Happy Holidays and So Long 2014

T'was the night before the night before Christmas...

This year, the 23rd was Christmas Eve. Lovely Christmas Eve service. Christmassy PJs. Putting out presents. Staying up 'till midnight assembling a train set for a little boy. Since we were traveling on the morning of the 25th, we decided to have a relaxed "Christmas Morning" for the kids on the 24th. 

It started with Christmas smoothies (and Christmas mustaches.)

Presents and stockings...

I guess I didn't take very many pictures of present opening. Though I believe we got some good video, which may surface at some point. Besides the few things we got for the kids, they had many wonderful and generous gifts to open from Grandma, Grandpa, and the Rockrose Crew [Martin/Kim Family]. Here's Peter, maxed out on present opening, chillin with Mrs. Carrot Head. 

[A week later, we are so enjoying our new presents! Thanks, all!]

The morning of the 25th, we got to celebrate with this festive bunch!

Siena's been quite taken with Peter's hair.  

We love our Trabandt family, and love seeing our kiddos play together.

The 26th was our "Christmas Day" with Grandaddy, Oma, and Aunt Gege. Something was bothering Anna throughout the holiday, the main reason I have so few pics to show for the 25th and 26th. But here's a great series of these two goofy guys: 

At the Gregg house: Here's the happy hunter. Happy in spite of the fact that he was just finally putting away his gear when 3 deer traipsed across the back field, each taking a turn to pose in front of his just-vacated tent hide. 

A beautiful morning for Christmas Day #4.

Oh yay--blackout curtains!

The girls

Before the drive home, we went out on a long walk in hopes that it would yield long naps in the car, and maybe a train sighting (it did neither.) But I always love letting the boy (and his Mama) run around out in the fresh country air. 

So that was our Christmas 2014. 

It was the first year that Peter was able to understand a little of the coming of Emmanuel, God with us. He loves the stories of that Bethlehem stable and all who belong to it--the shepherds and their sheep, the wisemen and their camels, "the donkey bearing a precious load/ who trudged the long and weary road." He loves the "warrior of light" who came to the shepherds. He loves baby Jesus who, I think he understands, grows up to be the Jesus of his Bible stories, the Jesus of our songs and prayers. Amen. May his love for Jesus grow year by year, and may the mystery of the incarnation blow our children's minds.  

As 2014 closes, we are very grateful, with much much much to be grateful for. 

All praise and glory to God, and thank you to all who were part of it. 

The Fall in Pictures, Part 3

One more round of pics for the Fall. 

Here's some cuteness eating her oatmeal, and bracing for the cold. 

My crazy kiddos, and my favorite Daddy in the world.  

Anna taking over the play mat. 

Peter's Potato Plant

Thanksgiving Day with Grandaddy and Oma. 

(The TV was on, hence the blank stares.)

And here the day after, special reading time with Pop-Pop

Hide and go seek. Siena found them. 

Cold, Shmold. This boy needs to run around out in the fresh country air. 

Home again, getting back into the daily groove. Have I mentioned that Anna LOVES her big brother. 

My cuties

Finally, here we all are after church one Sunday in what became our Christmas Card shot. 

(Thanks, Rachael!)

Merry Christmas from the Martins!

The Fall in Pictures, Part 2

In which we continue our little photo recap of the Fall.  

So, Fall fell.

These from a sweet fall day on the playground .

October 16, 2014--Anna at 4 months

Halloween. We didn't trick-or-treat, or even hand out candy. We were traveling that night. But Anna was determined to wear the giraffe costume she'd borrowed from Cousin Siena. The only "dress-up" outfit we had for Peter was this one brought back from India by a friend of a friend. So we dressed up a little early. 

Here's Anna trying on hats for the Montpelier Races

And a good thing, for the races were COLD this year! But fun! 

That's about all the pics we took, save this one, all the cousins back at Nana & Daideo's house all toasty warm again. 

Back in G'burg. Here, Peter bathes BrownDog. 

Here, he helps me make cookies. 

Here, I look over and he informs me that he is going pee pee. 

Here's charming Anna-girl, as Peter has taken to calling her. 

Being visited/delivered after a nap, and sitting in a warm bath. These are a few of her favorite things. 

Impromptu photo shoot of these two. I did several this fall in hopes of landing the perfect shot. I guess I really got tons of perfect shots, in the sense that these kiddos are perfect gifts to our imperfect family and snapshots, "perfect" or not, just reflect the perfectly imperfect life God has blessed us with.  So anyway, here are my little loves:

The direction most moments like this quickly goes. Anna will snuggle/grab/slobber him right off the chair. 

Here's my sweet fish-loving boy. We always visit the fish (and lobsters, and crabs) at H-Mart. On this occasion, we had done so, but as we were leaving he begged me to go back to say bye-bye to the fish.  As you see:

Probably the last warm day of fall. We took a walk and got to hang with some dear friends. 

Here are the boyz. Graham, Hank, Peter. How they grow. 

And speaking of visits, Nana brought Siena up on one of her babysitting days! 

Anna was quite excited to have her big girl cousin here. 

In closing, one more favorite: