We got back on Sunday evening from a very relaxing mini-vacation! We traveled to Snowshoe, WVa on Friday and stayed at the resort there with my family. Even though mom and Sierra didn't come until Saturday night, and there was no real snow, we had a great time. Don't worry...the pregnant lady didn't ski! I stayed inside to keep things clean and make lunch and dinner and cookies for the men. The fake snow was good enough for them...they skied a lot on Saturday and Sunday. We are looking forward to going back in February with Jonathan and Joy and Stephen and Michael!I knew Aaron had a pure and beautiful soul before I took this picture...the picture just proves it. The guys are getting ready but they both look confused about those boots!

And dad is waiting patiently!

Unfortunately, I didn't get any group shots. But everyone was there!

I went to the doctor today and was able to hear the heartbeat again. Here it is for you to hear! There is no picture, but click on the arrow to play and turn your computer's volume up. It was at 140 bpm and everything looks great! I got lots of questions answered. We are looking forward to the big ultrasound in 3 weeks!

When we were visiting Lucama at Thanksgiving, we came across this sweet picture of Granny and Gene. I borrowed it to post here, because we had to share it!

I went back to work today, but I wasn't the only one! My mom has recently been offered her dream job with the Girl Scout Council and today was her first day of work. We are very excited for her! She has spent the last 29 years supporting my dad and raising the 4 of us, and now she's looking forward to doing something else she loves. She is the Outdoor Program Manager. This means, among other things, that she will be in charge of the camp in this picture.
It was rainy and dreary the day I took this picture. This is the main building on many, many acres that the Council has recently purchased to be the camp. It will be challenging, but she's the woman for the job! Congratulations, mom.

Happy New Year! We celebrated last night with the Flores tradition of dinner at Kabuki, a Japanese steakhouse. Everyone was there and we had a fun time before going our separate ways to party.

Afterward, Aaron and I went to Dennis and Shannon's home for a party to the countdown! Most everyone from our Sunday School class was there and we had a lot of good conversation. I think the men mostly talked about God and the women talked about babies. We toasted the New Year with hot cocoa!

Growing fast! I think this picture may exaggerate the baby bump because I had just eaten a lot before taking it. But it is growing...I can't wear my regular jeans anymore.

We brought Gabe this sword.

Dennis and Shannon are on the right in this picture. These are our beloved church friends! Dennis and Shannon's family was also there, at the table beside us.

Aaron and I exchanged Christmas gifts on Tuesday morning. I baked him his favorite cake, apricot pound cake (thanks for the recipe, Krista!). He got a gift certificate to buy some skis and boots, and I also got him some new, very needed, luggage. We went together yesterday to pick out the skis!

Aaron honored me with the best gift! He signed us up to sponsor a child through Compassion International. The boy is Edinson. He is 7 years old and lives with his grandmother in Peru. We are looking forward to getting to know him through letters and pictures, and it encourages me that we will be able to provide support for him on a monthly basis. Thank you, Aaron, for such a thoughtful gift (We talked about doing this a couple of years ago but it hasn't been mentioned in a while, so I was very surprised!).

But that's not all! He also booked a night at a Bed and Breakfast in a nearby town. We are going in January. The place looks gorgeous!

On Saturday morning we took some family portraits and then headed to Hope Mills for the Fernandez Christmas party. We ate enchiladas (an annual tradition) and lots of desserts. After recovering from the meal, we watched some of the cousins perform a dance act, and then played the Dirty Santa gift exchange game. It was dirty this year as always. Aaron was "Ghetto Claus" this year and rewrote The Twelve Days of Christmas with ghetto lyrics for everyone to sing along with. It was hilarious! That night, some chose to play a serious game of poker until the wee hours of the morning while some chose to head home (I was among the latter group...baby Fernandez requires me more rest!).

David and Caleb were the main rappers and introduced the dancers. The posters are for the song. All of the volunteers did a great job of introducing their number

"5 munts free rent!""It's a sweater!" Poor Casey didn't fare too well at the beginning of Dirty Santa. But her mom rescued her by stealing the sweater and letting her pick something else. That's what moms are for, right?He's going to be a great dad! ahhh!! :) this is Emma, Johnny and Casey's little girl

Sunday morning we left Fayetteville for Lucama, NC, where my dad's side of the family met for Christmas at Granny's. We ate and played Catch Phrase. Amy was really good at giving descriptions. She was so calm! Joey is looking over her shoulder to make sure she doesn't cheat.

Megan looks stressed out by this game!

On Christmas morning, we exchanged gifts and then went to the Flores home for brunch. Then in the afternoon, we all piled in to go to the movies, where we spent the rest of the day. We watched 3 movies in a row...National Treasure, Charlie Wilson's War, and Enchanted. We ate popcorn and drank root beer ALL DAY :) !!! What a treat! Mom and Dad, thanks for the thoughtful gifts and for making breakfast for us. Santa brought Bow a ham bone!

Last night we had our annual Cherokee Hills Christmas party. This includes the families who got to know each other while living in that neighborhood. Even though no one still lives there, we all still stay in touch. We eat, talk, and take pictures to update the album. Here are some of the good ones we took last night:

All of the "kids". There are some grandkids in there, too! We are missing some: Casey and his new bride, Joey and Sierra, and Shannon, Nat, and Graham. Hope they can join the picture next year!

Of course, there's always a funny picture, for which I never know how to pose.
The ones who started it all.And their silliness.My hubby is comforting me...I'm fighting a bad cold this week :(
We are so glad the boys are home from UVa! Get them away from that place and take them down to NC where the !Do they look related?

Aaron and I worked as a team and stole this Pirates of the Caribbean set. (Dirty Santa was gag gifts only. Some of them were pretty hilarious!)

We took the cushions off the couch and loaded them up with lots of blankets and pillows. We watched a 90's romantic drama.
Aaron sent these beautiful poinsettias to work for me yesterday!

This past weekend the Fernandez family came to visit us! We enjoyed their stay. On Friday night we only had cookies and talked because it was around 8:30 when they arrived. On Saturday we relaxed...well the girls did...the guys got up at 5:30 to run 11 miles :(

We met the Flores parents for breakfast and then did a little shopping at the mall (girls only). That night, they attended our program at church- We Believe. It was a blast! We were glad to host our families at our beloved church home.At the Cracker Barrel. It got really cold up here this weekend.Aaron is on the far right, singing in a quartet on the song Glorious Impossible. It was one of my favorite songs of the night! Aaron also did a great job on a solo, Sing Noel. I was so proud. We are so thankful to be in this choir together.If this looks like chaos, it's because it is. The children performed on the song, Come and See What's Happenin' in the Barn. They were adorable...the highlight of the program! Joey and Sierra came to watch on Sunday night. There was a reception after that performance.

Today I went for the 12 week appointment and was able to hear our baby's heartbeat again...it's around 150bpm. Everything looks great! It has been a wonderful pregnancy so far. I've rarely been nauseated- only when I hadn't eaten anything, so it is a quick fix. Before becoming pregnant, I had frequent headaches. They are gone now! I've had only one in the whole 12 weeks. What an encouraging 1st trimester!
I know this is a terrible picture. Aaron and I are still working on how to take these belly shots. We will keep practicing and post another one in a couple of weeks.

This is your official invitation to come join the Christmas celebration at our church this weekend! If you can't read the print, it's Saturday and Sunday night at 7pm. Aaron and I are both singing and it will be worshipful and Christ-exalting!