I'll Be Home For Christmas, If Only In My Dreams

So, I'm behind. I still haven't posted anything from our Thanksgiving in Vegas and Christmas is less than a week away. I'm happy to report that all of our gifts are purchased and wrapped...except for one that is still being shipped.

This really is the most wonderful time of the year but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little sad to be spending the Holiday away from my mommy and daddy. I'm a big baby when it comes to Christmas. I like traditions. I like my traditions. I'm 27 years old and every Christmas I can remember was spent at 96 Raypaula Drive. I'm 27 years old and every Christmas morning I wake up bright eyed (its the one day a year that happens) excited to see what surprises Santa has in store.

This year is going to be different, I'm sure it will be great, but it will be different. I'll be with Shawn's family. I 'm excired to spend Christmas with them, there's no one I love to tease more than my father-in-law but I won't be with my mom and dad. I won't be with my sister. I'll be seeing Christmas through the eyes of a mother for the first time and that will be really fun but also different.

I guess its just sad because I have to grow up a little and as the baby of eight, that can be hard to do. People always say the magic of Christmas is for children but I've always felt defensive about that. Christmas is for us all and I love the magic of it.

So Mom, Dad, Amber, have an extra special time opening presents on Christmas Eve, reading Luke 2 until you sing Glory to God all together, wake up to Santa's loot and a yummy funnel cake breakfast. Me? I'll be seeing a whole new world of traditions...and trying to keep Jack the fat cat from wondering in to sleep with me.

I hope this didn't bum anyone out, it wasn't meant to, just my thoughts. For a heart warming experience look at my sweet baby with Santa!!! Now that's a new tradition I can get behind.

Blessing Day

These are Berkley's Great Grandpa Udy's baby booties (so 95 years old).

In our Church we don't do baptisms until a child is at least 8 years old, we believe that children are born without original sin therefore they don't need to be baptised until what we call "the age of accountability." That being said, we do have one religious rite of passage I guess you could call it, that infants have, its called a Blessing, and Berk had his today.

I look absolutely disgusting in our family pictures from today (as Shawn's cousin's son put it this afternoon, and I quote, "good luck losing all that fat from being pregnant" without the conversation being even close to the topic) so all you get is a bombardment of pictures of Berkley Aaron.

Berky's forte...spit bubbles.

Seriously, is he not a doll???

Sweet smirk.

Playing with Aunt Bethany.