Though the holidays have come & gone and we're now well into January (and almost to Maelee's 9 month birthday!), it is finally time to get some pictures up of our first Christmas as a family of three. Sorry, Parker, you don't count...
Hopefully I'll have another post up soon with more on Maelee's nine month (including more pics from the holidays that weren't necessarily Christmas-related...) and the fun she's into now, but since there are about a gazillion pictures from this time of year, I'll keep this post less verbose. :)
We enjoyed this special season of firsts very, very much and we believe our little sweetie did, too. She tore into the presents (quickly transferring the paper to the mouth...) and loved all her gifts. Daddy and I made sure to read her the true Christmas story from her Hug-a-Bible and hope to impart that "Jesus is the Reason for the Season" and "It is better to give than recieve..." BUT, for now, we think that's a little over her head :) and we were ok with some spoiling this year! (But not every year, hint, hint!!!)
We spent the majority of the holidays in VA with a very special Christmas Eve in DE with the great Too-dad and Mary Catherine/Nana-Nart, as well as more special family, including Maelee's 2nd cousin, Caleb, who is only 4 1/2 months older! They were adorable together.
To start off the crazy slew of pictures, here's Maelee on Santa's lap at Bloomingdales in NYC just before we headed south...
And here's a sampling of our time in DE. We are so thankful God has blessed us with such incredible family!!!
Maelee with her Too-dad and the sweet ride he got both the great grandkids
Playtime with Caleb!
A giggle fest with mama
Diggin' in!
Maelee & Caleb's gift to Too-dad and Mary Catherine
A very sweet trio
Sitting on a lap that's even better than Santa's
Jolly family on Christmas morning
And, of course, here's a slideshow of more pictures from Christmas in DE:
This was also a particularly special Christmas as my brother, Daniel, came home from Japan! He was amazing with his little niece and she loves her uncle! She always got a kick out of his silly faces. The evening that Steve got in, Nana & Pop-Pop took us all to see the Christmas trees in DC.
Here we are in front of the tree that represents our home
And with the "National Tree" in the distance
who apparently couldn't resist...
A cool pop-up book in Japanese!
(self-explanatory)
And her little Miss Bunny who "walks" down the ramp
and loves to greet Maelee when she wakes from her nap!
The aftermath
T'was a very merry Christmas Day!
With more from Christmas in VA in this slideshow:
And here are some shots of Maelee with some of her most favorite men...
Gazing up at her great Too-dad
Giggling in the arms of her Uncle Daniel
And being taught by her daddy about Jesus :)
Happy Girl :)
After Christmas, the six of us all packed into my parent's car (a day late thanks to the snow!) to head back up to NYC and see Wicked! It was awesome- thanks, Mom & Dad!!! It was a super short stay but we enjoyed our time with family, and on the morning of New Year's Eve, we had a great little after-Christmas-Christmas with the four of us (OK, Parker, I'll include you in that, since you did get a new toy) .
More fun with the unwrapping
Reading the inscription from her Mee-Maw & Grandpa Mason in her fun Ladybug book
Enjoying some musical instruments from mommy
And admiring a beautiful ladybug charm bracelet from her daddy!
And after thoughtfully pondering the donation gift made in her name from her mom & dad, Maelee decides to see how it tastes...
A very special first Christmas as a family of three!And more from our Christmas in NY:
And finally, some super sweet pictures of Maelee in her Christmas best...
(also, conveniently, the "8 Month Photo Shoot)
Lastly, more shots in this sweet dress:
Our NYC Christmas ended with a trip to see the Rockafeller Christmas tree in all its glory.
It was an amazing holiday for all of us and we hope it was for you! We're excited for what God has in store for 2011 and are so thankful for His goodness in 2010.
