Christmas, etc.

Jimmy, Anna, and I just returned home from a whirlwind Christmas. I didn't do the best job photo-documenting Anna's first Christmas, but I'll share what I got:

We spent the 23rd and 24th with my parents in their new house. It was wonderful to all be under the same roof! And when I say all, I mean all: Jimmy, Anna, me, Melissa, Jed, Evan, my parents, Darby, Lucy, Kenny, Cooper, and Boomer ... it was a full house!

Anna had fun playing piano with her favorite grandpa:

And I had fun twirling Anna's hair into spikes while she dozed off watching Elf:

Anna is getting so much more expressive these days. She loves to play on her mat and look at herself in the mirror Jimmy rigged to it. She's also turning and smiling whenever I call her name, as captured in this picture:

I am hating blogspot right now because I'm having trouble formatting my pictures ... here's our family picture on Christmas Eve, also Anna's four month birthday!

Here's the whole Herdeman clan at my grandma's:

With Great Grandma:

With Grandma:

Reading with her grandpa (notice the hair decorations):

We spent the 25th and 26th with Jim and Roxane. Anna enjoyed cuddling with her other favorite grandpa:

Smiling at Aunt Jess:

Playing with a Piglet stuffed animal from Great Grandma Edna Mae:

Too tuckered out to enjoy her first trip to Skyline!

This next picture warrants some explanation. A friend from church made Anna this beatiful crocheted blanket when she was born. It has big holes in it, and Anna has started hooking her fingers into the holes and pulling the blanket over her face. When I was changing her diaper the other day, she pulled the blanket around her face and was as happy as could be:

Yes, she looks a little chunky and spacey in the picture, but it's still cute!

Finally, Anna has really been enjoying her exersaucer for longer periods of time. She has also discovered her tongue, and she blows raspberries all the time!

Overall, we had a great trip. We got to see all of our families and lots of friends. Anna got to meet Erin, Lindsey, and Anthony and spend more time with Emily, Melody and Cate! She also got to meet her NEW Uncle Mike, Jess's fiance!

I've been working hard in her nursery the last two days, hanging pictures and sorting all the toys she got for Christmas ... she is one spoiled girl, let me tell you! More pictures to come ...