I thought I should put a few Christmas pictures up of the kiddos before we get too far into the new year. Aida worked hard making 3 D cards for everyone. They were framed like a book and when you opened them she has a different quote for everyone. It was fun to share them around and hear what everyone had on their card . Ed's read "smile". Mark's was "Be happy, happiness is valuable. Don't be sad, sadness is worthless." I can't remember the rest off the top of my head those are just the ones I have sitting on my desk right now.
As a child I never believed my parents when they told us they loved the homemade stuff the most. Now as a parent, I really do enjoy seeing what they come up with and seeing how they can appreciate and love the effort put into it all.
Christmas Eve reading while Eddie waits to open his eve present.
What Aida has always wanted.
He didn't really know what to do with this until we got home but he loves it.
Aida's homemade doll for Maya.
I love how these girls make things for each other.
Maya's American Girl Doll FINALLY.
The most patient one in our family. .
I hope Tess enjoys it while it lasts.
Lucy was most excited to give Tess goodies on Christmas Day.
Well another Christmas has gone by and I believe that it was a success. For the second year in a row we have been able to spend it in NH with family. A little less snow than last year but enough to satisfy the kids needs to sled and frolic. The unfortunate part of the holiday was that Mark, Ed and I were hit by a flu of sorts. I honestly haven't been this sick in a long long time and it has been miserable. Luckily Lucy and Maya only just got it so they could enjoy their Christmas. The kids were happy this year. I think everyone got what they wanted but as the story goes we were just happy to be amongst family. One of the things that we learned to appreciate during our time abroad was having family. We were fortunate to have kind friends that really took us in and let us become a part of their families during the holidays. During this season I miss our friends, NZ, mince tarts, fish and chips the same old BUT I am also glad to be surrounded by family, to be a homeowner and to celebrate Christmas in the cold. One thing that I realized is that families can drive us crazy, unintentionally make cruel comments, make passive aggressive criticisms, perhaps we are even the instigators but they are our family. Family also can make us laugh, pick us up when we are down, forgive, and they care for one another. While my friends were kind to invite us over I couldn't help but feel a little homesick watching them tease, argue or rant about scarce food. I guess what I mean to say is sometimes those moments that we are with our family that drive us the most crazy are in their own way the most tender and intimate ones. They show us that we are surrounded by people that we are comfortable around enough to cause a stir. There have been a lot of changes in the Berg family this year-enough to reflect on the past year and think about how relative time really is. I am grateful to be where I am at this moment in time because circumstances can really change so quickly and it is important to look to the future but it is equally important to appreciate the moment. With that here is Sara signing off--
Ponies
Homemade Garland
Moonshoes
Mark-made Puzzle Box for Ed
Surprises
Giant Gumball Machines (Ed super duper wanted one)
