It's the most wonderful time of the year!!!

It's now a week before Christmas and I am just now posting about Thanksgiving...life can get pretty hectic around the holidays with work and family but I love it! During this busy time of year, I always have to remind myself to take a deep breath and remember what's important in life. It's not the material things in life (like presents or decorations) but more about the relationships that we cultivate throughout the year; faith, family and friends. I have so much to be thankful for and I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful life!!

here are a few moments from the past few weeks that have made me feel so thankful...

Charlie in the morning.

Right around Thanksgiving, Charlie caught a really nasty cold with an ear infection in both ears, harsh cough and runny nose. Even though she was feeling sick, she was a trooper and would always give me a great big smile in the mornings. She is now crawling all over the place, getting into everything and winning us over with her adorable personality. We have to keep an eye on her at all times...this stage is exhausting but so much fun!

Thanksgiving 2010

Every Thanksgiving, the Edwards family volunteers to help decorate Redondo Park with Christmas lights. This year, we were short handed because none of Zeke's brothers were around to help but luckily I was able to enlist the help of my beautiful sisters =) Derra and Scott were also on hand to help with the decorations. A great way to spend Thanksgiving morning together as a family.

After our morning of putting up lights, we returned home to prepare our Thanksgiving feast. We had a delicious turkey dinner with all the fixins and Grandma Anna Lee's famous candied yams. (i know you're jealous...) It was a great Thanksgiving and even better since it was Charlie's first!

Charlie's first Christmas tree

Instead of scouring the malls for deals on Black Friday, we avoid the malls and have made it a family tradition to search for our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. Usually, we spend a few hours debating which noble fir is worthy of being called the Edwards' Christmas tree but this year we opted for a pre-cut tree instead. Quick and painless. And the tree turned out to be a real beauty! A beautiful tree for Charlie's first Christmas!!

ready to pick out my first tree!

i'll take that one!

charlie among trees that are her size.

kimmy emo and charlie look like giants in the forest.

Bittersweet Day

Last week, we had to bid farewell to Kimmy emo for a few months. She flew back to Korea and we were very sad to see her go...We love you and hope you come home soon!

Charlie LOVES daddy!

Nothing warms my heart more than when I see Zeke play with our daughter. She has him wrapped around her little finger and she knows it. Whatever she wants, she will get for now...

Friends and Family

My friend (who was 8+ months pregnant at the time) wanted to take some pictures of her daughter and Charlie around UW. It was a brisk day but luckily it didn't rain. Since we were out and about, she even offered to take a few pics of us too...Thanks, we had fun!!

Meet and greet with Santa

As a first time parent, it was a special moment for me to take my child to see Santa for the very first time. I know that she won't remember meeting him or even care but for me, it was the start of a tradition that I hope to continue for years to come. We all know the true meaning of Christmas but there is still something magical about the jolly man in the red suit. Surprisingly, she didn't cry or fuss cause she was fascinated with Santa's beard...until the photographer rattled his toy at her. Then she lost it and wanted nothing to do with Santa...better luck next year!

Merry Christmas everyone!