December 16-30

Hey everyone! I am really starting to get behind on weekly so posts, so I must resort to monthly posts instead starting in January. Sorry Jax! :) We had a wonderful Christmas!

The weekend before Christmas, Cooper and I went up to St. Louis for the Kiley Christmas. Grandma Bern, Cathy, Mike, Kisha, Jett, Cash, Terry, Chrissy, Allie, Amanda, Raegan, Rita, Chris, Carli, Brendan, Mom, Dad, Jackie, and Matt were all in attendance - we sure missed Steve, Shannon, and Eddie. We had a full house, but it was wonderful to see everyone. We opened presents, ate way too much and had a great time catching up.

Then, a couple days later, Shannon and I braved the night and headed back to St. Louis very late on the 23rd. We arrived around 2:00 am on Christmas Eve. After a good night's rest, we began the family festivities. We went to Mass, came home and ate snacks, and played games. Steve joined us Christmas morning for presents and a delicious lunch courtesy of mom. It was amazing! Santa was very good to us this year. :) We even had a white Christmas! It is beautiful!

Next, we headed to Dixon to spend some time with the Sharps. Esebella is getting so big! She and Cooper really enjoyed opening presents from Grandma, Grandpa, and Santa. Cindy cooked a delicious dinner of fried wild turkey and the fixins'. This was my first time trying it and it was amazing!

Then, we headed home, only to have another party to go to! Steve had to work, but Cooper and I went over to the Ebbrecht homestead to celebrate Roo's birthday. Tacos, dirt cake, and apple pie topped off our holiday filled week! I love spending time with the crew. We really are blessed to have such an amazing group of friends. Love you guys!

We will be ending the week with a quiet New' Years at home. Cooper is tired out of the holiday fun, so we decided to take it easy this year. I am really looking forward to what 2011 has to bring. In the past few years God has taken us on a wonderful journey, and I can't wait to see what's in store for us next. Wishing you a very Happy New Year!