Merry Christmas!!

I know, I know. It's been forever. But we're all still alive and well. We've just been crazy busy this last month and half and I have zero pictures to show for it. So for now I'll just tell you what's been happening and you can just use your imaginations and picture it in your mind. I'll try to get some pictures up soon.

First, Tate got glasses. (Picture a cute little two-year-old in tiny glasses looking like he's a child genius.) We noticed a few months ago that his right eye would float inward and he'd go cross-eyed. After talking to the pediatrician, he recommended that Tate see a specialist. We took him to an opthomologist up at Primary's and found out that he's pretty far sighted so when he tries too hard to focus on things, his eye will go cross-eyed. So the glasses should correct the situation and the doctor said that as Tate grows and his eyes grow, he may outgrow the problem. I was really bummed about this diagnosis at first. I'm thinking, "How am I going to get a two-year old to wear glasses?" But he actually does really well. Unless he's bored, he pretty much leaves them on and likes to wear them. I really think they're helping him, and they have completely fixed the cross-eyed problem, so we're happy.


Second, we bought a house!! (Picture a modest home in a suburb of Salt Lake and us jumping up and down for joy.) Yes, that's huge. And we're really excited. We spent a few weeks looking, a few weeks buying, and a few weeks fixing it up. As of Saturday, we're all moved in. Of course, we still have some unpacking to do, but so far we're really enjoying having a place of our own. We are so grateful for the circumstances we've been in and where we've been able to live for the past three years. Our neighborhood has been wonderful and we have been very blessed. And we are so lucky that we have such great friends and family that have helped us through this process. Phil's parents have been amazing! They babysat Tate nearly every Saturday for a month while we went house hunting and they've spent hours and hours helping us get everything painted and ready to move in. My family has been awesome, too. My mom came down and helped us paint last weekend, and, of course, kept us well fed. She and my dad also kept Tate last weekend so we wouldn't have to worry about him during all the moving. Shane and Darcee came over for a few hours and helped us paint and clean up the house, too. Phil's brothers/brothers-in-law were our professional moving men and got all of our stuff packed up and unpacked within only a few hours during a major snow storm! We so appreciate everything that everyone has done to help us out. We love you guys!!


Third, Tate graduated to a big boy bed. (Picture Tate in his footie pajamas all curled up with his pillow and blankey with no bars surrounding him) With the move, we decided it was time for Tate to say goodbye to his crib, especially since the baby will be needing it in a few months. I was really worried about this transition, but so far he has done great. He is excited about his new bed and slept in it for the first time last night. He laid right down and slept all night like a champ. He didn't even try to get out of bed even though he's no longer caged in.


Well. I think that's pretty much it. We feel so very blessed this time of year to have been given so much. We're especially grateful for all of the wonderful people in our lives, and that includes you. We hope you all have the Merriest Christmas and the Happiest New Year! (Oh, and this counts as our Christmas card because with all that's been going on, official Christmas cards are just not going to happen!)