Christmas in Illinois Pt. 1

We arrived here on Saturday afternoon, December 26. It has been a white Christmas ever since! There are a lot of photos below, interspersed with text.
There are many things for which we'll remember this particular Christmas. One in particular was a special visit from our friend, Fredi. Fredi ministered in the villages with Planters back in the mid-to-late 90s. Six years ago he was hired to work in the Americ*n embassy in Tirana to translate for our nation's amb*ssador where he has worked ever since. This past fall he took a leave of absence to study two semesters at T*fts University in Boston and took up our invitation to spend Christmas with our family. Though he had visited America a couple of times before this time of study, we unintentionally provided him with his first opportunity to visit a 'drive-thru', a Super Wal Mart, and play Wii!

Gjyshe was a good grandpa and when it was apparent we would have a good window of time to play outdoors, he bought an overpriced sled at Ace Hardware. Here he is with Nathan trying to attach it to the 4-wheeler.

Ellie and "Uncle" Fredi. For a single guy, he was more than a good sport to hang out with a family of three small children!

(above) Tua turns three today! It's fun to get to be here for the celebration of her birthday. She just woke up from a hard nap in a not-so-pleasant mood. Apparently we are VERY similar in this regard. Proof that we're related!

A special treat has been getting to know our niece Pippa much better. She was only three months old at our last visit. She's a very cute and happy one-year-old -- I'm sorry this particular photo didn't capture her sweet 2-toothed smile!

Hannah's been doing a great job in the 'auntie' role, holding babies and playing toys with her nieces!

We're glad Seth and Bug braved the 22-hour drive from the Green Mountain state (VT) to be with us!

We got the girls matching jammies for Christmas. So glad we could get them to all smile at the same time!

Making special memories witih Gigi around the piano...

Gigi's new attic playroom came well equipped, including an awesome dress-up trunk. The girls loved 'clicking' around the kitchen floor in their heels!

One morning when we woke up, the world was covered in an amazing frost. I went outside and grabbed a few pics of the most amazing blue sky and white crystals! Within a few hours it was all gone!

Tonight is New Year's Eve and we're going to celebrate Tua's birthday as a family, along with some of my sister's friends from High School and their family. The time has gone fast and before we know it, we'll be on our way back to Kentucky!

Click here to view more photos from our Christmas travels on Facebook...