It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

This was a magical Christmas for our little family. We were kept quite busy during the holiday season with life and visits with family and friends, so much so that we didn't quite get to everything that we had planned...good thing there is always another year! Jeff made sure that we started off our first Christmas with Max right...filling the stockings, setting out cookies and milk for Santa (that he happily took care of), and even setting out carrots for the reindeer. Max isn't even old enough to know what any of that means yet, but he has one cute daddy who is ready to make each Christmas magical and wonderful.

It was so fun to watch Max try to open his presents. He was completely spoiled. He liked listening to the sound of the wrapping paper as it was torn open.

Jeff made me an amazing gift -- an enormous ruler that will be used to chart our family's height. This way, we can take it with us whenever we move. I LOVED it and so appreciate his thoughtfulness and the time he spent making it. Don't even ask what I got him - it's not anywhere near that good. One day, someday, I will give him a better gift than he got for me!

We drove up to my grandparents' house to spend time with my family and to talk to my brother Alex who is serving a mission in South Africa. His accent gets thicker every time we talk to him! It was great to hear about his experiences and to know that next Christmas we will all be together.

There was another sweet surprise from my Dad. He had been working on a poem for me since high school and was supposed to give it to me for my high school graduation. However, life happened and my poem had never quite been finished. I called him several weeks before Christmas and told him that all I wanted from him for Christmas was my poem. He delivered! It is titled "Walks With My Daughter," since my Dad and I have always found time to go on a walks (or runs) together ever since I was a little girl. It chronicles my life - including moving to different places, graduations, marriage, and ends with how I will now go on walks with my own little son. It's absolutely beautiful and I cry every time I read it. Thank you, Dad, for such a treasure...and more importantly, for those walks and all the things I learned from you during them.

Later that night, we drove to Jeff's parents for Christmas dinner and got spoiled with yummy food and even more gifts. We are so blessed to have such wonderful families and to have spent so much time with them over the holidays. We are grateful for all of the blessings in our lives.