a very merry christmas

Alden woke up bright and early christmas morning, and was he ever surprised! We bought him a train table with tracks, a train station, and an airport (you can see it in the background). It was all set up for him and just waiting for some trains which he was very anxious to open.

Another surprise next to the tree was a brand new wagon that his Grandma and Grandpa Gorder had given him. We filled the wagon with all of his wrapped gifts and his face lit up when he saw it. It was a fun morning and Alden was so delighted with each and every present.

After playing with all of the new toys for a few hours, we packed up and drove to Oak Harbor to spend Christmas Day with Mimi and Papa and Alden's Great Grandma. We had a wonderful meal (that Alden wouldn't eat) and then gathered around the tree to open more gifts.

It was mommy's turn this year to fill the Mahoney role of Santa, which means passing out the presents and wearing the hat. Alden was a great helper, although there were a few presents that he deemed "too heavy" to carry. His Great Aunt Sally gave him the cutest little dinosaur slippers that he insisted on wearing for the entire evening, even though they are still a little big and he kept tripping on them.

We are very excited because Mimi, Papa, and Great Grandma gave us money to purchase a membership to the Woodland Park Zoo, which is one of Alden's favorite places. We are looking forward to being able to see the animals more often now.

The only thing missing this Christmas was Alden's Uncle Brian who is still in Guatemala. We all miss him a lot, but we were able to talk to him on the phone and wish him a merry Christmas. If you are interested in seeing how they celebrate in Guatemala, be sure to click on the link to his blog on the right side of this page.

The most important thing about this Christmas was taking the opportunity to explain to Alden why we celebrate. We read him the story of Jesus' birth from his Bible, and explained to him that it is because of Jesus that we have all of the blessings in our lives. He is still too young to grasp the magnitude of who Jesus is, and what he has done, but it is such an honor to be the ones teaching it to him.

Enjoy a few more pictures from our day!

christmas party

We had a party at our house for all of the kids in Alden's Preschool Playgroup. This is our friend Addie, who organizes the group, helping the kids make Christmas cards. They were all so proud of their creations and couldn't wait to take them in to the living room to show their daddies.

After we all stuffed ourselves on dessert, appetizers, and cider, we drove to an area in Seattle called Candy Cane Lane and walked around to see the lights. It is an amazing four block stretch that is beautifully lit up. They even had a large wooden train that circled a hedge in the middle of a traffic circle.