His first Christmas...

We survived Markus' first Christmas! The poor little man has a nasty cold, but he still managed to thoroughly enjoy opening presents (epsecially at Abu and Papa's house). He loved the monkey we gave him- you press his hand and you hear our voices wishing Markus a Merry Christmas and telling him we love him. It's great. He lit up like the Christmas tree when he saw it and hugged and kissed it every time we handed it to him. He definitely cleaned house at Abu and Papa's though, coming home with some toys that we are very excited about. By far, his favorite is the stackable ring set from Fisher Price- the one that has been around longer than his parents have. But he loves it! My favorite time of the whole day was sitting with Markus in my lap while Mark read the Christmas story (Luke 2). What a precious time together as a family. I can't wait until Markus can read it to us. Here are just a couple of pics from the morning. I definitely didn't get near as many as I wanted, but I was also operating the video camera! Oh well. Hope your day was as special as ours- filled to the brim with lots of love, family time and meditations on our amazing Savior, Jesus Christ, without whom we are nothing.

ETA: We just returned home from the Doctor's office... the poor kid has a double ear infection. And we are flying to Iowa tomorrow... please pray :).

Merry Christmas Eve

It's quiet in my house right now. Markus is napping, Mark is at church and everything that could be done for our brunch later this morning is done. The house is clean (at least the downstairs- where the guests will be :) ), candles are burning and the tree is aglow with white lights. The table is set, presents are wrapped and under the tree and cards are mailed. As I sit in the stillness, I am in awe of some amazing miracles we have experienced in the last year. Last Christmas was so special- being pregnant with Markus and anticipating all that was to come (little did I know that would include a move, a new job for Mark, a new house and new friends). But that Christmas cannot begin to compare to the delight and wonder that is Christmas seen through the eyes of a child. Even though he is too young to comprehend, Christmas just seems all the more "magical" (I use that word lightly- but it does best decribe what I'm thinking) with Markus in our home. But even more wondrous than that, is the miracle that is Christmas itself; that God humbled Himself and became flesh, born as a baby in the most unattractive of ways. And He did that because He loves me. And you. And each and every person that He uniquely created and shaped and planned, that is, all of mankind. As I reflect in my quiet home, my heart shouts with praise for the miracle that is Christmas, for the awesomeness of our God and for the Savior that resides in my heart. Our family wishes you, our dear loved ones, the Merriest of Christmases. May you steal away a few quiet moments to shout quietly within your own hearts today (or tomorrow :) ) as well.

Long time, no post!

I know, I know. I have been a horrible blogger! Please forgive me. We have been amazingly busy and to top it off, had a power outage for almost 4 days last weekend due to the windstorm! We are eagerly anticipating Markus' first Christmas and his first trip to Iowa one week from today. Enjoy these recent pics!

Playing with ornaments (plastic) so mommy could put away some laundry!

Markus is always super-focused on whatever he is doing at the moment.

Yes, that is a lemon in his hand. The kid loves to suck on lemons.

You'd think by this picture peas were his favorite. I thought so too, until we tried peas for dinner tonight. He actually spit them out and cried every time I tried to give him a spoonful tonight. So we defaulted to carrots. Much better.

I know this is a blurry picture, but I had to post. Doesn't he look like a little french artist with his mustache (made of prunes, not chocolate!)