Christmas 2011

We had a lovely Christmas this year. We spent the Holiday with Brandon's family in Utah (kind of a last minute decision, once we found out Brandon got the days off). It was nice relaxing and spending time with all his family. It's had been at least 7 years since we'd been to Utah for Christmas and since we probably won't be able to do it again for awhile, it was a great trip! We definitely got a lot of wonderful gifts and Lilly was very much spoiled! And it was quite a challenge getting it all back into our suitcases for our plane ride home, we even had to buy another couple bags, it was crazy!!! But now Lilly has more toys, clothes and books than she could ever dream of.

We have been very blessed this year and love being able to watch our daughter grow and learn. It's an adventure everyday! This next year holds many wonderful and exciting opportunities, we are so excited for the future; it's so bright!!!

Meeting Santa

We kind of knew she was going to cry when she sat on his lap, but it doesn't hurt to try - and I am amazed at how calm Santa can be...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

This is my utmost favorite time of year! It's already been so much fun with Lilly. She is running all around and showing us all different sides of her personality. :) We set up the Christmas tree and all the "kid friendly" ornaments are on the bottom. She loves to look at the ornaments and pull them off and walk around the house with them. She's gotten to where she will just be walking past the tree and without looking she'll pull off an ornament and goes about her business. She has done fairly well at not messing with the presents under the tree, she did find one though and popped a whole in it and started pulling out different colored balls, I don't know what the present really is (it's from Grandpa & Grandma Ungricht), but I just plopped the balls back in the box and placed the present even further back behind the tree. It's been absolutely lovely not having to work, especially during this time of year. Lilly is getting even more mobile and fun to play with now and I can't imagine missing out on those little moments. I feel completely blessed that I'm able to stay home with her.

School is going well, I've been learning so much about editing pictures and such, it's been wonderful - I absolutely love it!!! We are looking forward to spending time with family this Christmas. Brandon has been going to work at 4 a.m. the past month and has another few weeks to go, so he's looking forward to relaxing and sleeping in until...6 a.m.! We hope everyone has a fabulous Christmas and not forgot the true meaning of Christmas. Love to you all!

Thanksgiving & Sickies

So, I had thought that maybe Lilly had been sick before (minus the pneumonia she had as a newborn in the hospital), but I was sooo wrong - She's sick now! She started a little fever on Monday morning and then that afternoon she her 12 month shots (four in total!!!). She started really fevering that evening and runny nose and all that fun stuff. I actually was getting a little worried. Then her fever hit an all-time high of 104.9. We called the doctor and got in right away. This all happened exactly at the time we were suppose to start the last bit of cooking for Thanksgiving dinner, luckily my Mom took care of everything while Brandon & I were gone. Lilly got a prescription and after a few sleepless nights, she is doing so much better. There is one HUGE plus to this though, she's been a big snuggle bug the past few days and I've got to say I've loved every second of it! This year we are thankful for the blessing of medicines that can make us better; we are thankful that I am lucky enough to not have to work and I get to stay home with our daughter; and mostly, we are thankful for our families, wherever they may be, blood or not - we are more than blessed to have such loving people in our lives.

Momma Mandy & Grandma Shannon Visit

We had a wonderful visit from Lilly's birthmom and her mom. It was the first time we'd seen them since we left California a week after Lilly was born. We were so worried that Lilly would be really scared when she saw them again. We prayed that she would just warm right up to them and she totally did! In fact, she wasn't scared at all, she went right over to them as if she sees them all the time. It was so wonderful to watch Lilly interacting with them. We absolutely love Mandy and her mom Shannon (and their whole family). We wouldn't be where we are today without them. And Mandy is just one of our heroes, she's has so much strength - even though she may not realize it, she is a beautiful person; inside & out.

1 Year Old!

I can't believe that our little girl is a year old! It's crazy to think that a year has passed by. We had a good month. Brandon's parents came to visit for a week and we had a little birthday party with them. Then we had another family party with my family. We have been so blessed this past year. Lilly is so much fun! She weighs 20 pounds and is 29 inches long. She is running all over the house and has started laughing at the most random things - it's actually quite surprising when all of the sudden she starts to laugh at something we do or something she sees. It's adorable! She is seriously into everything!!! I have childproofed as much as we can, but she's quick and knows we don't want her into things, and she'll start running her little legs away when she hears us coming.

We had her first Halloween and she was a cute little Bumble Bee. Our dog, Maggy, was a Lady Bug; unfortunately, we didn't get a pick of the two of them together, but it was cute. She had a very first sucker and went to town on it. I tried to take it out of her mouth once, but that didn't go over well!

Well, this has been the most amazing year of our lives. Having Lilly in it has made it feel so much more complete. The next year will be full of just as many changes in our lives, but as long as were together - that's all that matters. Brandon and I have been talking a lot about when to start the adoption process again (and a few people have been asking, actually), but right now we just haven't decided when/if we are going to go through an agency. We are nervous about the idea of not going through an agency and trying to "find" a baby. So many things to think about. The thing that I have realized is that this is the first year in our marriage that hasn't been full of tears and sadness from not having a child. We are lucky and blessed beyond our wildest dreams. Thank you again to everyone that has been there for us and given us their support. We can't wait to see what the next year brings.