Christmas, Playgroup and Time Off

Hi!  Happy New Year!

For our first Christmas in the States this year, we decided to make the drive up to Iowa to be with Michael's family.  For several days leading up to the big trip, Jericho talked about having a snowball fight with Grandpa and seeing all his cousins.  He was so excited!  And so was I - for once in 5 years, we'd be surrounded by family at Christmastime.

The 12-hour drive wasn't bad, but it was brutal on my already-swollen feet.  Once we arrived, I was ordered to put my feet up and relax a bit before bed.  Of course I didn't have a problem with that!  That's actually how I spent a bit of every day of our visit - propped up in the recliner with my feet on a pillow, making faces at how gross my feet and ankles looked.

Michael got some hunting and ice fishing in, Jericho got lots of playtime with his cousins and Grandma, Grandpa and Great-Grandma, and I took naps.  Every day. 

Never underestimate the value of sleep to a pregnant woman.

All in all, it was a great visit.  I love our visits to Iowa - maaaaybe not so much in the middle of Winter - but love just the same.  For some reason, Mother Nature decided to wait until the night before we left for Oklahoma to drop a few inches of snow.  Just enough for that much-anticipated snowball fight with Grandpa.

In other news, I am happy to share that we have found a Playgroup on Post!  We absolutely loved the Playgroup in Vicenza and attended nearly every week, so we (ok, I) was desperate to find some kind of active-play program for Jericho.  Some days, it's too cold to go outside, even in Oklahoma.  Cabin fever sets in quick, so when I discovered the group that meets 4 DAYS A WEEK at the library, I was shouting Hallelujah from the rooftops and made a plan to try it out.  This morning was our first time, and it was fantastic!  Jericho had a blast building towers with his new friend Jordan and playing "grocery store" with a little girl named Fiona.  This Playgroup is being held in the library until its normal meeting place is finished with renovations.  I'm so glad to have found something that gets us out of the house more than once a week.  I'll always miss Miss Mary Jo, Mrs. Beth and Mrs. Andreina, though.  Those ladies in Vicenza were so lively, welcoming and friendly to every child and parent that walked in the door.   I miss that. 

So that's our current news, in a nutshell.  As for time off, I'm gonna be blogging a little less than I do now (what, once a month isn't enough?) so that I can focus on getting the house ready for the new baby coming next month.  We still have a lot of preparing, arranging and buying to do, so even though you don't see posts from me very often, you're about to start seeing even less.  It's very likely that my next new post will be a birth story!*


*Without graphic details, Melissa.  Promise.