Monday 5 January 2009

Christmas and New Year's - Late Edition

late Christmas morning

Hello everyone! I finally found my camera so I thought I would upload some photos from the holidays and get everyone updated. We had a wonderful first Christmas with Isabella. We slept in on Christmas morning and opened presents during the afternoon following a delicious brunch. By then, Isabella was already on her way to nap time so she wasn't as excited about ripping the wrapping paper as I thought she would be. So I basically wrapped all of her presents, only to unwrap them myself just a few days later. She got tired out after only two presents. The dolls were a hit though - both the one that I made and the one from Pedro's parents. Later on Christmas Day we had a wonderful dinner at the Ebarb's house.

New Year's was spent with a quiet night at home - after Isabella went to bed, we opened up a bottle of champagne and watched the London firework display on tv. It's been a tumultuous year for a lot of our family and friends - God knows we had some real downers with the chaos that dragged on and on with our old home. But mostly, we were very blessed this year. This post has more of a Thankgiving feel to it, but there is no time like the present to really feel thankful. With that, I'd like to share my top ten bits of gratefuflness:
  1. Our first child, Isabella, was born safely into this world and I managed to get out of a somewhat traumatic labor just fine.
  2. Pedro's parents kept vigil while I went slightly over my due date and were an endless source of help to us in those first few weeks of having a newborn.
  3. My mom was finally able to travel here when Isabella was 3 months old, this also being her first trip to Europe!
  4. We ourselves were able to travel abroad to visit the rest of our family in both Minnesota and Puerto Rico, as well as detours to Italy, France, and Croatia - for business AND pleasure.
  5. We had some sunshine in England this past summer!
  6. We sold our house amid a virulent housing crisis and came out okay.
  7. Jessi, the closest thing I've ever had to a sister, moved nearby, bringing many things full circle for me....and....
  8. Her husband came home safely from yet another tour in Iraq...and...
  9. She's pregnant!
  10. AND............Obama won!

So as 2009 gets off to a hopeful start, I hope that all of you out there experience many blessings in your lives during the coming months. We wish you all good health and happiness.


Jessi and Isabella - nothing says celebrate! like velvet

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

She looks so sweet in her holiday finest. :) I share your thanksgiving about many of the same things...new baby arrived safe and sound (although I suppose I didn't get out of my traumatic labor unscathed), bought, not sold, a house safe and sound, and am overjoyed to be this close to the inauguration of Obama! I sure hope things are looking up in 2009. Oh, and I meant to say thanks for posting that Isabella wasn't as in to opening her presents as you thought she'd be...I was beginning to think I had the lone child who only lasted for two or three presents before giving up. :P

April said...

Haha - I wouldn't say unscathed, but I am whole again. Incidentally, I was watching a documentary on young Nigerian mothers whose rough labors (like mine) go untreated, leaving them with fistula for life. So there is another thing I'm thankful for - access to medical care in the first world. (to watch - www.channel4.com catch up program is "Unreported World").