Vivienne's 1st Christmas

Vivienne's cousin Colin helped her open gifts

What a haul!

A Christmas Card for Our Family & Friends

Six Months Old & As Tall As The Puppy

Six months? Seriously? We cannot believe it has been six months since we saw our baby girl for the first time. They aren't joking when they say time flies. Just last week Vivienne learned to hold her bottle and to sit up on her own. We are having a wonderful holiday season with our new little joy! Here are a few more photos from the last month . . .

Practicing how to use a sippy cup

Sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner

A Season of Thanks

We joke that this was the longest pregnancy AND the shortest pregnancy! After five years of marriage and waiting to become parents, we met Vivienne's birthmother,"T." , just 2-1/2 months before our little girl was born. On May 30, 2011, Vivienne Rose arrived and on June 24, she joined our family through the gift of open adoption. Our world is completely different now and we wouldn't have it any other way!

Some of our favorite memories of the past year...

• Celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary in April
• Experiencing Vivienne’s birth - T. asked us to be her birth coaches and to stay at the hospital with her to help care for our little one
• Enjoying having both of our families visit this summer to meet Vivienne
• Throwing a “farm birthday” for our 6 year old nephew, James - including tractor & ATV rides, bonfire, s'mores, feeding the calves and, of course, a hay ride
• Taking our first getaway weekend as a family of three - Vivienne loved the hotel pool!
• Texting, emailing, sharing photos and visiting often with Vivienne's birthmother
• Bringing Vivienne to work with Mommy most days
• Staying home with Daddy a couple days each week too
• Feeling blessed beyond what we ever imagined!

Thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement over the years as we waited for our little miracle to arrive. We are incredibly thankful for the gift of your friendship!

All God's blessings this holiday season,

Dave, Michelle & Vivienne 

Five Months Old Already!

What a smiley girl she is! Such a joy! In the last month she has learned to roll over (and roll and roll and roll around the house), play peek-a-boo, and eat cereal from a spoon. She talks (and squeaks) a lot now and laughs and giggles as well. Vivienne's doctor thinks she will be crawling in a month or so. Mommy and Daddy say, "What?! We aren't ready for that yet! We're OK with rolling!" Here are some more photos from the last month...

Happy Birthday Daddy!

I love to roll!

Answering phones with Miss Doris at Mommy's office

I wonder how this thing works?

Last warm day in October and wearing my sundress

Cereal is delicious!

Happy Halloween everyone! My first costume!

Ain't She Clever?!

In honor of her Aunt Nicole's birthday today, Vivienne figured out a new game and we were able to catch this "first" on video! If you listen closely you can hear her laugh. Enjoy...

Vacation Baby!

Vacation? Well it was more like a weekend getaway but it *was* our first overnight trip with a baby. Which basically means that the entire back platform of the SUV was loaded down with Vivienne's necessities for the weekend. (Seriously... how can a 14-1/2 pound person require more equipment than two grown adults? Amazing!)  We had a wonderful time just hanging out in a small town along the Mississippi River. Here's a snapshot of our first vacation as a family of three...

Checking out the gift shops after lunch

Bought awesome purple hat for the windy weekend

Stop at the Visitor's Center

Blaze orange aisle at Cabela's

Afternoon bottle at Cabela's

Did I mention this is Daddy's favorite store?

"Good Morning! I love this hotel!"

"Wake up Daddy. Time for morning swim."

Don't worry! "Swimmer" diaper is on!

We'll be embarrassing Vivienne for years to come!

Walk along the Mississippi

Wagon ride at the local orchard

What a beauty!

"Back home modeling the camouflage Daddy bought me at Cabela's."