We had very good intentions of sending out Christmas cards with the above picture on them (I tried, I really did), however, they did not arrive in time, so consider this our Christmas card picture to you! (to make me feel better, you could even print it and stick in on your fridge with the rest of the holiday cards, to make it look like I sent it ;)

After a very busy day, we are finally packing for our long-awaited trip to Hood River. We are really looking forward to spending Christmas with the Parker & Pichura families! We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas remembering and celebrating what Jesus has done for us! We love and miss all of you!

It's beginning to look a lot like...

Today being December 1st, I'm trying to make the transition into the Christmas season, despite the green grass and lingering leaves on our trees. I've been taxing my creativity trying to think of great present ideas, I've started listening to Christmas music, and I even managed to find the moving box packed with the nativity set. But I will admit, without typical Northeastern weather, it has felt a little less like Christmas...until this afternoon...when we got SNOW! Real, fluffy, cold snow! It is amazing how beautiful and exciting snow can be when you anticipate a snow-less Christmas season. And it was the perfect snow too--the heavy, wet kind that sticks to all the trees. So, we enjoyed an evening of snow-seeing, and it was the perfect way to begin this Christmas season--with a little taste of "home," and even more, a reminder of God's beauty, grace, and love.