I am very late in posting this. Winter found our home full of sniffles, boogers, and fevers as we battled the season's colds. Despite this, we found great joy this holiday season as we celebrated our first Christmas as a complete family with Baby Nate.
Per our family tradition, we spent Christmas Eve with Grandma Louise and the Lundgren Bunch gobbling up Chinese food. Stella and Nathaniel enjoyed their time with the uncles, Aunt Colleen, Renee and friends, and we were even visited by carolers. There were presents aplenty, and the kiddos were showered with attention and love despite runny noses.
Christmas morning, Stella and Nathaniel were greeted by the discovery that Santa had visited and left many gifts under the tree. Grandma and David came over and we opened gifts while eating cinammon rolls and sipping chai. Delish! Stella has been known to knock back a pastry or two.
After this, the family readied and we headed out to the Stahlmanns to continue the festivities. Cousin Eric's enthusiasm was contagious and he and Stella raced about! We ate, ate, ate until we were busting. They children were in turn busting to open gifts. There certainly were plenty of presents to go around! Baby Nate quickly latched on to Stella's Abby doll, and busied himself with wrapping paper investigation.
The Lundgrens got to celebrate with Grandpa Gary and the great grandparents shortly after Christmas. We all met up at a restaurant to spread cheer and continue the gluttony of the season (we all need the extra padding to stay warm in the cold winter months, no?). It is always great to get together, and Stella scored an awesome kitchen set complete with a food supply and cookware; I scored the duty of thrice daily clean-up!
We rung in the new year while possibly forging new traditions of our own. We spent the night with Grandma and Grandad, Aunt/Uncle and cousins. All parties made their own pizza from a pizza "bar"; Stella was adorable- she put two tiny mushrooms on hers, and then ate around them. Caillou likes mushrooms. All week long she talked about her, "cheese, sauce, and mushroom pizza." We gave the kids popcorn with a surprise (gummy worms) and had root beer floats. I felt very sentimental, as I had spent every New Year's Eve with my Grandma Virginia sipping on root beer floats. It was nice to carry on this tradition with my own daughter, who drank two!
In the Nathaniel update arena: The boy is crawling! Granted, it is an army crawl on his belly (which someone jokingly referred to as "The Lieutenant Dan Crawl", but he is motoring nonetheless. He is eating some small table foods with assistance, and is very social and inquisitive. He certainly is interested in what we eat, what Stella is holding, and what is going on around him. He will grunt and gesture at Stella to try and obtain whatever it is she has in hand. He is loads of fun, and is a giant baby viking.
As we move forward into 2012, I am continually amazed by our brilliant and happy children, our loving family, and the blessed gifts we continue to cherish and enjoy. 2011 was an amazing ride, and 2012 has already proven to be even better. A happy and healthy new year to all!
