phew!!

It has been a crazy few weeks! Where to start?!...

We closed on our new house the Wednesday before Christmas and moved all our stuff in by that Friday! We had amazing friends and family who helped and were through their examples, were able to better understand what it means to serve. It was a looooong few days but we are in now & getting settled. Definitely the best Christmas present EVER!

The Friday before Christmas (after we moved stuff and unpacked and cleaned) we went to my grandmother's for Christmas with my dad's family. We had seafood gumbo and opened gifts, it was really nice to be with them! Saturday we headed to Mike's parents' for Christmas with his family. The kids got super spoiled...we loved it! We read the nativity and watched a beautiful church video...I'll have to post it soon, it was really nice. Sunday, Christmas Day, we went to church, had lunch at the Richardsons' and came HOME to be together, it was very low key but perfect. Drew and Susanna got some great gifts from Santa! Monday we went to my aunt's house for Christmas with my mom's family. It was not as big as it has been in the past but we got to visit with lots of family, many of whom it had been years since we'd seen, and ate 2 kinds of gumbo! Heaven?! I think so!

My mom came to stay with us that night and we had planned to do more unpacking and some shopping for the new house over those next few days but that night at 3:30 am, we got a call from my dad saying that my Uncle Frank had passed away. The funeral was Thursday and Friday so Drew stayed with my in-laws while Mike, Susanna, and I traveled to Texas. We got to see more family and to celebrate the life of a wonderful man who we will miss terribly. Please keep the Assunto Family in your prayers.

Mike and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary Friday as well and went to see the new Sherlock Holmes. It was fabulous, of course, but the Hunger Games Trailer was incredible too!!

Now we are enjoying having internet once again and things are starting to feel a little more normal around here. We spent New Year's Eve at home and enjoyed root beer floats and fireworks, courtesy of our new neighbors. It was a sight! Drew loved to hear the fireworks "dough boom"!

We have been so blessed over this past year, with Mike's new job, a new baby, and a new house, with wonderful family and friends, and with each other. We know that we are undeserving of most of our blessings but are encouraged by the knowledge that we have a Heavenly Father who loves us and cares for us, even when we are not always doing our best to serve Him. We are grateful for a Savior who atoned for our sins so that one day we may return to live with Him again. We are grateful for our loved ones and for our health and strength and look forward to 2012! Happy New Year!