Together Again

We had a week full of crazy cousin fun! We hadn't seen Matt, Sarah and the kids since last Christmas. We were all SO glad to spend the week with them. We're always so amazed at how much each of the kids have changed over the course of a year. We're so ready for them to be back in the states! Here's a shot of 7 of the 9 cousins :) We SO desperately missed our fam in Seattle, but we're very much looking forward to a visit with Becky, Jason & the boys this spring!
This was no easy photoshoot...mostly because of my little stinker! He has started turning on the waterworks evertime you try to sit him down for pictures. He clung to me for dear life and hated every second of the photoshoot. We only got 1 or 2 of him that didn't involve pouty lips and crocodile tears. Maybe next year!
Nana is oh so talented! She traced around each of the kiddos and hung them out on the porch.
The cousins enjoyed lots of bedtime stories together. Every single one of them love to read!
We spent one morning at Island Playground. It was a hit for the kids and adults! It wore everyone out and got rid of so much energy!
Even Goomba made it down the big slide! He never misses out on the fun.
The two Morgan boys having a chat about cars. We know thats what Eli was talking about, because thats what he talks about ALL day.
These two little guys are so close in age, and share the same passion for trains.
Baby Luke provided many hours of cuddles all week! He's such a sweet baby, and really just goes with the flow!
We spent another morning at the children's museum. It was just the perfect place for our crew. It has something for everyone. We did arts and crafts, played dress up, and all of the kids stayed busy the entire time. We especially enjoyed our lunch at Smokehouse afterwards :)

Our time together is never long enough, but we always enjoy every second of it. The kids all played so well together, and were so well behaved. We're already looking forward to the next time!

Learning to Ride a Tricycle

Eli got a tricycle for Christmas from his Great-Grandparents. We figured we would wait until early Spring to put it together, but took advantage of a few warm days several weeks ago and let him test it out. He has a tiny bit of growing to do, but actually figured it out really quick! Once he got on, he didn't want to get off! It's so fun to watch them learn new things. I just can't believe he's old enough to be riding a tricycle.

He had lots of help from Daddy

He must have rang the bell a million times. At least we'll always know where he is on this thing!

He got more confident and started blowing kisses as he rode by us. So sweet!

I know he'll spend MANY hours riding his new tricycle this Spring. Bring on the warmer weather...please!

Cold Winter Days

Here's what we've been up to on this very cold week...

Lots of reading!
Trying to burn off some energy indoors
Showing off his 'fish lips' to daddy after dinner
I'm so thankful my busy boy loves to read. He will sit on the couch or floor for long periods of time and flip through a book.
He finally played with playdough for the first time! He got a lifetime supply for Christmas, plus a fun Elmo playdough toy. He's all about Elmo, so he just loves it!
Cold winter days are good for resting.
And reading with daddy!
He just cracks us up with his many faces. I love those lips!!

We're gearing up for a ton of fun next week! Our Japan family will be in town for the week, and it's been a very long year since we last saw them. We can't wait to see them, and to see the cousins together again. I'm excited to be able to put my new camera to good use!

A New Year

If 2011 is half as good as 2010 was, then it will be another great year. The Lord has been so good to our family, and that is something that we never take forgranted. We're ever so grateful for good health, the love and support of our families, wonderful friendships, and excitement about the future despite tough economic times. I've never been one to set unrealistic New Years resolutions. This year mine are pretty simple. I want to live each day to the fullest, striving to be the very best wife and mother for my family, while doing so in a manner that is pleasing to our Heavenly Father. I'm also praying that I'll be the support that my husband needs every single day. 2011 marks his first year to hold the head baseball couch position. He's living out his dream, and I couldn't be more proud of him! These are the precious moments that make life that much sweeter.

We spent some time with Nana & Pop Pop tonight celebrating the New Year. Eli lights right up when he sees them!

He played SO hard while we were there!
This sweet little goldie has been a part of our family for almost 3 years now! Yesterday she turned 3 years old, and she's such a special part of our lives. Cheesy..but we sure do love our pooch!

