Snow week!

Sunday January 9th, a big snow storm (well, big for Georgia) came in that night. We woke up to about 6 inches of snow on Monday morning. We had sent home all of the Ranch boys and girls in fear of losing power and not having adequate resources. This was a great decision, seeing that we were snowed/iced into our home for the majority of the week. We were, however, able to walk to our neighbors homes, so we gathered for soup, a Wi tournament and sledding to avoid cabin fever. It was a fun, lazy week!

I look forward to snow next year when Eden can get out and play in it!!

Eden is eating cereal!

My 29th

Just wanted to share a picture of the yummy and creative breakfast my sweet husband, John, made for me on my birthday, January 5th.

John also took me on a shopping spree to REI the week before to get some colder weather walking/hiking gear! I am ready to finish working off this baby weight!

4 month check-up

The first week of January we took Eden for her 4 month check-up. She was 14lbs 3oz (75%) and 27in (95%+) long. She esentially gained 3 lbs and 3.5 in, so there is a bit of a trend in her growth patterns (last appt. she had gained 3 lbs and 3 in).

She was at or ahead of all her developmental milestones and she was so happy and engaging with Dr. Hilton and his nurse. She got her second round of shots and she did excellent with those once again. Just a little bit of crying, but she slept like a champ the next 24 hours. I started wondering if we could make shots a weekly thing! :)

Eden is truly a JOY! Living up to her name - our "perfect joy." She is sleeping so well, through the night (I am talking 12-13 hours at a time) and has been for several weeks now. She is also drooling a lot which makes me think she is beginning teething, but she has been drooling a lot for the past 3-4 weeks and still no sign of teeth. She is smiling, laughing, making all kinds of fun noises and over the past two weeks she has been trying to blow raspberries!

Sweet girl

Day After Christmas - Rolling Over

The day after Christmas was Eden's 4 month birthday. She decided to celebrate by rolling over for the first time! I can't believe how fast she is growing! I didn't get photos of the first roll, but I captured her rolling a few days later:

Eden is such a sweet and wonderful baby! We love caring for her so much - it truly is a JOY! She has been making so many new sounds and getting so strong. We are thankful to God for her health, growth and safety!

The night after Christmas, John's sister Julia and her family (Marty and Logan) joined us for the Nights of Lights at Lake Lanier and dinner at Cracker Barrel. We had a great time with them while they were visiting from West Virginia!

Christmas Day

Our first Christmas with Eden was great! She actually woke up a little early and ended going back to sleep for a long morning nap, so John and I were able to have breakfast and open presents just the two of us. Next year it will be so fun, when she can actually understand what is going on!

We headed over to Lauren and Scott's house for presents and lunch with my side of the family. We had a great time! Here are a few photos from that:

Benjamin got a Thomas the Train bicycle and he was all about it while we were there!

After our late lunch, a snow storm moved in, so we headed home to get in before the weather got bad. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of the snow :(, but it was beautiful. It was the first white Christmas in Georgia since the 1800's!

Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve, we went to the Gwinnett Arena for the Grace Fellowship Christmas Eve Service (my parents' church). It was a great service and we really enjoyed it! The children's choir was so cute and the worship was awesome! There were also some very neat testimonies and many baptisms.

The music during the last segment was very loud and I was afraid it would bother Eden, but she ended up sleeping through it! Isn't it crazy that they can sleep thought such things?!

Eden had the cutest outfit on, but I failed to get a picture of her. This was the only picture I got in the car on the way there:

After the service, we went over to the Lanes' for gourmet soup and sandwiches. Here is a picture of Eden with Pop. I had changed her out of her cute dress since she had drooled all over it!

Christmas Baby

John's mom made a beautiful, warm, Christmasy lap blanket for Eden to use in her car seat. Here is a picture of her all bundled up so cute and festive! We loved using this - thank you Nana!

Allison

My sweet friend Allison, from high school, came to visit Eden for the first time the week before Christmas. She brought her a beautiful handmade first Christmas ornament (that I wish I had taken a picture of before packing it away)!

Grandpa's Eyes

John's dad, Grandpa for Eden, stopped by to see us before he moved up to West Virginia. We got a picture of him with Eden. Don't you think she has his eyes?

Christmas with our boys

Here are a couple shots of us with our Ranch Boys. These were taken the week before they went home for Christmas Break. We were celebrating one of our boys' graduations!

Serious

Funny

Also, here is a shot of everyone in their PJ pants that they got for Christmas (even Duke)!

Symphony

I am a bit behind on the blogging for December and through the holidays, so I am going to try and get caught up.

The first week of December, we went to see the Atlanta Symphony play the Christmas portion of Messiah. We had a wonderful time! Here are a few pictures. (This was a kid free night. Nana stayed with Eden. )