Earlier this month we were thrilled to be able to make a trip to St. Louis as a fun family getaway and to visit the Zimmermans! We had this all planned before our lives changed and we brought our sweet angel baby home from the hospital, so we weren't quite sure how it would all work out with an added individual to our usual family of 7 that we have grown accustomed to for the past 8 years!
Never fear, however, for she slept all the way there, all the way back, and was held, cuddled and loved every minute in between :). The only dilemma we faced was the fact that she didn't exactly sleep through the nights we were there. We decided she is already attached to our sleeping routine and her bed here at home because the night after we returned she slept like a rock. Oh well, a little less sleep never hurt anyone, right Dad?!
We loved meeting up with Grandpa and Grandma and having them join us for the trip! On Friday evening we enjoyed dining out and the cheerful Christmas ambiance of the streets in St. Charles. The weather was perfect and there were Christmas lights in abundance as we strolled up and down together listening to the carolers and joining in now and then.
(thanks to the Zims for watching the baby back at their house while we enjoyed the evening! I'm sure it was a tough job :))
you know the legendary song that states, "chestnuts roasting on an open fire..."? Well, we actually got a first hand taste of chestnuts roasting on an open fire.
thanks to the kind photographer who offered to take our picture! And no, it wasn't Marcus... the afore mentioned photographer just happened to not include him in the photograph (accidently?).
On Saturday morning after a delicious breakfast, we ventured out into St. Louis to visit the Gateway Arch. Again, the weather was gorgeous - barely sweatshirt weather!
when you give Jared the camera, you are 100% guaranteed pictures from all different angles and perspectives.
we brought the baby along this time and she hardly made one peep, yet somehow attracted lots of attention.
enjoying the view from the top!
and now we know what it is like to ride in a washer machine.... :)
We got back to Zims early afternoon and Grandpa and Grandma left to return home soon after. Matt and Kim also left for a Christmas party and we enjoyed the evening babysitting the kiddos!
homemade pizzas
they served lunch the next day so we got stuff ready for that, too! We never ceased to have an abundance of little helpers... Kim must be able to get a lot done in a day, haha :) :).
Since Karl continually hinted at the fact that his birthday was coming up and that he thought we should do something about it, we decided to take the hint. I think his gullibility level is like Mom's - you can pretty much pull anything off without any suspicion. Never mind the fact that Marcus was holding him captive by his arms in the hallway for a full 5 minutes while we scrambled around trying to find something to light the candles!
there was an abundance of energy throughout our 'I never' game. Thing along the lines of "I've never done a cartwheel in the bathtub," or "I've never been a Christmas tree"...
a full van to church the next morning!
we loved being there for the kids' Christmas program!! It was super impressive and rather dimmed the grand experience of our Christmas program back home :).
Thanks for hosting us for the weekend, Zimmermans! We loved spending the weekend with you, touring your house, meeting your neighbors, and going to church together... but we still miss having you just 10 miles away.
so glad you two could join in on the fun! Thanks for putting up with us :).
Happy 55th anniversary! (thanks for getting married! :) )
Since returning home, we have jumped right into everything Christmas - choir practices and concerts, baking, shopping, wrapping, etc, all to the tune of Christmas music :). While our lives did completely change that day we went to the hospital to pick up sweet princess, they have fallen into a steady rhythm which feels almost normal. There is just a twist of a new normal as we continue with nearly all of the daily happenings, minus just a few to make room for things like snuggles, bottles, snuggles, diapers, snuggles, caseworker visits, snuggles, court dates, snuggles, doctor appointments, and snuggles (not to mention the fact that every snuggle is x7:))
We love her lots and feel so blessed to have her in our lives at this lovely newborn stage that is quickly disappearing.
More later!
No comments:
Post a Comment