Merry Christmas

What a wonderful Christmas we had! We enjoyed the time to rest and relax and be with family. I, Katie, was recovering from a small surgery, so pretty much didn't do much but sit on the couch. Luckily, Grandma and Grandpa were more than willing to help out with the boys. Julio caught up on some much needed rest too. We loved going to church on Christmas Eve...Sam kept asking where baby Jesus was and he was so excited to hear "Away in the Manger." So fun to experience Christmas through the eyes of a child!

Sam enjoyed the time to play outside in the snow! Thank goodness he had grandpa to play with him as his mom and dad are wimps when it comes to spending time outside in the cold :)

I decided to institute a new family tradition and give the kids new pjs on Christmas eve. That way they'll have one gift to open Christmas eve and they'll look cute for pictures the next morning :)


The boys enjoyed some time with their aunt and uncle. We enjoyed the time to catch up with them too. They provided dessert for Christmas eve - Chocolate fondue! Yummy!





Christmas morning was pretty low key, with opening gifts and enjoying a yummy brunch! I can't believe we actually fit most of the gifts in our suitcase to take back to Chicago!! The boys did great traveling and while it was great to get back home, we all wish Minnesota was closer.

Sam's 3rd birthday!

That's right! We have a three year old on our hands! It's so hard to believe! His birthday actually started back at the same place it started, Swedish Covenant hospital. The night before his birthday he swallowed a coin, a penny, he called it. I couldn't believe it. So, the doctor had us go in the morning of his birthday for an x-ray...sure enough...there it was making it's way through the intestines. It actually came out by noon...and it wasn't a penny, it was a nickel!

The rest of the day was fun, as we celebrated with some of his friends. We enjoyed face painting, thanks to our very talented friend, Jason, cupcakes, crafts, and presents. I know I was tired by the time the afternoon was done. Here are some pictures to highlight the big day.

Trip to Colombia

We just spent an awesome 10 days visiting friends and family in Colombia. I was very nervous about traveling with two kids, but they did sooooo good. We received so many compliments on the plane! There are so many stories we could share about the trip, the visits we had with people, the highlights. I wrote up some of them with pictures on our other blog, so I'll just add a few more here.

It definitely is more complicated to travel with two kids, but we found ways to make it more enjoyable. We found this great thing to use to strap our car seat to the carry-on suitcase, so we could wheel that around the airport, sometimes with Ben in it :)




While in Medellin we visited with lots of friends and Julio's extended family. We visited the seminary where Julio graduated, a few of the churches in the area, met with pastors and leaders, ate some of our favorite foods, etc.




We spent quite a bit of time with Julio's family in the small town where they live. There has been lots of raining and flooding in Colombia, so instead of taking a bus like we'd planned, we took a plane (a very small one!) It was crazy to see all the flooded areas. The neighborhood where Julio's family lives wasn't flooded, but they didn't have any running water as the flooding affected the aqueducts. We spent most of the days sitting on the front porch of their house, watching Sam play with his cousins. Ben loved all the attention from his grandparents and aunts and uncles. We spent a day in another town where Julio grew up, enjoying lunch with his cousins, aunts, etc. The weather was extremely warm, but luckily both kids seemed to seem, eat, and play without much of a problem.









Back in Medellin, we celebrated Thanksgiving with some friends and new friends. It was a great time of talking, eating, and enjoying each others company. We walked around a couple neighborhoods where we would potentially like to live when we move back. It was great to dream and think about what life will be like living in Colombia again. We have a lot to do before that becomes reality, but it's closer than it has been before.

Ben's Dedication

Earlier in Nov. we had a great opportunity to present Benjamin to our church community to be dedicated. We pray that Ben will grow up to know, love, and serve God. We know that our responsibility to model and live out faith is huge, but we cannot do it alone. We are thankful for friends, family and a church community who will walk along side us and support Ben as he grows. Here are some pictures from the special day.

Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Jason

Enjoying the music

The dedication at church

Our wonderful neighbors and friends, the Mohns

Our good friend Karen

Elmo

I couldn't resist! He's such a big Elmo fan and our friends had this costume that fit him perfectly! He only got a couple pieces of candy, which was more than enough. Mainly he was happy to pretend he was Elmo for awhile.

Grandpa and Grandma

Grandpa and Grandma came to visit last weekend! Sam enjoyed the company and attention and Julie and I enjoyed the extra help! We didn't do much but hang out around the house, but it was nice to be together. Julio and I got out both evenings for a date, which was great! As always, the time flew by!