Catch-Up

It is taking me a long time to recover from Christmas and the following days. I decided to just write a snippet at least and maybe catch up tomorrow. The boys will have off school this week so maybe I will find more time to blog. Maybe. Christmas was wonderful!! I have so many sweet and fun pictures of the kids. I am only posting two today and for obvious reason. This was Eden's first Christmas with us. Last year at this time we didn't even know who she was. We were pretty sure she may be born but really didn't have any idea. Christmas Eve I woke up and was surrounded by memories of Ethiopia. This has happened two different times lately. I wake up and it is almost like I can smell the smells and feel the warmth of the sun. I laid in bed and just marveled at how different our lives and her life is from a year ago. Last year on Christmas she was an orphan and didn't have any family. This year she was continually surrounded by family for a few days in a row. She has changed our lives in so many ways!! Here she is wielding one her brothers light sabers. All her girly toys were surrounding her and she gravitated towards the weapons. Oh well.... I have been fixated lately on the rosy color of her cheeks. Just beautiful.

Here she was after opening her new baby. She was thrilled!!! She was showing her daddy in this picture. She kept saying, "Baby. Baby." and rocking the baby in her arms. Soon she was kissing the babies little head and snuggling her. I am amazed at how instinctual the mothering instinct is in a little girl. Although we found Tristan singing the ABC song to the baby yesterday in a real soft voice.

More Christmas pictures will follow over the next week. I had an hour this afternoon when the two little ones were sleeping and some friends picked Judah and Shane up to take them for ice cream. I meant to get some office work done in the silence but accidentally fell asleep on the couch. I guess that is what happens after getting to bed too late for a few nights in a row. First, it was Christmas Eve and then it was hanging out with some girl friends for a night out that earned us the title "loose women" because we were out so late and then it was waiting up for my husband who went out with all the "loose women's" husbands the next night. Loose or not we sure did have a lot of fun and I had to behave marvelously since I am with child!