Christmas With Nate's Family

After Christmas, we headed to Oakdale, WI to see Nate's family. I wish the pictures my cell phone took had turned out better. We made the traditional Swiss douba (bread in the shape of a dove). I'm finally getting better at it.  They had some dough that no one could work with and they let me have it.  I got it moist enough to work and created a delicious candy cane bread. The girls enjoyed their time with their cousins. I love that they are getting to know them better and better. I didn't get that opportunity growing up as mine were very far away. I'm realizing since my sister died, how important family is.  Mikayla realized this too. After the family gift opening, Christmas story and poetry reciting, and Christmas carols, she told me it made her miss Christine.  She said that she didn't get to know Christine as well as she would have liked and she will miss not getting to celebrate Christmas with her anymore.  It made us smile to know that Mikayla has realized the importance of spending time with family.  We have all learned a lesson this year...life is so short and everyday needs to be lived intentionally. That is my goal for 2014.

Elyana's bread douba.

Cousins.

The girls, Lindsay and I made some awesome snowmen.

Nate's niece, Micah was part of a neat Bethlehem market at her church. The church was set up like a real market in Jesus day. The girls got to see how they would make and sell pottery, staffs, oils, yarn, dye, etc.

Christmas!

 My mom came here to Rochester for Christmas again this year. It was so nice. Her dog, Chloe experienced her first Christmas which meant we had to fence up the presents around the tree. It reminded me of the years we had a tiny tree and it was set up on a table to keep it safe from the girls when they were 1-2 years old. Christmas Eve we went to church together and then went out to dinner at a Chinese buffet.  Elyana entertained us by trying to speak Chinese very loudly. Christmas morning, we opened presents and made a wonderful lunch. My work assistant, Christie was here for Christmas with her newborn and came over to join us. My mom and I had so much joy holding her baby. We both agreed that it was a blessing and a distraction from thinking of our first Christmas without my sister.

Elyana in her favorite red sweater dress at church.

The girls made a birthday cake for Jesus. They used the extra batter to make cake pops for Santa.

This is what Elyana likes to do with Christmas wrapping bubble wrap. She fashioned herself a dress with duct tape.

Mikayla let me do her hair for Christmas dinner. She's growing up so fast!

Jewelry Making

I have been dabbling in jewelry making some more. I wish I had more time to do it, I might get an Etsy account and sell them online. My friend, Jen Pauley and I are seriously thinking of doing a craft show table together. We are always bouncing ideas off of each other. Here are a few things I've made. The top two are for Christmas presents.

It is a birds nest I will make into necklaces or earrings.

Christmas with Dad

We got back from Thanksgiving and I was incredibly busy back at work and then getting my house ready for our first Christmas celebration.  My dad and Sarah came to visit and they brought my niece, Sophia with them.  The girls and I were signed up to bell ring for Salvation Army like we usually do so the whole family joined us. We exchanged presents and the girls played until it was time for church. I taught Elyana and Sophia as I was scheduled in Elyana's classroom at our church.

November

November was a very busy month. A week before Thanksgiving, Nate's father had to have serious heart surgery here at Mayo Clinic. Nate's sister, Nancy, flew in from New York for the week. His other sisters came up for the surgery day. It was nice to spend some time here at our house with his family. It's not very often we get them all to visit us here. Nate's dad has had a long road of recovery, but I believe he is on the mend finally. Here is a picture I snapped of the girls with Nancy in the waiting room of the ICU.

When Thanksgiving came, we headed to my mom's in Madison for a few days, then to my Dad's.
We ate and caught the new Disney movie, Frozen, with my dad and Sarah and then drove on to Nate's parents for a few days.

Photo Highlights from Mikayla's Baptism

We are so so proud of her!