Merry Christmases

We have had an incredible time this Christmas season!  It is amazing how much joy Luci can bring to an already joyful celebration!  As I look back on the past year, I am simply amazed over how our life has changed...not only does our house look different (several family members have commented on this fact...toy explosion), but our whole focus is different!  I won't talk on this for long, but I do feel the need to mention it as I know several families playing the adoption waiting game this Christmas.  Last year was...difficult...We had been on the waiting list for a referral for a little over 6 months when Christmas rolled around.  This was about the average wait at that time and I was starting to get anxious/high-strung/depressed/testy/fill-in-your-own-adjective.  A teddy bear under the Christmas tree to "Jason and Heather's baby" was enough to send me into hysterical sobs and that just isn't like me!  I write all this to say...for those of you waiting, just when you think you can't take it anymore, good news arrives!  A mere 2 weeks later, we had a referral for our precious baby girl!  I couldn't help comparing this Christmas to last...we were no longer missing a member of our family!  She is here and she fills our lives with such joy!  She is our perfect gift and I am so thankful that God picked me to be her mommy!

On to the details of our Christmas celebrations...

We began the season with a Christmas date, just the three of us.  We went out to dinner and then took Luci down to the square for a pony ride and cupcake.  It was such a fun evening and we found out that Luci LOVES ponies.  The pictures speak for themselves...check out the absolute delight written all over her face!  She squealed and giggled the whole time.  Other parents weren't even watching their own kids...they were fixated on our joyful one!

  

excited to be riding my pony

  

close-up of the excitement

The next weekend, we went home and had Christmas with Jason's family.  It was so much fun to see Luci open her gifts and play with all her cousins.  Allie's birthday was also that weekend so we had a double dose of celebration!  Since the pony had been such a huge success, her Uncle Kerry took her to the barn so she could ride the mule.  She loved it as well!  The girl is fearless!

 

LOVE my new frog!

 

Betsy helping Allie open presents

 

The movie basket was a hit with Grace and Dylan

 

Allie and Luci resting on the frog

 

riding the mule

We had Christmas at our house a few days before the 25th.  It was fun with just the three of us too!

  

unwrapping presents with daddy

 

reading in my new chair

 

As soon as she opened one of her new books, she rushed over to my lap to read it 

Our last Christmas celebration was with my side of the family.  We spent the holiday out at my parents' new cabin.  It was very relaxing to get away and just focus on our family!  We were so pleased (and surprised) to find that Luci had 2 big boxes of gifts from Korea!  A friend of my Uncle, who lives in Seoul, had sent Luci some beautiful gifts!

 

modeling my new coat from Korea

 

really getting the hang of this unwrapping stuff!

 

I'll even help everyone else unwrap their gifts!

 

vacuuming up our mess...they should figure out how to make a kid-sized vacuum that really works.  The owner of that patent would be rich!

We came home the day after Christmas to find that we had gotten a little snow...it wasn't the 6 inches the weather forecasters had promised but it was enough for us to get out briefly and play around in.  Luci loved to walk in it but it was so cold and windy that we couldn't stay out for long.

 

exploring...so cold and crunchy Luci's feet won't even sink!

 

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and will have many more blessings to come this New Year!!!  God has most definitely been good to us in 2009!