Merry Christmas!

Christmas this year was undoubtedly a special one for us, and one certainly to be remembered as we celebrated the holiday cherishing the precious little addition to our family. For us, our Christmas present arrived in October and this year's Christmas served as a reminder of how lucky we are to have Ella in our lives. Every day she enchants us with her giggles, her cheeky smiles, her pouting lips, and her little personality that has permanently charmed her parents. Needless to say, we are in love with our little daughter who puts smiles our faces and warms our hearts constantly.
The Christmas celebrations started on the 23rd at the Abbott's home for the yearly Christmas party. And what fun it was! We look forward to these Christmas parties each year as it gives us the opportunity to be with some of the most wonderful families, many, if not most, of whom have been friends with the Buehrig's for the last 30 years. This year was particularly neat as it marked a whole new era; there were little babies and kids galore! The next generation is beginning to grow....
We relaxed quite a bit on Christmas Eve; Erika and her mom treated themselves to manicures and later that day our friends Keith and Cory stopped by to meet Ella. The visit was short but it was good to see them! Later that evening we attending mass and were joined by the Mercantini's, Mrs. Fay, and Meg for a fun evening at Erika's parents house for a Christmas Eve dinner. Christmas day couldn't have been more perfect - it started late morning and we enjoyed opening presents, eating the Buehrig's traditional Christmas breakfast, and just enjoying the day by lounging around the house and doting on Ella. Ella received her first baby doll which is truly bigger than she and Tim was speechless when he realized a small TV he opened up was a miniature representation of a real LCD flat screen television....a very very generous gift from both our parents. Tim loves it for the football games, Erika loves it because it's created more space in their little living room! To each their own!
The Christmas holiday didn't end on the 25th - the Carlson's, with Monica and her boyfriend Olivier, arrived from Williamsburg on the 26th. We had a relaxing afternoon with them by the fire in our condo and spent time opening up Christmas presents (it was all about Ella, of course!) and just enjoyed being with Tim's family. Later afternoon, we took a trip to Reston Town Center for a few pre-dinner beers and oysters before enjoying a yummy raclette dinner - a Carlson Christmas tradition and one of our favorites! The next morning, we headed up to Morristown, NJ to visit Tim's relatives. Ella received further adoration from her extended family members and we all enjoyed being together. The Burkharts hosted a tasty dinner on Thursday night and we enjoyed a fantastic meal on Friday. The days flew by too fast but it was wonderful to see everyone!
We'll be home for the new year as we plan on these last few days of 2007 to be relaxing and slow-paced. This has been a big year for us; the highlight of course being the birth of Ella - we'll cherish the remainder of this year but look forward to good times ahead in 2008!

Click here to view some pictures from our Christmas!