Guten Rutsch ins Neue Jahr!

That's today's phrase of the day from my German calendar. Literally translated, it means "Have a good slide into the New Year," which is a version of Happy New Year that may especially appeal to my niece Ellie, and seem a little comical to those of you trying not to slip on the ice outside.

Here we are, the last day of 2009. Amazing, isn't it? And what a year it's been for us, and for many of you, too. We are grateful for the time we were able to spend with family over the last week, celebrating Christmas and enjoying the last hours of this year together.

First, we had a very early Christmas before heading up north. For all her love of crumpling paper, Anna was a little slow at the concept of wrapping paper. Perhaps she is a bit like her Grandma Pearson, and wants to keep the paper nice...





The books were all a big hit. The Jonah and the Whale pop-up book was especially entertaining.


And of course, we love barns.


Puzzles, puzzles




"Look, I can put my finger right here..."




So many barn animals and sounds.

After our Tennessee Christmas, we headed up to Aurora to visit Aunt Katie, Uncle Casey, and cousins Josh and Ellie. It was a short visit, but very fun!








Ellie and I were playing Peek-a-Boo on the stairs.

We had so much fun playing together. Thanks for having us!


Then on to Michigan to see Grandma and Grandpa Van Dyke and Aunt Rachel.

And let's not forget the cats:







See that little fuzzy thing in the corner? That's a cat making a quick get away.

We also traveled to Lansing to visit my Grandma and several aunts, uncles, and cousins.


Here is Maeve--


and here is Neil with his impressive helicopter!

We indeed had a white Christmas in Northern Michigan (well, a rainy one, actually, but it did little to lessen the snow). Grandma and Grandpa had gotten Anna a sled to help her enjoy the full experience.




It was indeed a Merry Christmas. Now that we are home, we are fondly remembering family and friends and thanking God for his many blessings, this year and always. Happy New Year, and the best to you all in 2010.

Outings

Anna and I have found a new activity group to explore. It's called Mother Goose, and it meets every other week at our local mall. Knoxville has many free activities for pre-schoolers, but this one is quickly becoming a favorite of ours. Besides story time, rhymes, and music, the program uses different toys for sensory development, and the groups are led by child development specialists, so the leaders tell you the purpose of each activity.

Yesterday we tried the "crawlers" group for the first time, and while most of the kids are more mobile than Anna, she had a great time. They used streamers, Fisher Price Peek-a-block toys, and these wonderful balls that were about the size of soccer balls but with oversized covers so that they were very soft and easy to hold onto. Anna loved squeezing and catching these balls. They also have a large crawl-through tunnel that I'm sure Anna will enjoy when she's older. She also liked watching the other kids and even interacting a little bit. One little girl accidentally bonked Anna in the head, and she hesitated for a moment, but then decided she was fine. That's big progress for her!

Today we went to our Friday library group and during playtime, I set Anna down on the floor with the other kids and she crawled right into the fray to find some toys to play with. Other than looking back at me a couple times to make sure I was still there, she played contentedly on the floor while I chatted with another mom. Between this and her successful stay at the church nursery last Sunday, I feel like my little girl is growing up [sniff].

My New Years' resolution is to remember to start bringing the camera to these play groups.

Only 10 days until...

Advent is upon us
with joy and busyness and cold

Our lives are filled with packing, with baking and
shopping untold

We see the big Night a mere 10 days away
(which reminds us it's also uncle's birthday)

(happy 30th, Uncle Casey!)

And one thing more that we cannot ignore

Today Anna is ten months old!!

So Mom and Dad, how is that child proofing coming along?

This really might be the day she starts crawling.

What is this white stuff outside?

We thought this wasn't supposed to happen here...

Giving thanks

This year we ended our seven year hiatus and made our way once again to Ohio to be with Ben's family. We could not believe it has been that long since we last spent Thanksgiving there. I was reminded of how much I've missed it. It's an idyllic setting. Several generations gather under one roof with football on TV, basketball outside, young families playing with a new puppy, and there was even an engaged couple. And of course, food, food, and more food. What a perfect first Thanksgiving for Anna.

First, lots of Grandma time:




And let's not forget Grandpa...


There was so much fun with cousins:


Kisses from Ellie!


Drummer Boy Josh:


I think Ellie is just about ready for basketball:




Josh had a great walk with Grandma


Getting the dog Woodstock ready for a walk was a group activity:


We even got to try out a Wii:




And bonus activities!! A bridal shower for the happy couple:



(remember guys--it's called a "keepsake box".)


Welcome to the family, Lanette!

and Daddy's birthday party:






all thanks to our gracious hosts


Thank you Lynne and Dale for so many great memories. We hope to be there next year!

Nine month photos

About the same time every month, mom and dad suddenly stop discussing medieval philosophy and science fiction, move the furniture around in my room, and start dancing like crazy people while mom snaps pictures of my reactions.



It used to be kind of endearing.






But now that I'm getting older, some of the wonder is wearing off.





Sometimes I worry I might be living in a nuthouse.