December Celebrations from now until forever

Before we ring in 2010, it is only appropriate to rejoice over this past weeks celebrations....be hold for a wild ride!

First I must mention the amazing snow storm we experienced that made a very special white Christmas for us all. The snow poured down hard for almost a full day, and as a result 24 inches of pure white was seen throughout northern Virginia. I came home from work Saturday morning to Mike already attacking the sidewalk with the shovel. He did an amazing job, although you just couldn't keep up with the speed of the flakes :)

I also walked into the house to see this...... Mike had moved Lily's highchair to our front room overlooking outside. She was completely content watching her Daddy while eating Cheerios's and drinking milk.

We trekked through the snow to my parents house in Mike's large four wheel drive truck and celebrated with a few of my Mom's family members, Christmas. To me, Christmas week had begun and what better way to start it than with a bed of snow.

Family photo in the snow!
In comparison to the final result, this is nothing! Mike had already shoveled this barely 20 min prior to the picture...
Mo Mo and the baby all bundled up for her first sleigh ride!
Lily and her G-Pa...a sweet and precious bond!
Super cuteness, trying to go for a ride
My Mom's beautiful table scape

Second, Christmas...Our beautiful tree which Mike picked all by himself. Although I was a bit upset he found it while I was inside the nursery asking a question, I couldn't reject it!This Christmas season went by all too fast and I would like to pride myself in taking full participation of Advent this year, although I am ashamed to say Mike and I only went to church one Sunday in December. Many excuses come to mind, but none of which are appropriate. I wish that my heart and soul had been more in tune to the spirit of Christmas, but I found myself distracted. I had hopes of Mike and I volunteering with the needy, being in a position to donate more money, to give gifts to a family, etc but it didn't happen this year, and I can only vow to try harder next year! I still hold the meaning of Christmas so deeply close to me, I only wish I had expressed it more!

Despite my own disappointments in myself, Christmas, this year was very special! Mike, Lily and I spent an amazing Christmas Eve together in celebration with my parents, brother and his girlfriend, Sarah. I am sad to say I took no pictures, but in my mind I will remember the great food, and great time we had. In joining Christmas eve traditions with Mike, I made his Mom's famous French Onion Soup and bread pudding for dessert. For our entree, a delicious Salmon and risotto! Writing about it makes me want to experience the tastiness all over:) Christmas morning, my parents were still with us, and we gathered in our basement around the tree for coffee, and my homemade cinnamon rolls, which Lily LOVED! I will admit, Mike and I were a bit skimpy on presents with Lily, but my focus was our family. Lily is very lucky to have spent Christmas with both of her grandparents, and they both were more than generous in their gift giving to Mike, Lily and I!

Third, Lily TURNS ONE!
It may be cliche to say, but it seems like yesterday that I was in the hospital waiting for Lily to arrive. Our life has changed as we know it and Mike and I couldn't be happier to be parents to such a vibrant, beautiful baby girl! Our year has been filled with so many memories which I hope to never forget, and it makes me excited for our years to come. I could go on and on with sappiness, but I will get straight away to the fun stuff.

In honor of a Christmas time birthday, I have decided that I need to make her day extra special. Although Mike agrees with me, and believes Lily's day is important, I know he thinks I am crazy for all the things I come up with. My idea of a birthday tree came last year when we were chopping down our Christmas tree and saw a mini Christmas tree. I thought, how cute would it be for Lily to have a tree specific to her birthday. We found this mini pink tree at Wal-mart and it was a perfect fit for a birthday tree! I decorated it with a small amount of ornaments, but my plan is to put ornaments from year to year on it.

I wanted to keep the decorations to a minimum for clutter purposes and financial purposes. It didn't seem necessary to buy a lot for a one year old party but I definitely wanted to make it memorable. My theme was pink and cupcakes, perfect for a baby girl :) I bought this cupcake tree and made my own cupcakes, chocolate and strawberry. I even piped the icing on top, which I was very proud of. Lily LOVED eating her cupcake, and videos are to come!My Mom made this sign for me 25 years ago for my first birthday. A couple weeks ago while going through my stuff still at my parents house, we foudn this. It was so special to have it there at Lily's party! If only Lily was looking.....

We had such a blast with Lily at her party! We are so grateful for all our guests who came to celebrate with us and all the generous gifts!!!! We are blessed with our health, love, and faith. Hooray for a successful year, I pray for the same in 2010.