A Year in Review and Christmas Fun!

As 2011 draws to a close, I thought it'd be appropriate to reflect on the year we've had as a family. Yes, it's been one of up's and down's considering our little Sophie, but it's been such an enriching journey. And, in the end, isn't that what Christ means for us? He throws us curveballs every once in a while to build us up, right? What's important is that we rest in knowing our life circumstances are all in His hands, and he intends each one for His purposes so we're better equipped to serve Him. How exhilarating!

Sophie is now 7 months old and she's an absolute joy! Yes, there are days when the teething fussiness gets overwhelming, but the older she gets the more fun she is...as any mom knows when they have a growing babe. We've had many, many highlights over the past 7 months, but two stand out in particular. The first being an awesome day outing to Ikea during which Sophie was an absolute dream! She managed particularly well, napped in her car seat throughout the day, and even enjoyed lunch with Mom and Dad in the Ikea restaurant. Yes!! Victory!! Mat and I were just elated. When you have a babe that keeps you home much of the time, experiences of success are all the more exciting. Here's Sophie at Ikea...

Our second highlight was Christmas. With so many family coming and going, Sophie rarely played strange, but she enjoyed having so many fun people to look at and listen to. She really enjoyed opening presents...even if she did try to eat some of the wrapping paper! Sophie is one lucky girl; she received lots of beautiful gifts.

Here's a shot of Sophie and her twin cousins at Christmas...yes, they have matching outfits just to up the cuteness factor a bit. :)

It's been quite the year of emotions. Something changes in you when God blesses you with a child, you look at life differently, and for that I'm thankful.