Holiday Recap

Christmas was great! Even though we weren't sure about what our family Advent/Christmas traditions were going to be exactly, we kind of fell into a good one! We got our tree on Gaudate Sunday and we set it up but never decorated it. We just had a beautiful, and delicious smelling, tree just standing in our living room. Then, on Christmas Eve, once Luisa was in bed, we decorated the tree, the mantel, and the rest of the house. We put the gifts under the tree and set up her new wooden table and chair set with her new tea set and all her stuffed animal friends. When she woke up on Christmas Day, she was so excited about how magical the house looked! It was so cute. She went around the house looking at everything and then she went right up to her new table and started talking to all her little toy friends and having a tea party with them. Donny and I just watched in amazement! 

Other than that, we have just been soaking up all the free time of break!

Here I am at week 31.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! 

Love,

Donny, Me, Luisa, and 7-month-in-utero-baby boy Cowan

Maternity Monday (actually on a Monday!)

Hey all,

Here's a picture taken today as we tried to set up a family Christmas photo. 

Week 30 (I believe)

Luisa is just about a year and a half. Still not really talking but she has no problem communicating as you can see.

Also, we got our Christmas tree and Advent wreath set up. We got it all on Gaudate Sunday, which I think is fitting. The tree still needs to be decorated but I don't want to rush it so it will probably happen when school's out. Big, classic colored lights (not the LED)? Or stick to the beautiful white lights? 

Preparing for Christmas

Well it's December 11th and we are behind. Behind in a lot of things. We have yet to set up our advent wreath. No Christmas tree yet. Nothing. Part of the reason for this delay is that I want to set up lifelong family traditions but I just can't pick a good battle plan yet. But the school breaks in about a week and a half and then it's time for some real celebrating.

So as far as preparing goes, Francesca, we have nothing to show for it but let me tell you about our big plans!

We will cut down a tree sometime this week. We will buy a wreath and set up the Advent candles. And we have some wonderful stockings that Donny's mom made for the three of us that we will be putting up. 

This is the most "Christmas-y" photo I have...

Luisa in a somewhat Christmas dress, watching a Charlie Brown Christmas (which she somehow put on herself through the Netflix app).

In other news,

Emily, Caleb, and baby Seamus came to visit! It was tons of fun but you are just going to have to take my work for it since I have about 5 pictures. Here is the only decent one. 

Enjoy!