Another blessed day: Almost Christmas!!

I can't believe it is almost Christmas...less than a week away. Ricky often starts telling us in May that it is almost Christmas, yet now it truly is!! I love to hear Derick's countdown everyday as he checks his advent calender. It is the cutest thing... first thing he wakes up in the morning and walks into my room and most often before even saying Good Morning, he shouts..."Mom, I get to open another present!!" I am usually just coming to at that point and once am coherent enough tell him yes to run and get it. My mom has this wonderful tradition of having a gift for everyday in December along with a note to encourage spiritual thought/growth. Last year he truly took all the words to heart and listened as I would read each day. This year he seems to be a little more anxious to see what is in the present, yet knows he must wait patient until he hears the message. Then he tells me just how many days are left. And sometimes even reminds me that he is almost 4 1/2...that after Christmas he'll be 4 1/2 and that Zoe is zero and half, but after Christmas she will be getting closer to being 1 year old. Way too many numbers that early in the morning, but it is all fun.

Zoe just decided she was tired of sitting still this week. Considering she is nearly 10 months I guess we have had it pretty easy going. She has always been happy to just sit and watch all around her, occasionaly scooting a couple feet to grab a toy. Yesterday she made her way across the room...so now we must childproof...gates, locks, etc. Yet in her walker it is a very different story...she RUNS! Tonight she was playing hide and seek with Derick running around the kitchen island and she would just squeal and chase after him. Oh how I love to watch them play. And while I know deep in my heart that I love them both so dearly, watching them play and love each other overflows my heart with love more for each of them.

Derick and Zoe with their cousins Taylor and Katie.

We have really tried to enjoy all that Christmas preparation brings. We look forward to it all year and then it seems that it always goes so fast. So the kids and I enjoyed pajama day at least once a week for the last month...just a day to stay home and hang out without all the hustle and bustle. I love to chase them around with my camera....Some would say torture them with pictures...poor Zoe. When I was making Derick's Baby Book a few weeks ago (I know...better late than never!) I realized how many candid pics I have of him doing everything, yet Zoe I have so very few. I have a ton of beautiful posed pics of her, yet in my stubbornness of only wanting to photograph in "good light" I don't bring out the camera near as much...so maybe that will be a New Year resolution for me :)

So here are a couple... Derick ran his first race yesterday... a 1K. We were so proud of him...he ran the whole time and gave it all he had! I wish I had a picture of him running but as I took my camera out of the bag to catch Ricky in his 5K race I dropped it and the lense broke :( I cried. Then I looked up and saw Zoe rolled down a little hill in the stroller. Thankfully some kind people grabbed it about 20 feet away. Then I cried again for having such a bad mommy moment!