Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We are hoping that everybody had a joyful Christmas and rang in the new year with gusto!
Where to start? From start to finish works best, so here we go:
Christmas was great this year! This was not necessarily because of all of the presents under the tree. Speaking of that, we really tried to pare it down this year, but in spite of our efforts we had a mountain once all the family got here!
Our Christmas cheer got a booster shot this year, as we made a dash for the mountains on December 8th to pick out our Christmas tree. Now, up to this point, we have had a tall order of Christmas class in our living room every year's end. Namely, a fiber optic tree. The lucky owners of our old house in Griffin probably knew exactly what to do with that! This year we were set on a live tree. Not just any tree, a tree from Boone, NC. So we drove the 1.5 hours to get there and had so much fun picking the perfect one out of acres and acres of nothing but frasier firs. We parked our car and had a hayride to the site where we picked our tree. Then we had a had a hayride back to a cabin, where we had hot apple cider and cookies. There was a sweet lady whose family owns the tree farm there, running the store. She and Pierce really hit it off and she gave him an ornament that she had made, since it was his first real tree. While we were in the cabin, they put our tree in a shaker, bundled it with twine, and tied it to our car! It was so great! When we returned home that night, all Daniel had to do was pound the spike stand into the trunk, haul it into the house, and snip a piece of twine. Pierce was so excited when all the foliage sprung out! You can see a video clip of his reaction here.
With our tree up, we were just waiting for everyone to arrive for Christmas. My (Megan's) mom was the first to arrive, with Malia and Merek, on the Sunday before Christmas. On Christmas Eve, my Dad, Grandma Kay, Michael, and Maya came, followed by Matthew and Mary-Stewart, who is pregnant with our first niece and Pierce's first first cousin (he already has a second cousin, Lillian).
We had our traditional soup and sandwiches for Christmas Eve dinner and then settled in with our PJs on for a movie. Christmas morning, Daniel made his Christmas breakfast for us, with tropical fruit, cheeses, muffins, doughnuts, and coffee. Once we were fed, it was time to rip into the gifts. Pierce really started out ripping into them, but he tired of that quickly and just wanted to play with his new things. The kids (and adults) all had fun playing with their toys until dinner. Pierce was especially enamored with Malia's new baby doll. Daniel got a toy helicopter for Christmas, so he was playing too. After dinner, Dad, Grandma Kay, and Maya had to go home. Matthew and Mary-Stewart stayed until the day after Christmas, and Mom and the rest of my brothers and sisters stayed until Friday.
On Friday, Daniel's mom, grandma, grandpa, and sister Haley came to visit for the weekend. It was the first time they had been to our new house, so Daniel had fun showing them around. We had a little Christmas all over again. Pierce really enjoyed playing with his Memaw (Daniel's grandma), Pawpaw (Daniel's grandpa), TuTu (said "tootoo" --Daniel's mom), and Aunt Haley (who will soon be honored with a signature Pierce name). They were here until New Year's Eve and left early that morning.
Pierce had become so used to entertaining everyone while we had guests, that he didn't know what to do with himself yesterday. When he finally realized that he didn't have to show off anymore, it became obvious that the was very tired. He took an early (and long) nap before we went out to dinner.
Maybe he was thinking, "Just where did 2007 go?" I was definitely thinking that. Obviously we have had quite a full year, with a growing toddler and a move and the adjusting that goes with both of those things. Daniel and I are both looking forward to more accomplishments, adjustments, and general growth in 2008. I think having a little person who is constantly transforming gets you in gear for change and movement.
Whatever life philosophy was spinning in our heads, we had no trouble going to sleep! Pierce went to bed a little later than usual, and Daniel and I made it until 11:30. We all woke up hungry, and decided to take Pierce to Waffle House for the first time. He enjoyed a waffle for breakfast. I think that started the New Year off well.
Well, since it is obvious that my New Year resolution is not to be less wordy, you probably won't be surprised by the number of pictures I've posted in Pierce's album. Enjoy them and Happy New Year!

Love,
Megan, Daniel, and Pierce