*emelia*

our sweet little emelia aliciann

arrived on tuesday 

7lbs 11oz, 20in

we are all totally in love with her

Christmas

we spent a cozy Christmas Eve together as a family

scripture reading, stockings, presents, cinnamon rolls...

 the dash to look for names on the gifts

we don't put our presents under the tree until after the boys are in bed

the night before, so they're always surprised by what they find

 hours of contented play

mark has been working long, long hours lately

so the chance to slow down for a few days and celebrate

our Savior's birth, and time with family

seemed extra special this year

one month

till my due date

and while honestly that feels very far away

the increasing number of contractions and cramps i'm having

remind me that there really will be an end...

and i'm so excited!!!!

i finally got some work done on her room

this past week (thanks to my mom and sisters)

can't wait to get all of her clothes washed and ready

how this little girl changes the dynamic of our family

we can't wait to see...

o christmas tree

the day after we came home from obx, 

we met up with the cousins at the farm

to get our trees

 

trees, hot chocolate (not really necessary with the balmy weather we had)

and a game of tag

fun times

sunshine and rain

what started as a beautifully sunny afternoon at the beach...

quickly turned...

to this!!!  

mark, luca and xan were the last to make it back to the house

it poured, and i mean poured

i made it back a few minutes before these guys and quickly grabbed my camera

wish it wasn't blurry because luca's face was PRICELESS!

beach bum

thanksgiving spent at the obx this year with my family

was such a blessing

so very relaxing, with gorgeous weather

(and maybe 2 year old who happened to be very demanding and whiny--

and may have caused his pregnant mama a few meltdowns of her own)

but otherwise, it really was perfect

as usual, i left the majority of the photography to jonalee

but did pull out my camera during a few of our beach jaunts

here's my beach bum

i just love his total abandon...

for my brother...

I'm proud of you.

Thank you for putting your life on the line

for often ungrateful people.

I love you.

 _____________________________________________________

Oh.. you're a firefighter?? That's cool. 

I wanted to do that when I was a kid. 

What do you make?" "WHAT DO I MAKE?? 

I make holding your hand seem like the biggest thing in the world when I'm cutting you out of a car. 

I can make 5 minutes seem like a lifetime when I go in a burning house to save your family. 

I make those annoying sirens seem like angels when you need them. 

I can make your children ...............breathe when they stop. 

I can help you survive a heart attack. 

I make myself get out of bed at 3am to risk my life to save people I've never met. 

Today I might make the ultimate sacrifice to save your life. 

I make a difference, what do you make?" 
(author unknown)