Eat, Drink, and Be Merry...for tomorrow we diet.

Happy New Year!

It's Christmas, Baby!


It's hard to believe that the holiday season is in full swing already. We have had so much fun with Alex and preparing for Christmas as a family. Alex has been a good sport for all of Mommy's holiday photo shoots, enjoyed gazing at the tree, and "helped" me shop. (...meaning...he didn't scream bloody murder when I carted him around the stores.) I'm telling you that I am also loving the "find it at a store" link on Target.com. It's so comforting to know that when I go to the store in search of something, I know it will be there. I have a precious 2-hour window each day between naps, feeds, poops, etc when errands are a possibility and that link is a lifeline. How did we shop before the internet? I guess the hard core shopping types probably really enjoy the hunt for the requested gifts. But I'm not a hard core shopper. I'm a get-it-done shopper, so thanks Target.com.

We are really excited about going to Texas next week to spend the holidays with our family. I am so anxious for everyone to see Alex. He's changed a lot in the past week or two. He rolled over, started giggling without prompting from us, started eating cereal, and even slept through the night (10 hours!) a couple of times. These are really fun days for us as a family.

This year we have really purposed to cherish this season. We have much to be thankful for - marriage, our son, a home, and wonderful friends and family. Each day we try to remind ourselves that this season really is not about get-it-done shopping, but about the ultimate gift of Jesus. Celebrating His birth, remembering His sacrifice, and enjoying relationship with Him is what it's all about.

We pray you and yours also enjoy celebrating the true meaning of Christmas this year...May you be truly blessed as you give and receive. May you remember that family and friends are precious. May you organize your time so that true worth is placed on people and not things. May you practice hospitality and charity. May you focus on Christ as the center of this wonderful holiday.

With much love from our family to yours,
Nicole, Jason, & Alex

Final Exam.

For my final in Photography, we had to turn in a portfolio of all our assignments including a final print. The final print qualifications were to shoot a photo of something we hadn't photographed before and to use an alternative angle or crop. I chose this photo I took of the mural on the wall of the Blues on Grand in Des Moines. Blues is right down the street from us and I walk past it a lot. I've always liked this guitar. So I decided to lay down on the ground and get a picture of it. Hope I get an "A" on this one.


Thank you for keeping up with my photography journey this semester - I'm slowly learning more and more about capturing good photos. Stay tuned for next semester: Studio Photography.

Cars at Night.

This assignment was to photograph moving objects (cars) at night using a slow shutter speed. I took these photos before I invested in a tripod, so they aren't wonderful. I've learned that there are lots of shots that need a tripod! Anyways, the neat thing about these photos is that you only see the lights moving on the cars and not the cars. The streak in the photos are car lights. I am hoping to get out and take some more of these at night sometime because I think they are really cool. I'll let you know if I decide to venture out in the 14 degree weather with my tripod...

We are Groupies.

Tonight we hosted our Connection Group for a little holiday dinner and family fun. This group has been a tremendous blessing to us in Iowa. When we moved to Des Moines, we never would have imagined that less than a year into it we would have such a precious group of friends. This year we've had a sort of Baby Explosion - 7 of 8 couples have had a baby or been pregnant since we joined the group in January! We seriously love these friends and their babies. (Chris and Mary: we also love your yet-to-be babies =)

Here are a couple of pics of the Groupie Babies from tonight...We are still waiting on the arrival of 2 Groupie Babies any day now!