And a Happy New Year!

On Christmas Day, we flew to Santa Fe, New Mexico to visit the Paxtons. This was Oliver's first trip back to Santa Fe since Christmas 2010, but he didn't miss a beat. He loved chasing the cats, snuggling with Momma Joy, going on walks with Pop, and playing dinosaurs with Uncle Ben.

Of course, he didn't mind that we got to open more presents:

And everyone took a turn sporting their new gear:

After opening gifts, we snapped a few pics of Oli with his grandparents... Are these the cutest pictures ever?!?!

During our week there, we spent a lot of time outside. Although Oliver had seen snow before, this was his first time to be old enough to play in it, and he had a blast (and yes, he is wearing mom's hat... it seemed warmer than his and with an extra roll, it fit just fine):

He even went for a little sled ride:

He took lots of exploratory walks with Dad:

And though I know this picture has terrible glare (since I was inside, taking it through the window), I LOVE this shot of the Paxton boys hanging out on the porch:

The other momentous event of this trip was Oli's first haircut. I know he still looks practically bald in most pictures, but the rat tail in the back was getting a little extreme:

So one of Momma Joy's sweet friends offered to give him his first big-boy haircut:

We had to save his one curl, though, of course:

And the result? Voila:

SO grown up!

We went to a park later in the week, and Oliver and Momma Joy tried out the rope ladder:

And drove the "boat":

Could there be any more joy on that little face? I admit that an almost-2-year-old toddler is not always the easiest charge, but this one certainly brings so much fun to our lives. And what a fabulous bonus to have such wonderful family to help enjoy him! Thank you, Steve and Joy, for having us, showing us a great time, and loving our little boy so much. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I'm dreaming of a...

Blog that's not so far behind! Christmas in March? Oh well, grace grace grace. We had the privilege of celebrating two Christmases this year. First stop: Houston, TX.

As I think I mentioned in a previous post, my parents recently tore down our childhood home in order to rebuild (it was a great decision, by the way, the new house is looking awesome!). They are currently living in a little rental home down the street which has been perfect for the situation but was, admittedly, a little small and dark for our crew at Christmas time. No problem AT ALL for the festivities; we still had a blast, but it made for some tough photography. So sorry about the quality of these pictures... Let's just say that I've decided to give you the completely raw, unedited, super pink versions. Thank you for not judging. :)

Although Oliver was still too young to understand the meaning behind Christmas, he sure enjoyed the party. As always, he had huge smiles and so much fun with Uncle Richard:

He convinced most of us to join in a game of catch (with an old teddy bear) on the floor:

Daddy, Aunt Adele, and Grandnana managed to keep their seats but relished the entertainment he provided:

Once the presents began, he was focused:

Dad got the job of helping him open his since mom was taking pictures...

He opened his Jesus Storybook Bible (great book, by the way, really more for ages 3-6, but we've already enjoyed parts of it) from me and politely showed some interest:

But was far more impressed with his gift from daddy - real bongos:

I have to say that it was a joy to watch them together:

I am SO blessed by all my sweet family and so thankful to celebrate the love of our Savior together... Christmas #2 in Santa Fe to come soon!

Discovery Green

Houston is not Paris. Not by a long shot. But we came back from Paris determined to make the most of it...

We had heard great things about Discovery Green - the new(ish) park downtown that is eco-friendly and has cool concerts and such. I can't say that it compared to the Tuileries or Luxembourg or Champs de Mars, but it was nice and had some neat views of the Houston skyline. We decided to go one weekend when we first came back (i.e. early December), and I was determined to get some family pictures:

And yes, I believe this is the only picture of me during this pregnancy... I guess I should get a few before Elliot is born, shouldn't I? Oliver was not really in the mood for picture taking, though:

So we did our best:

He was much more interested in running down the ramp:

And playing on the wall with Dad:

Maybe not the glorious family photo shoot I'd had in mind, but a nice reminder that family time is family time, no matter what side of the ocean you are on.

15 Weeks in the Life of the Paxtons...

We moved home from our two-year stint in Paris, France. We tried to adjust back to heat, cars, fast food, flip flops, and work-out clothes. We celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas with my family in Texas. We celebrated a late Christmas and New Years with Chris' family in New Mexico. We remodeled two bathrooms. We joined a new church plant and began helping with sound, music, and children's church. We unpacked from France, rearranged after my brother moved out, cleaned and cleaned and cleaned, and put our house on the market. Four days and three offers later, we sold our home...

In the midst of all this, we got to see our second son's little face. Elliot Kenley Paxton is certainly handsome, isn't he?

We then found a home to buy, discovered that it needed to be rewired completely, almost lost the home in the process of negotiations, had the closing pushed back, and finally (Lord willing!) are set to close this coming Monday. Whew!!!!!

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There are many details, pictures, and updates that I still owe you concerning all those things, but I wanted to share the basics so that those who want to know can know (all two of you, I'm sure). Hopefully, the other blog posts will be forthcoming. We have two weeks (at least) of work to do on the house before we can move in, so we are planning a late-March move date (since we have to be out of our house by March 31). I am 37 weeks today, and Elliot is due March 29. Needless to say, it has been (and will likely continue to be) quite the whirlwind. Most importantly (and not surprisingly), God has been so faithful and gracious through it all; we are just thrilled to see how it all turns out and what He has in store for us around the corner.

And, to whet your appetite for the great stories and adorable pictures to come, I leave you with this:

A bientot!