Merry Christmas!

This is our last minute Christmas card this year. I have a few left so fill out this form if you want to be on the list...while supplies last!

Andrew has the day off today and unlike most of his days off, he feels no pressure to study or work on research for a few hours. He is completely here and all ours....we couldn't be happier.

This year we survived a big move to a new state (Michigan), Andrew started training for his specific avenue of medicine (Ophthalmology). Lauren finally learned how to spell Ophthalmology without using spell checker.  We purchased our first home, a quaint little brick 3 bedroom house on a quiet tree-lined street. Together we finally went to Italy, which seemed a little crazy and spontaneous at the time but is actually something we have been talking/thinking about for almost 10 years. We also visited Miami, Disneyworld, Charleston SC, Folly Beach SC, Utah, everywhere in Ohio (it feels like), South Bend IN, Frankenmuth MI, and a couple scary trips into Detroit (I'm mostly joking). I feel like I've left something out. We like to see new places. But just so you get a more well-rounded presentation of our lives, we also haven't purchased a brand new piece of furniture in years (if ever), never buy organic, and still sometimes wear clothes we owned when we started dating 12 years ago.

Cameron transitioned from a non-sleeping, somewhat cranky infant, to a boisterous, delightful one-year old (two in a few weeks) who talks up a storm and is incredibly independent (we hear "I do it!" a lot). I think it is my favorite age because everything he does is just so cute! He might be a genius, but more on that later. Luke has continued to be the happy, energetic kid he has been since birth. He is a great big brother and sometimes I am shocked at how quick he is to make sure Cam is well taken care of. This age might also be my favorite as Luke's imagination has absolutely taken off. He is quick with a joke, incredibly artistic and creative, and as you can tell from the picture, he is a quite impish as well.

Christmas is always a favorite time of year for me, even though I do have moments of getting caught up in the  less-important aspects of the holiday. But what makes it feel the most like Christmas for me is thinking about all the blessings I have because Jesus Christ was born. Feeling grateful for the power of the Atonement in my life and then trying to think of ways I can follow Christ everyday, is really what it is all about for me. Service to others is the present I want to give back to my Savior. Hopefully I can do a better job of keeping that focus every Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

And the cutest nativity video in the world...