Zac With Claire's Vest

Zac is trying to wear the vest Gary & Nell got Claire for Christmas here and we were able to get a shot before he ran out of it. I think it's just a touch too big for him!

We have had an enjoyable couple of days with Claire up here from KC. She was supposed to be up on the 26th, but snowstorm after snowstorm really did a number on travel plans for many people and delayed my trip down to pick her up as well, so we came on the 29th.

It has been a bit of a sparse Christmas compared to what we're used to, but I have to say it's been nice to be forced to focus on the things much more important than how many gifts I can buy my children and my lovely wife. When you love someone, I think it's alright to want to shower them with gifts, just as God has done for us, although I'm speaking more monetarily. It's also great, though, to take a step back and realize the gifts of family and love and life are even more exciting than all the things I wanted to buy. Hey, I can provide these gifts year round and, when funds allow, I can still buy the other things for those I love. It doesn't all have to be at Christmas or about Christmas just because it's the season set aside for those things. :)

Everything I Own Is A Hat

Well, it's either a hat or a phone. This is Zac's dirty clothes hamper and is one of the few things he doesn't try to use as a phone. We've given him an old cell phone and he's pretty good at "Hello", then talking on it, then "Bye bye" as he slams it shut (it's a flip phone). And this last part is why I'm hesitant to ever actually hand him my phone to let him talk to anyone. :) Other than the phone, he'll use anything from a measuring spoon to one of his toys to mimic what he's seen us do. Very cute and still doesn't get old.