Thanksgiving

This year, we spent Thanksgiving in Cincinnati, OH with the Millers. It's definitely been nice to live closer to them and to have more extended time there. We all had a great time eating, doing some early morning shopping in the snow (yes, we did the crazy 5am shopping, but we were successful!) and just being with family. Matt also had his 10 year High School reunion, which was a lot of fun. And an added bonus: Matt got to go to the Bengals game and watch his team dominate from the 1st row on the 12-yard-line! Ethan enjoyed playing with his grandparents, his cousin Lucy and Uncle Alex...thanks, Grandma, for saving those great toys!

All in all, it was a great weekend!

Christmas Village

Well, we started putting up Christmas decorations this past week...a much more 'interesting' task with a toddler. The first thing to go up was the Christmas village my dad bought me when I was young. I set it up first, because I thought Ethan would enjoy playing with it...and did he ever! He's already lost two of the street musicians, and he broke one, but he sure has had fun.

So, next on the list...the Christmas tree! It should prove to be equally as fun and if we make it through Christmas with no broken ornaments, that will truly be a Christmas miracle!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Saturday was Matt's birthday (the first of many 29th birthdays, he says). When he woke up, he joined me and Ethan for some Saturday morning cartoons, and it was almost as if Ethan knew it was his dad's special day. He climbed up on the couch and curled up with Matt. When I got the camera out, Ethan really came alive and started posing with his daddy...he must have known that it would make Matt's day, which it did!

"It's beginning to feel a lot like Michigan..."

Well, it seems that our luck with the weather has run out. We had a beautiful fall here in Michigan...everyone told me that it was abnormally warm and to enjoy it while it lasted. Well, we did, and it lasted until yesterday when the temperature reached a whopping 39 degrees. Add some rain to that and zero sunshine, and we've finally hit the Michigan weather. But it did provide the perfect opportunity to make a big pot of homemade soup! So, I'm hanging in there and looking at the bright side.

Ethan is, too...after all, it gives him the chance to go to the mall playground more often (see photo)! He also decided to try on his dad's Michigan hat the other day, proving that he is indeed making the adjustment and is becoming a true "Michigander".

We really are enjoying it here, in spite of the new weather. I (Emily) love being on the volleyball team and have started making some great friends. There are a lot of wonderful people here! Matt continues to enjoy youth ministry, and I think I can speak for him and say that it's a constant stretching and growing experience!
For those of you who don't know, I have also been given the opportunity to lead a youth trip to Germany next summer!!! I obviously accepted the offer, and I'm sure I'll start the 'countdown' pretty soon.

So, all in all, life is good and God is better. He has truly provided all we have needed and more!

Lucy's Party!

Last weekend, we were able to go to Cincinnati for Lucy's first birthday party! Lucy is Ethan's cousin on the Miller side and is truly the life of the party...the girl dances more than any baby I've ever seen! As you can tell from the pictures, she is a blue-eyed cutie. We had a great time at her party, and I think she had the best birthday cake I've ever seen or tasted...seriously, it was incredible! Unfortunately, it was a quick trip for us, but we'll get to see the full Miller crew again at Thanksgiving.

Thanks for a great party, Jeff and Emily and Happy Birthday, Lucy!