Water Baby

So we took a our first trip as a family to Arne Hanna Aquatic Center with Brian, Shannon, and in-utero baby Rush. It was super fun and we even ran into some friends from church too! Why didn't we do this sooner? Keely *loved* the pool, splashing and laughing like crazy. I guess it's no surprise...she's actually been in a variety of bodies of water. The first I believe was Lake Osoyoos, the "warmest lake in Canada," which is to say, still very cold. She loved Nonnie and Grandpa's pool in Phoenix and took the waves in Kauai like a champ. We also have swimming time with Mama in our soaking tub--she loves kicking and floating. Of course bathtime is a hit too. I can't wait to start swim lessons in February! We haven't been able to start b/c you have to wait till they're six months which was the middle of November, so we missed that session, then December was too busy, and I missed the January session by one day! Shoot! Anyhow, besides lessons, I hope we can make family time at the pool a new routine! If you're interested in a field trip, give us a call!

Here are some other pics of our water baby

First "Official" Family Photo

yep, a trio of red heads and blue eyes

Beautiful Keely

Our friend Aaron, who is a very talented professional photographer, came over yesterday to do a shoot of Keely (and a few of us too :). Here's a first look...isn't she adorable?

Keely's Dedication

Keely was dedicated at church this past Sunday. What is "dedication"? Rather than baptizing Keely, we opted to "dedicate" her, that is publicly commit to raising her in a Christ-centered home, teaching and modeling a relationship with Jesus, hoping and praying that as she grows, she too will choose to become a follower of Jesus and choose to publicly confess her faith with baptism. The dedication service also recognizes the part that our family and church community play in raising Keely and invites their support and encouragement. We were blessed to have many family and friends join us for the service and brunch reception after...thanks so much for your love and support!!

Keely's First Christmas!

Well, unfortunately we don't have any great photos uploaded yet (sorry!). Our Christmas celebration started by going to the Lights of Christmas with Eric's family and spending the weekend on Camano Island. We had a great time and for the most part Keely did fantastic sleeping in the pack n' play. Keely enjoyed pulling bows off and chewing wrapping paper and magazines!!

Once back home, we were joined by my parents and auntie Meg...we attended Christmas Eve candlelight service at church and headed to bed, eagerly awaiting Santa. Much to Eric's dismay, we did not open presents or stockings Christmas Eve, but opted to wait until Christmas morning. We enjoyed a leisurely morning opening presents, stockings, watching Keely play with new toys, eating yummy breakfast casserole, and taking afternoon naps. Mom and I made a rib roast (a first for Christmas) which was an unexpected but wonderful departure from turkey.

While Eric had to work on Boxing Day, the rest of us enjoyed leftovers and nearly six hours of Wii!!

Playing Wii

The Lights of Christmas

We took our second annual trip to Warm Beach Camp's Lights of Christmas with Eric's family. Keely was mesmerized by all the lights and managed to stay warm (and even fall asleep!) with some major bundling.