Christmas Adventures

December was another busy month for us.  We went out without Joshua several times (I know you're shocked!).  At the beginning of the month Derek took me out to a special dinner and presented me with a letter he had written to me about us and his love for me.  I cried right there at the restaurant.  It was a refreshing time for our relationship, and we had a great time!  We also went to several Christmas parties.  Some friends of our's were generous enough to give up their time to keep Joshua while we were out.  Thanks guys, we are much appreciative!

Christmas was a fun and busy time for us.  It was great to get to celebrate with our families and see some friends!  We were able to make it to all SEVEN Christmas gatherings, spanning from Christmas Eve to the day after Christmas.  We woke up and had our own Christmas at our house on Christmas Eve and then headed to Albemarle to start the family celebrations.  We were able to see so much family.  There were still a few members of our family that hadn't met Joshua that got to.  My cousin, Brandon, who lives in Texas was so sweet seeing Joshua for the first time.  It was really great to see him.  It's hard when you are so busy with gatherings to really focus on what Christmas is truly about, but tried our best to keep Christ as our focus.  Also, Christmas with a child definitely gives you a different perspective on what's really important.  All in all we had a wonderful Christmas and were blessed with lots of great gifts from our families.  I think Joshua is set with toys for a long long time.  The only bad part about Christmas for us was that Derek got very sick the day after Christmas with a stomach bug.  He is feeling much better now, and we are so thankful for that!

Joshua and I got to visit with Holly and Ashley for a little bit the day after Christmas.  Holly was due to have her baby boy on Christmas day but was still very pregnant the day after.  It was so great to see those girls!

We hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas (sorry we are so late)!