Beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2008 has been an incredible year for the Berndsen Family, and as we decorated for our first Christmas in our new house, we were reminded of the many things we were blessed with this year.

First of all, that swollen belly of mine sticking out from the picture. Experiencing this pregnancy together has been an amazing adventure, full of learning, laughter and love. My husband has been absolutely incredible to me (as he always was) and I have seen him grow abundantly as he prepares for his role as a father in these next few weeks. I love the way our preparation for parenthood has brought us closer as a couple as well and strengthened our marriage even more, which I hadn't known was possible. We are very much looking forward to our expanding family, and our expanding love.

The new home we were able to decorate this year is a blessing in and of itself. Several years ago, we knew that we wanted to build a new house, but that it would take a lot of sacrifice and dedication to make it a reality. We put our minds and hearts to the task, and in February 2008 we were able to close on our very own brand new house, full of the personal touches that we had individually chosen. We loved the building process and are so grateful that we were able to work toward and complete our goal, just in time to bring our newest member into the world. :)

That goofy dog in the picture is also a blessing (though some days we might not admit it), as he brings us such joy and laughter in his silly antics. It really does seem he understands when we talk to him, and his many confused expressions literally make us laugh daily. During the building process, Beazer lived with Grandma & Grandpa Berndsen while we lived with my mom for a few months. It is great to have our dog reunited and a part of our daily family again. I know that once our daughter comes that he will likely take a back burner in our lives (and we have tried to prepare him for that as well), but until then, we are enjoying his silly behavior, many wet kisses and his need for our attention.