Vienne's First Christmas

On Vienne's first Christmas she was 7 months old.  If anyone remembers the December of 2008
that was the last year we had a big snow storm in the Portland area.

(our drive from our Cannon Beach home, over the pass, to Portland - I love snow.)

In our family, we do the "every other year swap" - you know, one year we spend Thanksgiving with my family and Christmas with Mark's and the next year we swap.  So, that first year with Vienne was Christmas with Mark's family.  We always do a Christmas dinner with my family before we take off to spend Christmas with Mark's.

(my Mama and Stepdad's house - looks like a winter wonderland cottage)

(on a snow walk - me and my sis...ya think we look a bit alike?)

(me and my Mama)

(opening gifts and sharing love at our pre-Christmas gathering with my family)

(opening her first Christmas gifts)

(watching the train go around the tree, on Grandpa's lap)

After our "pre-Christmas" festivities with my family, we spent the night in a hotel at the airport so that we could fly early the next morning, all the way to Boston to spend Christmas at Mark's brother's house, along with the rest of his family (talk about a run-on sentence..that I have no intention of fixing).   A huge snowstorm hit the night we spent at the hotel.  We ended up getting trapped at the airport the next day, with a 7mo. old, for 10 hours!!  Actually, near the end of that 10 hrs, they finally cancelled our flight, after keeping us on a string of slim hope all day long.  If you know me and my mothering, I am somewhat of a self-proclaimed 'sleep nazi' - meaning that I have always kept a very regimented nap schedule for my babies, which keeps us all happy...but can also get me all in a tizzy when the schedule goes out of whack.  So, being stuck in an airport for an entire day with a baby was well, let's just say, less than desirable for me!  Feeling purely down and dejected, we packed up.  As we headed down to pick up our checked luggage, they announced, over the intercom, that our flight was back on.  I broke down into tears.  But, we turned around and trudged back to the plane and boarded for a 6 hour flight.  Fun times.  Not the best memories to start off our first Christmas as a family...but once we arrived to a snowy Boston, we enjoyed a family-filled festive week together.

(looking out the window, at the airport...waiting....waiting...waiting)

(in Boston, at Dan and Becky's, outside for some sledding)

(I love this picture.  Look at her freaked out face!  I guess she wasn't so much of a thrill seeker just yet)

(since V wasn't really enjoying the sledding, she and I headed inside)

(Christmas morning, in our jammies)

(opening gifts)

(cousins - oh my, she looks like Ivy here)

(the sisters - I cherish each of these girls and am so blessed to be married into this family)

(Mark and the kiddos)

(aw, my sweet sweet girl in a cute sweater dress)