Celebrating in 2008

On Christmas Eve we caught a flight out of Denver to the wonderful land of Washington DC. It was our first trip back since the move, and to say that I was excited would be an understatement. I couldn't wait to see my family and friends and to show Kai the area. Thankfully, Reid bought me a digital camera for Christmas so I have many pictures of our fun trip.

Our first full day was Christmas day. Kai got soooo many presents!! We had to open the gifts in shifts to keep him from being overwhelmed--well, that and we were waiting for some other family members. Some of Kai's favorite gifts were a Winnie the Pooh (from my mom), Elmo slippers (from Santa), lots and lots of books (over a dozen!), blocks (from Aunt Amy), and a race car set. He was certainly busy opening the presents. By the end of the day he actually figured out how to rip off the paper. He's now ready for his birthday in May!

The day after Christmas I got to visit with a good friend and see her daughter for the first time in over a year and half. We had a good time and Naomi taught Kai a thing or two about how to really eat lunch! While we were enjoying lunch, Reid and the men of my family were helping my sister move to a new place.

On Saturday the 27th, we met up with Joseph, Amy, Rob, and Heather in DC for lunch. We ate at the cafe in the Museum of Natural History before looking around a bit. It was so nice out that there were a lot of people and the museum was quite crowded. So, we decided to head out into the nice weather. We walked down to the Washington Monument and took pictures of the mall, the White House, and the Capitol building. Joseph and Amy were nice enough to come with us and they also showed us a few other spots that we hadn't noticed before. We went to see the gardens behind the Smithsonian castle and we visited the sculpture garden before heading back to my parents. It was a full day and a lot of fun.

On Sunday the 28th we had planned on attending the ward that I grew up in as well as the ward that we had been in for the 2 years we were there. The meeting times were at 9 and 1. We almost made it through the 9 o'clock meeting without incident. About 5 minutes before the end Kai grabbed his yogurt melts and flung them all over the place. I sat him in the chair to prevent him stepping on them and grinding them into the carpet, and he then proceeded to fall through the back of his chair and wack his head hard! I was so glad when we could head home! As we were getting ready to attend the second meeting, Kai lost his lunch (and probably breakfast) all over the place and that ended our day. We changed him into jammies and watched Finding Nemo. I think the poor kid just needed a break.

We got to visit friends again on the 29th and 30th. We enjoyed catching up and seeing everyone. Our last day was the 31st and so we took a trip to the temple. We had wanted to take Kai to see the Christmas lights, but with concerns of traffic and New Year's Eve crazys, we settled for a day trip to see the nativities and the trees instead. It was a nice trip. I love the visitor's center!

It was a good trip. Kai ended up in our bed at some point every night and we would awaken to a little face in ours saying "Hi!", "all done", "biiiig doggie", and normally something about "Lola 'n Tigger" (the cats). He loved being the center of attention, having so many people to play with, and of course, having the cats.

We came home to find that Santa had left two more presents for Kai: his very own slide and vacuum cleaner. He's has absolutely loved both toys and we have to thank Santa for making a special trip to Colorado to save mom and dad on the shipping.
All-in-all it's been a wonderful Christmas season. I love that our years end with Christmas because it helps me begin each new year with Christ in my thoughts. I'm glad that we had the chance to remember the reason for the season and I'm so grateful for the blessings of the gospel in my life. I love my little family and am looking forward to another fabulous year. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!