Christmas Eve

On our way to church - it is a somewhat rare occurance that we are all showered and dressed up, so we thought we should capture the moment!


Maren is wearing her first dress...and tights!

Hinsdale church (where Greg is working) had a live nativity/pagent/play where the animals actually took part in the play! Mary even rode down the center aisle of the church on a donkey! This was before the service...the kids could pet the animals. Joel even got to sit on the donkey after the service, but it was dark and the pictures didn't turn out very well.

Singing Silent Night in candle light.

Bikes and Grass

The weather has been cold - but not too cold for a 2 1/2 year old and his fearless father - and sunny. Joel has been practicing riding his bike and can do it all on his own now! Greg took some video so I could see and I was so impressed! They also spent some time exploring in the tall grass on campus...my guys are so cute! :)

Little Smiles

Maren has started to smile and most of them are directed at Joel, and Greg too! Here are some cute ones of the three of them...

Christmas Time

Joel has been excitedly pointing out all the christmas lights on peoples houses and the trees in the windows...we finally got ours last weekend and Joel LOVED putting the ornaments on the tree and seeing it all lit up. Here he is decorating the lower fourth of the tree! :)



Joel made this ornament at Sunday school...sorry for the blurr!

Brother and Sister

Joel is so sweet with Maren...he likes to be near her and any time I am not holding her he likes to lay next to her or sit next to her bouncy seat. He also helps put the pacifier in her mouth when she is crying and he always gives her a kiss on the head before he goes to bed. I love how gentle he is and how much he seems to really love her...I hope it lasts!

Grandpa Thomas Visits

My dad rode the train out from Portland to visit us last week and stayed for three nights. It was so fun to have him here, even though most of the time we just hung out at the house - out of the COLD weather. He played with Joel a lot. Joel loved having him here so much...he is still asking where Grandpa is!

Amazing Eyes

Maren has been getting a lot of attention lately, but we are still just as in love with Joel as ever. He is so energetic and talkative and talented and we are just amazed with him every day. The other day Joel came up to me and said, "I am smart and cute and SO fast!" (I guess all the doting we do has sunk in!) He is also SO BIG! Maybe it's just because Maren is so small, but he seems to have grown so much in the last couple of months. I have been noticing his eyes, and especially his eyelashes, a lot lately and thought I would try to capture their length on camera so you can all see them. What a beautiful boy.

Weight Update

We went to the doctor today for Maren's one month check up. She now weighs 6 pounds 10 ounces, which is another 6 ounces of weight gain in the the last week. The doctor is pleased with her progress even though she is still at the bottom of the growth chart. She seems to be doing great all around!

Cute Hat

Our friend Robin made this hat for Maren...it is a perfect fit! Thank you Robin!

Winter Fun

Joel and Greg have braved the FREEZING temperatures a few times to go and play in the snow...it is all ice now, but the day it came down it was soft and fun to play with! Maren and I have opted to stay warm indoors, sipping hot chocolate and milk! :)

Preemie

As of last Monday (the 27th) Maren weighted 6 pounds 4 ounces...this pound of weight gain happened in 5 days, after I started supplementing with formula. Because she is so little she only has a few things that fit, so I went and bought this preemie outfit so we don't have to do laundry every other day! So cute!