Our holiday in a nutshell

Eric and I spent the holidays with his parents in San Antonio.  It had been much too long since we had visited and Eric and I had a blast. Here is a small snapshot in pictures of our couple weeks there.

Lights on the Riverwalk

Walks and Hikes with the family

The San Antonio Mission Tour

San Antonio has five beautiful Spanish missions which I had never visited. Tons of fun, though next time I think Eric and I should bike the mission tour - there is a bike trail that connects all three. 

Fun times with the family

Random pictures from our trips to Fredericksberg, SAS shoe factory and the Anderson dutch oven cookoff.   Cook-off winner: Eric's dad.  He may or may not have been the only contestant. 

Lyndon B Johnson State Park

This made for a beautiful drive through Texas hill country, and some good picture spots too.

We miss Texas already!  Hopefully it wont be another year and a half before we go back!

A run in Texas

I've absolutely loved my mornings runs in the area around Eric's parent's house while we have been here for the holidays. They live in the beautiful hill country outside San Antonio which makes for super fun runs.  When we were living with them the summer after China, I saw all sorts of fun little critters.  No different this time.

When we were here before I ran past some wild boar, but only could hear them since it was still dark.  This time I saw a whole family of wild boar which I thought was pretty awesome.  I just tried to make sure they didn't see me - those guys are huge, who knows what they could do!

So beautiful here.  I think it definitely competes with even my San Diego beach runs.

Christmas in Texas

Merry Christmas from San Antonio! 

If you look closely, this is a very Texas tree.

Eric and I have been in San Antonio with his parents. For most of the time, its been a small group of us, just his parents and Eric's brother Neil. We have had a great time though.

We got here about a week before Christmas and so made tons of yummy Christmas goodies, a gingerbread house, and played lots of games. Eric and I love games and were so excited to have more than each other to play with!

Eric and I made gingerbread cookies one day with Neil, which Neil really liked. I think he most liked sneaking pieces of the dough though.

We also got to spend a couple days with Eric's sister Kimberly and her adorable little family.  They spent Christmas with David's family in Washington but they are coming back today for a couple more days. Yay! :)

Little Lydia with Grandma

And then, of course, Christmas Day!

We woke up, looked at stockings and ate a yummy Christmas breakfast before going to church.  I always really like it when Christmas falls on a Sunday.  Church definitely seems the perfect place to be on the day we celebrate Christ's birth. Later we had a super fun time opening presents and then looking for the Christmas pickle in the tree.  I had never heard of this tradition before meeting Eric, but whoever finds the hidden pickle ornament in the tree gets a extra present.  Eric found it this year.

Looking for the pickle

He found it!

The boys playing with Neil's new toys.

To top off a great day, we had an amazing Christmas dinner!

It is so wonderful being with family at Christmas time! I am so grateful we were able to come here and spend this time with Eric's family.  We love you guys!

Shingle Bells...

Of all things, Eric has decided to come down with shingles for the holidays. We are just glad that it happened while we are at his parents house and not our tiny apartment.  The doctor has ordered us to stay away from each other (because of the baby) which would be very difficult at our place.  So we can't touch each other at all and he has to be completely covered up with long sleeves (the shingles are on his arm) around me.

I think Eric is actually enjoying being able to say that he has shingles. I guess it is more exciting than an allergic reaction which was what we thought it was originally... I just hope it is all gone before we go home!

Fudge, take two

I attempted fudge again earlier this week.  Eric and I wanted to make plates of Christmas yummies to take to our neighbors and friends.  We finally met all of our neighbors! This is really pathetic considering that our apartment complex consists of 4 apartments.  Besides our neighbor right next to us, we have only really said hello in passing to the others. But now we know all their names. Only took us a year and a half...

But the fudge. Besides gingerbread cookies, peanut butter balls and chocolate covered coconut balls, I decided to make fudge. After our utter failure a couple weeks ago, I was a little apprehensive. This time armed with a different, more trusted recipe, and the knowledge that my candy thermometer is 5 degrees off, I felt ready to go.

And it came out perfect!! Super delicious peppermint chocolate fudge. Success!

Pregnancy thoughts

Since Eric and I have known for quite a few weeks that we are expecting, we have had plenty of time to think about it and talk about it. We have been wanting a baby for quite a few months and were getting very frustrated and discouraged. I honestly had never realized how long it can take to get pregnant. It has been an emotional journey for us, that is for certain. The first week of July brought an even bigger blow as we found out we were pregnant at 7 weeks (after multiple negative tests) and then a day later, miscarried. That was the hardest thing I have ever personally had to experience. I never thought it would hurt so much to lose a baby that early. It took some weeks before I could see a pregnant woman without crying. Ironically it seemed this was the time that all our friends were either having babies or announcing their own pregnancy. I don't think the Fourth of July will ever be the same for me.

Having experienced that, this pregnancy means so much more to me. I read in one of my pregnancy books soon after we found out about this baby that pregnancy after experiencing a miscarriage does not come with the same innocence and pure joy that the first pregnancy did. Instead, it is mixed with sadness and a knowledge that every pregnancy does not necessarily end with a baby in your arms. That is definitely true. The first few weeks I was almost afraid to be too happy, feeling certain that it would end the same way. Any little stomach pain or cramp would have me completely worried. When we passed 7 weeks I felt as though we had passed a huge hurdle.

I am so grateful that we are expecting again. More than anything, I want to be a mother. Every day means one more day that I am still pregnant and one more day that brings me closer to meeting this precious child of God. How amazing it is that we get the chance to participate in such a thing as birth and parenthood. I thank God every day for letting me be apart of this miracle.

Beginning of December and all things Christmas

I love Christmas, but then who doesn't? Once the first day of December hits it really starts feeling like its Christmas time.  (Though Eric and I did start listening to Christmas music the beginning of November... we just couldn't help it) On the second day of December I decided it was time to make some fudge, one of my all-time favorite Christmas things.  That was a disaster.  It always seems to be hit and miss with me and fudge. I really should have taken pictures of it this time though, it was probably the worst! After some searching online for 'how to fix failed fudge' and then a phone call to my mother, I finally was able to turn that bowl of crumbs into some decent fudge.  Still dry but at least it held together. So a very frustrating start to my Christmas season. Eric says I should stop talking down my fudge, he loved it and lived on it practically studying late into the night the last couple of days. (His last final is happening right now!)

Over the weekend, we decorated our little home with our few but well-loved Christmas decorations.  Took all of about half an hour.  But afterwards we got sit on the couch with our tiny tree glowing beside us and listen to the First Presidency Christmas Devotional.  Perfect.

We also checked out the huge Christmas festival called December Nights that happens yearly one weekend in December in Balboa Park. We missed it last year and wanted to make sure we went this time. My goodness. I have not seen crowds like that since China.

This is Eric and me in front of the tree in the Dr. Suess village.

The big tree in the organ pavilion.

And, Eric's personal favorite - the puppet show.  There is a puppet theater in the park that always does free puppet shows and during December Nights they were preforming A Christmas Carol. The giant dog is the Ghost of Christmas Present and the goat beside him is Scrooge.  It was quite impressive.

All these little things are sure getting me even more excited for the rest of December: reading all the Christmas stories, seeing the lights at the temple, all the time we will get to spend with family, and maybe, some more fudge.