Christmas Cheer

Our final two weeks of 2011 were much like the entire year...busy. I think I can say with a decent amount of certainty that life is just going to remain that way for the next, oh, I'd say 30+ years. And so, because I'm too exhausted to write much this week, here are the holidays in pictures:

Heading out to the library...




Papa Chuck and Oma Shirley arrived = Leila is one happy girl!




We took Leila to her first movie...The Muppets!




Leila adoring her baby brother...



Annual cookie baking! Leila's first year helping...




Christmas Eve cookie decorating...



Christmas Eve night at Ama and Papa Ishi's







Checking over Daddy's note to Santa...


Posing with milk and cookies for the big guy




Christmas morning!!!


Santa got Leila her beloved Pez dispenser!


Nathan opening his stocking...


Natey and his big present from Santa!


After all the excitement opening presents, Nathan caught up on some zzzz's...



After a fun Christmas morning at home, we headed over to Ama and Papa Ishi's for more Christmas cheer...




Helping Daddy open his gifts...


One of Leila's favorite gifts (and maybe Ama's too?!)...


With all the presents opened, Leila relaxed in her new Thai dress while watching Nemo



Well, that was one crazy year. We started the year finding out a new baby was on the way; spent the next few months panicking about our lack of space in the condo; Spring flew by as we searched for houses in the suburbs; in May we finally closed on a house we love; our big move out of the city and into Ama and Papa Ishi's house, combined with remodeling our new house took up most of June; after settling in for a month or so, Leila had her big 2nd birthday; the rest of summer was spent learning how to care and keep up with a yard, while I was growing larger and larger by the day; Fall hit us quickly with the arrival of baby Nate; and then all of a sudden, here we are, Thanksgiving and Christmas over and a new year upon us! Whoa!! But, wow, how amazingly blessed we are with all that has happened.

And so, with a new year ahead, I'm so excited to see what is in store for our family of four as we continue on this nutty, fun, (and exhausting!) journey in parenthood.





Happy New Year!!!