We did the christmas cookies at mom-mom's and grandpa. I was excited that more than half of the sugar was accidently missed in the batter, so I doubled my intake of gingerbread men this year. Then we celebrated the truth of Christmas at the Christmas Eve service. We stuck to our traditions and talked about what traditions we will start in the coming years- traditions that will teach our children to exalt the message of the gospel and savor the gift of Jesus coming to die on a cross in the place of undeserved sinners.
Noah turned a year on December 19th. We said we weren't going to do a party, and somehow he ended up with 2! On his birthday we actually went to another birthday party, and Ana was so kind enough to make a cake for him and celebrate his birthday with her daughter's, Naomi. Then later that week, (I should've known) my mom broke out the candles and balloons and surprised him with more joy...
Noah, we love you so much!!!! When daddy is home in the morning we compete and race to your crib to see who gets to see you first! I love how you smile at us first thing in the morning and start pointing to everything you see. You are so much fun to play with. I wish I had known sooner that all you would need is a ping pong ball to make you happy and content for a few hours. And now, you give great hugs and you melt our hearts when you kiss us and say "mmmm-ma." I love chasing you when you're crawling because you get so excited that you start crawling towards me! You make me laugh ALL the time. You've set the standard high for your future siblings, as you're the only kid I've ever known that will eat and adult serving of broccoli- that makes me proud! We are so delighted to be your parents and we look forward to many more joys to come! Happy birthday Noah!