The weather made things interesting this year...for everyone, I'm sure.
First time in my 32 years that I haven't been able to celebrate in Wallace :(
Big bummer.
But, our family was all safe in different locations...so thankful for that!
We ventured to Mike's parents on Christmas Day.
An interesting 8 mile ride to say the least!
But so worth it...spending a snowy Christmas together was extra fun.
Soooo grateful that his dad escorted us home in the tractor :)

He dug out some drifts for us along the way.
We never would have made it on our own!
My family was together at our house on the 26th.
It definitely wasn't the same as being together at mom and dad's,
but it was great to be together nonetheless.
And we had a really good time.
All of the rescheduling kind of brought the focus back for me.
I wanted to feel really sorry for myself at first.
I wanted to be at home...and hated that my parents were alone.
And then it felt like I was gently reminded...
It's not about the people, the traditions, the gifts, the fun.
Those are just a bonus.
It's about the birth of Jesus.
Our Savior.
I found myself thinking about Mary.
About her ride to Bethlehem on a donkey...very pregnant.
I was complaining about being uncomfortable in the car the other day.
Hmmm.
And giving birth in a stable...a stable...seriously.
Christmas wasn't messed up...it was just as it was supposed to be.
And I'm ever so thankful...just not quite ready to let it go.

Here are a few pics from our celebrations:

(not in order b/c I have a terrible time moving pics on blogger, anyone have tips for this?)

Sporting her sweet new elmo slippers

he can hardly control his excitement

grammy, papa, and grandkids

always a comical experience!

Aldyn loved having her cousins here to play

A sweet horse for baby H...AG is breaking it in :)

A big wagon!

helping grandma with her present

she started cooking in her new kitchen right away!

opening her baby doll

after that she thought every gift would be a baby

so sweet

not so sure what to think about this guy

but she did talk for days about the candy cane he gave her :)

We Love This Guy

And today we get to celebrate him.

And all that he means to us.

He's the guy that...

works hard so AG and I can spend our days together.

is rarely found without a smile on his face.

doesn't take the little things too seriously.

helps at home, even when he's tired from a big day.

laughs easily.

is consistent, dependable & trustworthy.

takes risks and enjoys life.

And most importantly, puts his faith in God.

Thanks for being who you are.

We can't imagine life without you!

Holding his girl for the first time.

His first birthday as a Father.

We had family pictures taken this Fall, and the photographer captured this moment.

It wasn't posed...he's just doing what he does :)

This Was My First Clue...

I've been gone too much.

My girl and I spend most of our days together.

But lately we've had a busy streak.

She got to go to Wallace while Mike took me to Lincoln.

We celebrated... our belated anniversary,

the much anticipated END of harvest,

my birthday,

his pre-birthday,

and the fact that we have a little babe due soon

and probably won't have another chance to get away before he/she arrives.

It was wonderful...we ate, shopped, and went to a movie.

Mollie brought Aldyn home on Sunday afternoon.

And about 15 minutes later I had to leave for a church function.

And the next day I got to do some more bday celebrating with my

mother-in-law, and sisters-in-law.

We don't get to hang out w/out kids very often...

so we had a great time together....lunching and shopping.

While I was gone, Mike texted me the picture above.

Aldyn was waiting by the door for me and fell asleep.

She wasn't crying or upset, just waiting.

It melted me.

The rest of this week has been filled with quality time...

and I'm soaking it up...

as I'll soon be splitting my attention two ways.

I can't quite imagine it...but at the same time I can't wait.

What a blessing!

New Phrases

So we've been working on manners...

hoping our girl will learn to be polite,
because right now we hear a lot of "No, mine!"

even in her sleep...not so cute.

She seems to be catching on...somewhat.
And apparently she's learned the power of "no thank you".
Because that's what I heard yesterday several different times...
*when I told her it was time for nap
*when I asked if she needed a clean diaper (and she did!)
*when it was time to get out of the bathtub
*when I was trying to coax her to eat more supper

Last night when I was putting her jammies on,

she passed a little gas...
I prompted her by "What do you say?"

(normally she responds with a cute little "u me")
She looked at me with a slightly confused expression and said,

"Thank you?"
Not quite what I was looking for :)

Not sure where this came from...

but her newest greeting is "Hi guys!"
Super cute when she's talking to someone we know....

but we were eating at Qdoba the other day,

and she kept leaning over to the booth of men behind us

and several times gave them a cheerful "hi guys!"

Thankfully they were nice and didn't seem too annoyed :)

And, she's a girl after her daddy's heart...
we went for a little ride in the grain cart with him last night.
She was relaxed and quiet the whole time,

and we had to work to keep her awake.
When we were getting out she said,

"more tractor? more, more!"
And continued to talk about it after we got home.

And all of that cuteness just wears a girl out!

Naptime...possibly my favorite time of day :)