6 months ago almost to the day, the world got a whole lot sweeter when aaron & meagan blessed us with a beautiful grand baby, isla ann. what a precious early christmas gift she was! due mid-december, she was following in the footsteps of lots of other little ruffs, joining the family during the holidays. we like to make party animals who come right in the thick of the festivities! so here's a look back on that very special month of december...
so december always starts off with our anniversary, the big 20 for us this year! congratulations to todd for putting up with me that long! i love that i can still make him blush after over 21 years together, and that he still kisses me every morning when he leaves no matter what, and that we miss each other like crazy when we're apart. where i struggle he is strong. he brings the calm, i bring the party. i think this is definitely looking like a long-term thing;) we weren't able to get away on a grand adventure like we imagined we would when we dreamed of this milestone years ago. but we did sneak in a date to luna on a snowy night in january to celebrate. maybe a tropical 2nd honeymoon will come another year...
next on the calendar: ella's birthday! 12 years old and spunky, feisty, and funny as ever. you guys this girl is seriously something else. no one can make me laugh like she can, and i have never met a human on planet earth that tests my patience and sanity like she can. she is the most vibrant, confident, beautiful, crazy, sweet-one-moment-spicy-the-next firecracker.
as ella's birthday rolled around on the 13th, the waiting game for isla was already in full swing....i started sleeping with my phone under my pillow weeks before she was due! she came just a tiny bit late, and on december 18th she made her big debut! it was the last day of school before christmas break, so when aaron texted in the middle of the night that meagan's water broke, we decided to have the kids skip school and holiday parties and make the trek to the west side as fast as we could get ready, hoping to be there by the time she arrived! the kids woke up, heard the news, and were beyond thrilled to meet this much anticipated baby girl! it was such a beautiful drive, spokane didn't really get any snow until the few days before this so as we rolled out of town and the snowflakes began to fly, it just added to the magical of such a special day. i cried when we left, i cried when aaron texted me along the way. i cried a lot of happy tears this day. the snow was gorgeous but also made for a bit of a delay. by "bit" i mean we spent FOUR HOURS waiting to get through the pass. with 4 kids who are full of excited energy, and full bladders, and anxious parents hanging on every text from aaron about labor progress, it felt like an eternity. but we made it to meet isla not long after she made her grand entrance. she was absolutely perfect in every way and meagan was such a natural mama, just like i knew she would be. holding her, and watching everyone that i love holding her was heaven on earth. there are moments in life that just can't be described in words, luckily it's etched in my mind and on my heart forever.
christmas rolled around and we sledded our hearts out on our back yard hill, enjoying scrabble, coffee, every baked good known to man, gifts, movies and snow, snow, snow. the kids and i prayed and prayed for a white christmas and boy did we get it!
and then our dawson turned 9 the next day. my baby boy that just couldn't wait till his january 16th due to be born, but wanted to get in on the excitement by coming early, making his mama spend christmas day in labor. what a little stinker he was. what a joy he is to me now though, still my #1 fan and the most tender-hearted boy you'll ever meet. he's hard on himself, but has a softness to his heart and desires to please. he is so well loved at school, by boys and girls alike. he loves to "hunt" prey in his ghillie suit and knows everything one could possibly know at this age about past wars and the military, yet he loves to cook and bake with me. 2 very different sides of one amazing boy.
well, that wraps up the craziness that is december in this house! photographic evidence below.
ella's birthday celebration: manicures, skating, and red robin with olivia!
on the road and on our way to meet baby isla!
aaron was thee best and sent tons of texts with labor updates. i burst into tears when i saw this picture. couldn't love them more.
it was day time when we approached the pass...
finally on the pass hours later!
the cutest little family!
auntie ella
proud grandpa!
new mama studying her baby
i know this picture is blurry, but it captures meagan's sweet, patient heart. she had just given birth and when ella asked to see isla's toes, she unwrapped her and let her touch her little piggies while chatting away. i wouldn't want anyone else in the world to have babies with aaron.
telling her daddy all about it
uncle charlie
uncle dawson
another visit with auntie ella
uncle mitch
little rosebud lips and more snuggles with todd
what aunts and uncles do these days. the zombie apocalypse
heading home...
santa cruise with the cousins and ninny
candlelight service
sledding with charlie out back!
snow forts
christmas mouse-in-the-house had a ruff night
baking with ninny, they don't call her ninny ninny num-num for nothin'!
delivering caramel corn to the neighbors
more baking
some of the dudes
bonding over WWII facts
mitchy and cousin adam match!
uncle dave trying to keep the kids in the dungeon at aunt suzanne's
christmas eve
christmas morning faces!
snowball fight!
there were a lot of star wars moments that night after watching the movie
our 20th anniversary date
