Christmas 2012

Snapshot: As I type, it's snowing outside and Tom is sitting over on the couch poring over his favorite Christmas present, a massive cookbook called Modernist Cuisine At Home, figuring out a scrumptious dinner for us tonight. The Christmas tree's still glowing like a faithful friend; Peter is taking a nap.

[Warning: this is a long post with lots of pictures]

A few days before Christmas, I was looking around and waxing sentimental, imagining if I could capture and send a snapshot--all these little telltale signs of life these days--to the Katherine Reynolds of five years ago. The "2010: Our First Christmas Together" ornament hanging on the tree, and another one with a picture in memory of dear Grandma. The carseat and changing table over by the book case, the bouncy seat on the dining table, a play mat quilted by Nana spread out on the floor. At home in this sweet little townhouse in the middle of the day still wearing pajama pants, with this beautiful little boy in his blue fleece snowman pajamas. My life, my surroundings, my priorities (though not all of them) look very different than they did a few Christmases ago.

And of course this Christmas was very unlike any other, because we have our Peter and this was his first Christmas. Here are a few shots from it.

One of Peter's favorite new toys is a curly red bow:

It accompanied him while he was helping Mommy wrap Christmas presents...

 ...and even when it was time for his bath:

Christmas #1 (The 3 of us. We opened presents before the Christmas service on the 23rd.)

Peter's Big Gift:

Checking out the Rainforest Jumperoo (more pics on that later)

                           

The presents yielded much to touch and crinkle!

Helping Mommy open her gift from Daddy (Nice earrings, Mom, but I prefer my red bow.)

Christmas Eve, we traveled to Orange, where Tom and my dad bonded over iPhones.

Peter's Christmas pjs                              Asleep waiting for Santa...and Aunt Anne and Uncle Scott

Christmas morning--first to the Reynolds family gathering, where Peter met his cousins for the first time. This is Meghan (John's wife) with Fiona and Jackson, who is 4 days older than Peter.

With Oma:                                                                            His festive reindeer jacket:

                  

At Grandaddy and Oma's house we all received puffy coats!
                                                                           Here's my handsome husband...notice his new glasses?

                           

 Hanging with Aunt Anne and Uncle Scott. Poor kid got no attention in Orange.

And the next morning when we got up, SNOW!

 And before we headed North again, we got to share a quick lunch with Pop-Pop and my cousin Stephen, just in from Virginia Beach.

We headed back to Gaithersburg, braving the almost-freezing rain, the rush-hour/holiday traffic, and a bawling Peter for the last hour of the trip. We were relieved to get home, though less so when we found that our heater had died. :)      [It was fixed that night]

So, we bundled up. Here's Peter looking like he just came out of Orange, VA.

   

                   

And that was our Christmas! It was a sweet one over all, and the start of a new era of Christmases with our sweet boy and any other children the Lord gives us in the years to come. A Christmas-familiar passage from the prophet Isaiah says, 

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

This Christmas, these words are doubly wonderful. Not only does the gift of our own sweet son give new weight and color to this passage, but also this: that the good news of a Savior born is even more precious to me with this new precious little soul who needs him as much as I do.