Reflections

I can't believe Luka has had her first Christmas! Time is just flying by. She's getting big so quickly. Before our eyes, daily, things are happening like crazy. We took a moment on Christmas Eve to reflect on what we've been through, and to dream about what is to come. We stood over our sleeping babe and cried (ok I cried, Dan just choked back the tears) about the amazing fortune that has been given to us. We are so blessed to have such a healthy, happy baby. Playing Santa was a fun treat I had not thought about until it was here. This holiday really made us see being parents in such a new light, and playing Santa is only one of the fun roles we get to play. We are thinking of traditions we can develop as parents to allow us to keep our focus and remind us of where we came from. And traditions we can do with our children in the future. We feel traditions are what gives the holidays that extra special-ness and we want that to be what is important to our children. While we know that the gifts take a strong place in the American Christmas, we hope our family traditions can bring something else to our children. It may not be until they are adults that the impact of these traditions is realized upon them, and that's ok. I guess they'll probably realize the weight of these traditions the moment they look upon their child on the first night they play Santa.

Luka is now sitting up unassisted, has two teeth, is eating solid foods -- her first food (peas) was a Christmas gift to us all -- exploring her mouth, making new shapes with her lips and tongue -- including gagging, and coughing galore, and tonight she began banging her toys down on the book I was reading her -- I can just see the pots and pans and wooden spoons on the kitchen floor symphony now. Oh, and she's also sleeping in her big girl bed all through the night! Whoot whoot! I think it was harder on us then it was on her.

Mailing Christmas cards. (ps we had one come back with that lost it's address lable -- oops-- if you didn't get you'rs let us know.)

Luka smiling at Pop. I can't get enough of that!

Look how good I can sit now!

Santa's Margo & Danielle came bearing gifts.

Snowed in and baking cookies for our friends and neighbors.

Opening her stocking!
Everybody loves Christmas morning.

We took my parents to the Nutcracker ballet for their Christmas gift. They loved it. My dad played in the Sacramento youth symphony and the Sacramento Symphony for the Nutcracker Ballet as a kid and teenager so he's seen it many times before, this was a first for Mom and for Dan.
I've always wanted to be his little "balla-ina"