Last 2 Weeks of 2010 and on to 2011!

 

Before we left for Cali we had to get into the Christmas Spirit! Our apartment with the few decorations we came up with. And the Best part is that we found that awesome tree and ornaments for FREE! we LOVE craigslist!

Christmas break in California was GREAT! I was so much fun to spend time with family and be in California. We spent the first week with the Paxman clan. We had Bakers, we played Catan, we went to Gma and Gpa's house who knows how many times, we got pedicures and of course you cannot forget the RAIN. "Look its still RAINING!" as Mamma Paxman would say... about three times a day. :) It was a good excuse to stay inside to keep warm, cuddle and watch Christmas MOVIES (the cheesy Halmark ones included. They are my favorite. ) But luckily it did not rain on Christmas day. It was a Christmas miracle! It was beautiful and sunny and bright. Just what we wanted when coming to California from cold wintery Boston. 

 Aly and I on Christmas morning with our new PJs

After all the festivities of that day we woke up early the next morning( which wasn't difficult for David and I because we were still on Boston time- 3 hours earlier) and drove to sunny Santa Barbara. Now that Aunt Karen and Uncle Jim live in Santa Barbara it seems like there is never a dull moment. Who am I kidding is there usually a dull moment with the Manns anyway? We celebrated 3 birthdays that week. Shout out to Katherine Nelson, Denise Mann, and of course the most important of all my dad, Preston Mann- HAPPY BIRTHDAY. And on that wonderful day we decided play tennis. All 30 of us. As we pull up to the courts there are only 2 open and within 10 minutes there were 4. I guess the other people couldn't handle the heat. But in the end we all ended up on one court playing 5 games of around the world and 50 games of death and resurrection. NO one wanted to stop. On our last morning, within hours of us getting on a plane back to Boston, I realized I had not been to the beach at all that week. A few of us got up early and took an hour stroll on Goleta Beach. It was beautiful, and the last touch I needed before heading out East. We spent New Years Eve in the Boston Airport waiting for out luggage... that never came down the baggage claim. Happy New Year to us right? Apparently it never got on the plane from our layover in Georgia. I was not a happy camper, but i was returned to us two days later.

 

 The first thing I did when we got home that night was NOT unpack or rest but read my 3 wonderful letters from my friends on their missions. It was an awesome Christmas present! And made my New Years SO much better!

Now as many of you know, or will know now is that David and I will are expecting a baby BOY in May. We are ecstatic and feel so grateful for this wonderful blessing. The whole time I was in Santa Barbara, I was called mamma, and my little brother Taylor rubbed and shook my belly everyday: he wanted to feel him move so badly (I think he is excited to be an uncle). So this is for Brittany who has been getting my case about putting up pictures and motivation for Andrea to put some up as well. 

Pregnancy Photos:

 18 Weeks

 (This is my good side) and we found out just a couple days earlier that out little baby is a BOY!

 21 Weeks

 Yup I'm getting fatter ( as my family let me know)

We love him so much already!