Christmas Morning

We had a really nice Christmas in Albany this year. We said we weren't going to go overboard with gifts this year since Maggie is so young, but of course - we did! She got a Tickle Me Elmo (Extreme!) - it's hysterical to watch and she absolutely loves it. She also got a mini Dyson vacuum just like Mama's. Since we will likely be away from home most Christmases we've come up with a nice tradition for Maggie. Each year I buy her a special pair of Christmas PJ's and that will be how Santa knows where she is. Maggie really loves being with our families which is the best present we could ever ask for. Seeing her play with my nieces and nephews just like I did when they were her age makes very happy. Overall it was a bitter sweet Christmas without Grandpa there, but Maggie makes everything so much fun that you can't help but smile. We had a good time being with family and watching all of Maggie's antics.

Peace. Joy. Love.

Our blog has been 'Out of Service' for some time now, but with the new year comes resolutions. So, we have resurrected our blog to facilitate our resolution to keep family close. We hope this will keep people better updated on the comings and goings of our little social butterfly.

Here's a quick wrap-up of all that Maggie has been up to:
-Talking, talking, talking! She repeats absolutely everything, but my favorite things she says are: please and thank you. I've never known a 17 month old to use those words so often and appropriately.
- Walking. She's been doing this since a little before her 1st birthday, but now she's really mastered it. She's working on climbing next.
- Family. Maggie loves looking at pictures of friends and family. She knows so many of her cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and friends by name. She loves pointing out people in pictures.
- Loss. Unfortunately at only 17 months old Maggie has already experienced the loss of two grandparents. We're grateful that she is too young to understand and that her smile gets us through each day.