Mmmmm....

Ainsley has already been enjoying her new toys from Christmas. As you can see in the video below, she enjoys getting them all out so she can go back and forth deciding what to play with. This often means she's wearing a feather boa or necklace while holding Mrs. Potato Head while using her pots and pans.

Dear Iowa,

I thought we talked about this.

Image Copyright kcrg.com

There is yet time....
Yours,
Heath

New Photos

Ainsley is nearly 2 years old!! Here are some recent photos of her : Ainsley - nearly 2

Christmas letter?

I made a conscious decision after Thanksgiving not to write a Christmas letter this year. Suddenly it was December and I had hardly a clue how to summarize our year, much less in a clever way (or at least in full sentences). The thought of trying to write that letter in just a few days (because printing, cutting, folding, and envelope stuffing takes a good amount of time and I wanted it out by Christmas) was stressing me out, so with Heath's ok, I went ahead with the rather boring, though traditional, Christmas card. I'm not sure what I expected to come of that decision, besides some stress relief. Now as the end of the year is approaching, I am wishing I'd written that letter. I am wishing I had a concise description of our year. And I'm wishing that I'd shared it with our friends and family.

So here's the next best thing:

Our Top 10 List of 2009

10. Enjoying a picnic on a beautiful day at the park with Ainsley and the ducks.

9. Hearing "mommy" & "daddy" for the first time (well, really every time is wonderful).

8. Surprising Grandma Annie for her birthday by flying to Iowa to visit over Thanksgiving.

7. Having visitors from Iowa. Over the course of the year, we've had quite a few - Aunt Kendra; John & Laura; Grandpa & Grandma Gehman & Uncle Kaleb; and Uncle Mitch, Aunt Danielle, & Drew.

6. Watching Ainsley learn to walk and then run, jump, twirl, walk backwards, do a somersault, and stand on one foot.

5. Playing many, many games of Hand & Foot (a card game) with friends.

4. Completing all the required hours for Heath's practicum this summer - quite a feat and gift from God as there were a number of obstacles against him.

3. Losing no days of work between Heath's company filing bankruptcy and being hired by another company to do the same job!

2. Finishing our next to last semester at DTS as of 3 pm this past Friday afternoon.

1. Getting to travel to snowy Iowa to celebrate Christmas with our families!

Of course, at the very top of our list is our gratefulness that the God of the universe chose to give us life eternal through the death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ.

We wish you a very Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!!

a puppet show?

Heath captured this video of Ainsley this morning while I was at work. She has been playing like this a lot lately, and we find it very fun to watch. Just be sure to turn up the volume so you can hear the "script".