Smiles

So ... I'm back. It has been a little crazy around here. Please forgive my absence. We have had 4 weeks of the stomach flu, 2 weeks of the regular flu, one overnight stay in the hospital - not to mention the regular chaos, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.

Things have calmed down a bit, so I wanted to catch up on happenings around these parts. First of all, John has had a lot of firsts with us. He had his first Thanksgiving. He could have taken it or left it. But we enjoyed having him around. He had his first Christmas, which he LOVED. And he went sledding, which I am assuming was his first time. He didn't really like it very much, but still fun to watch him. He has decided that he likes snow. He wasn't quite sure for the first little bit, but as with everything else, time really helps and he is slowly but surely spreading his wings and learning to try and enjoy new experiences.

I will update you later on all of John's accomplishments. But for today, I saw him do something for the first time, that made me so happy. I smiled at John and he smiled back. Up to this point he has not done that. I don't think I even realized he wasn't smiling back until today - when he finally smiled back. It is the little accomplishments that make this process really enjoyable.

My sweet puppies: John and Kate

Lydia

Lincoln

Cora 

John Eating a Bowl Full of Snow

Kate

Brigham

John's First Time Sledding

Brigham, Mia and Lydia

Christmas Highlights