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11

Christmas in Virginia - Part 2

We were so fortunate to be able to spend such a long time up in Virginia this year. We were able to be a part of some Christmas traditions that we usually don't arrive in time for. One of them being Christmas brunch at the Norfolk Yacht Club. This tradition was started many years ago to celebrate my parent's anniversary and dad's birthday. It was sad for me to be back there for the first time without my dad, and it didn't help that my mom wasn't there this year either. But the amazing view and unbelievable food quickly brightened our spirits :) Professional Christmas carolers sing to you while you eat, and really help put you in the Christmas spirit. It's such a neat tradition, that I hope we're able to be a part of often.

These two are much more a brother & sister to me than cousins. We just love being together for things like this again!

We pulled into town the day that my cousin Patrick graduated from Old Dominion University. He and his girlfriend Brittany graduated together, despite their slight age difference :) We were able to join the whole family for their graduation dinner that night at a fancy restaurant. Eli thoroughly enjoyed himself, despite his long day of travel with little sleep.

We arrived on Saturday, and by Monday I had already visited all 3 of my favorite malls. To help ease the shopping burden for Eli, we stopped for a ride on the carousel. He's always begged to ride carousels, but this time wasn't so sure. He hung onto me for dear life once it started moving.

We got plenty of much needed time with my grandparents. We stayed at their house for our entire trip, and they just loved having Eli around for the week. My grandad had bronchitis when we got there, and my grandma caught it a few days later, but thankfully we've somehow managed not to get it. Another Christmas miracle as my husband would say! I didn't even stress about germs, and surprised myself by not obsessing over it. I just decided early on that if we were going to get it, then there wasn't a thing I could do about it.

He spent an entire evening running back & forth into the arms of his great-grandparents :)

My Aunt always hosts a little Christmas party the night before Christmas Eve. To say Eli enjoyed himself would be an understatement! He just simply loves the extra attention he gets at family gatherings. He was showing off his new dance moves, his new found singing voice, and spent plenty of time playing with his favorite basset hound, Cleo.

What's the best way to get a picture of your toddler in front of the Christmas tree? Well...you must catch them as they happen to be walking past the tree :)

What an extra special Grandad we have!

We went to Christmas Eve service as a family, and then all of the adults went to a movie! My grandparents were excellent babysitters each night, watching over Eli as he was in bed :) It was such a treat to be able to go out after we put him to bed for the night.

Did I mention that this was my favorite Christmas gift?! I'm having so much fun with my new toy!

Christmas in Virginia

We've had a crazy fun Christmas in Virginia. And after 11 days, we'll finally be heading home tomorrow! Lord willing, it won't take us 20 hours to drive home. We're preparing for the worst though! We never in a million years imagined that we'd be snowed in for the remainder of our visit! Christmas was full of wonderful memories as always, and this time with family has been so special. Eli had a great Christmas, and we just get so much joy watching our family members with him. He just loves all of the extra love and attention.

He's really starting to get the hang of present opening.

Christmas brunch at my Grandparent's house is always AMAZING. She really knows how to pack the holiday pounds on all of us!

All of the 'kids' on Christmas morning, and the first picture with my NEW camera! My husband simply blew my socks off this Christmas. We had recently been talking about how we would love to upgrade our camera to a DSLR, and we'd try to save over the next year or so for one. He waited until all of the presents had been opened, made me sit down, and handed me a huge Nikon camera bag. I started crying before I could even get the bag open. We don't usually buy presents for each other, so I was completely shocked. Many brownie points, and a lifetime of beautiful photographs!

The next day we woke up to the biggest snow storm any of us 'kids' had ever seen. Blizzard like conditions and 14inches of snow made for some great photo opportunities for me and my new toy! Eli loved the snow, but didn't care for all of the 'gear' that he had to wear to go out in it. He doesn't own a real winter coat or snow boots, so we had to compromise for his short trip outside.

He was mesmerized by all of the snow. He spent lots of time just watching the snow fall out the front door at my grandparent's house

Snowball fights!

We literally played in the snow all day.

Simply beautiful!

My husband kept us laughing ALL day. He couldn't get enough of the snow. He borrowed some extra small ski bibs from my cousin, a girl's snow hat, a pair of mittens, and he was good to go for the day. I've never seen him get so excited about something before!

My sweet boys made this Christmas the best one yet. We're very ready to be back in our own home again, but we're thankful for the fun and relaxation we've had over the past week.