So Much Snow!

Hi loved ones; sorry for the silence! We have been busy enjoying my mother and step-father's visit and getting ready to celebrate Christmas over the next two days. But here are some photos and video of us this past weekend, enjoying the snow! We had a major winter storm last Saturday (about 20 inches - half a meter!) and we got to dress Daniel up in a snow suit and play in the snow for awhile. He didn't enjoy it as much as we thought he would, but at least we were able to experience with him his first time in the snow. Check out the slide show below and video of him sledding for the first time!

Christmas Traditions: Advent Calendar and Candles...

One of the Christmas Traditions we have started this year as a family, is to have a Nativity Scene Advent Calendar and Advent Candles. "Advent" comes from the Latin word "Adventus" which means "Coming." The Advent season (beginning the 4th Sunday before Christmas day) serves as a reminder to Christians around the world of the coming of Jesus and helps us expectantly wait and prepare for celebrating His birth on Christmas day.



We open a new door of the Advent Calendar each December day, place a figure in the nativity scene and talk about the birth of Jesus. This is Daniel exploring the calendar at the beginning of the month...



Now, almost half way through the month, there already are lots of figures in place and Daniel loves opening the little doors and placing the figures in the nativity scene.

There are now only two more Sundays left until Christmas! We light one candle each Sunday during the Advent season and as Jesus' birth approaches, more candles are lit and the light shines brighter - it's a great reminder for us that Jesus is the "light of the world!"

John 8:12 "Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Daniel Is 21 Months Old!

Can you believe that Daniel is already 21 months old? He will be TWO in less than 3 months! We are amazed how fast the second year of his life has gone! Just for fun, look what Daniel looked like exactly a year ago... He was a cute, couldn't move around on his own, baby!




And now look at him... a cute, always on the go, toddler!


A child's growth and development is so special, such a blessing to be part of!

We have had several special times recently; some we didn't capture on camera... but for those that we did, check out the slide show below!

Starting Our Christmas Traditions... Photos and Video!

For as long as I can remember, I have always loved Christmas. But since becoming a follower of Jesus, it has grown to mean so much more, as I have gained a greater understanding of how amazing it is that God Himself came to earth as a vulnerable baby, to show us His love, how we are to live, and most importantly, to reconcile us with God through His death and give us hope for eternity through His resurrection. That is why we love to celebrate Christmas; there really is no better news!

I have always wanted to have family Christmas traditions; special things that we do every year together as a family. For different reasons, I didn't have this growing up, but it is something I have always desired... Thankfully now, having Daniel, we feel that the time has come for us to start our own family traditions. So this year, as Christmas quickly approaches and with much excitement, we have started to implement some of the traditions that we hope to do for many years to come...

The first Christmas tradition that we started this past Saturday (the weekend after Thanksgiving), was to put up our Christmas tree and other decorations together as a family, with Christmas music playing in the background. It was such a joyful time, I almost cried at times! Daniel had a great time too, it all went very smoothly (which with a toddler, I wasn't sure it was going to be that way :-))!

Have a look at the slide show of photos, which record the very first time that Daniel helped us decorate our home for Christmas...

And here is a short video of our special morning... If you listen carefully, you will hear Daniel talking, including him saying his own name - he recently started calling himself "Nani", he says it so cutely and gently!

We hope to implement several other traditions this year, so stay tuned for more on this!