Time for Family
I made it out west to be with Cherry and Xavier, and we've been on tour ever since. It's been refreshing to see all my far-flung siblings even though we ostensibly came out to have Christmas with Cherry's folks. We spent a day with Alyssa and Coreen after I got into Salt Lake, getting to spend the night at each of their places, seeing Isaac play as Joseph in a nativity presentation with his Joy School group, hitting the ward Christmas party and playing with the nieces and nephews. Plus, Alyssa made these awesome spinach balls that are sure to be a finger-food hit at many future social events, since pretty much everyone who tasted them asked for the recipe.
On Sunday we saw our good friend (and distant cousin) Russ on the way up through Salt Lake to Idaho, and he got to meet little Xavier for the first time too. He left DC while Cherry was pregnant so it was a treat for all of us to meet back up along the way. Sitting in Church singing the congregational hymns together made me miss the many many times we'd joined our voices in the past.
Fog enveloped the route to Rupert, but fortunately no snow, and we made a quick pit stop with Cherry's parents for dinner. With weather looking promising for our trip to Oregon, we continued on to Boise to stay the night with Karma, one of Cherry's friends growing up who was living out in DC when we got married but had returned out west.
Finally on Monday we made it out to Oregon before the storm hit, bringing at least an inch or two of snow and rendering the landscape even more enchanting. The bulk of my nieces and nephews are here and I'm amazed how they've grown, even in the brief six months since we saw them last. It required a good bit of travel, but I'm really glad we came, since moments together with Shannon and CarrieAnn's families don't come often. Amazingly, in only three months Xavier has already hit six states (half of them large western ones at that!). In January we'll add a seventh and perhaps eighth. Last night was filled with games and fun (and laundry, which needs to be done even on vacation when you've got a baby in cloth diapers). Today we're getting ready to build a gingerbread house castle, and Marc has engineered quite the fortress.
We're at the beginning of our life with kids, and it's interesting to glimpse at what life will be like in five to ten years as they grow in number and age. The holidays in many ways are more fun with children, whose excitement and activities make the season special. Last night we made clay ornaments, including one for Xavier's first Christmas: a footprint of his, now captured in time. He'll grow and our life will continue to change as the years go by, but that will remind us year after year of our sweet little child who was with us this Christmas.
On Sunday we saw our good friend (and distant cousin) Russ on the way up through Salt Lake to Idaho, and he got to meet little Xavier for the first time too. He left DC while Cherry was pregnant so it was a treat for all of us to meet back up along the way. Sitting in Church singing the congregational hymns together made me miss the many many times we'd joined our voices in the past.
Fog enveloped the route to Rupert, but fortunately no snow, and we made a quick pit stop with Cherry's parents for dinner. With weather looking promising for our trip to Oregon, we continued on to Boise to stay the night with Karma, one of Cherry's friends growing up who was living out in DC when we got married but had returned out west.
Finally on Monday we made it out to Oregon before the storm hit, bringing at least an inch or two of snow and rendering the landscape even more enchanting. The bulk of my nieces and nephews are here and I'm amazed how they've grown, even in the brief six months since we saw them last. It required a good bit of travel, but I'm really glad we came, since moments together with Shannon and CarrieAnn's families don't come often. Amazingly, in only three months Xavier has already hit six states (half of them large western ones at that!). In January we'll add a seventh and perhaps eighth. Last night was filled with games and fun (and laundry, which needs to be done even on vacation when you've got a baby in cloth diapers). Today we're getting ready to build a gingerbread house castle, and Marc has engineered quite the fortress.
We're at the beginning of our life with kids, and it's interesting to glimpse at what life will be like in five to ten years as they grow in number and age. The holidays in many ways are more fun with children, whose excitement and activities make the season special. Last night we made clay ornaments, including one for Xavier's first Christmas: a footprint of his, now captured in time. He'll grow and our life will continue to change as the years go by, but that will remind us year after year of our sweet little child who was with us this Christmas.