Christmas 2013

This was our first year sending an e-card in place of a Christmas card to friends and family in the mail. We chose to save the $$$! 

The excitement for the big event in just 5 more days is palpable. We're just a little excited. Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! 2013 has been a blessed year. We are so grateful to have welcomed our 5th baby October 28th. Holland Deanne has truly made us feel complete. She is overly loved on by us all. 

Aaron gets the father of the year award for growing his family larger than his entire immediate and extended family. We love to share with people that he has one brother, one cousin, one Aunt, and 5 kids. He's busy growing the custom homes department for Ivory Homes. 

Melissa is swimming in diapers, squeezing in good books whenever she can, and taken on the massive responsibility of homeschooling her children. Although it has received some peculiar looks, she has enjoyed (most days) her children staying home and the adventure of teaching them. She has made some incredible friends who are on this same journey. We are all learning! 

Hannah was recently baptized. We couldn't be more proud of our Hannah. She is a choice girl! She has taken on her place as the oldest with great responsibility. She can make breakfast, lunch, and almost dinner. Joseph depends on her greatly to entertain him since mom has become more preoccupied with baby Holland. He loves her. We all do. She still loves art, but has become a much better reader and loves to read to her siblings. She's also enjoying math and piano. She wants to be a singer when she grows up and have people listen to her on the radio. Heaven help us! 

Nathan is 6-1/2, full of energy, and has a zest for life. Sandwiched between two girls isn't always easy, but he's mastered teasing and gets his fair share of sisterly drama. He can hardly wait for Joseph to get a little bigger to wrestle with. He loves legos, coloring, cooking, riding his bike, being outside, science experiments, dancing (the boy has moves), and playing games with Abigail. He wants to be a pilot and a police officer and a fireman when he grows up. 

Abigail is our 5 year old horse. Seriously, she is a horse more than she is a girl. She is our family entertainment. You've never seen such drama in a child until you've seen Abby. She loves people, horses, her friends, her mommy, and her blankie. She has a wild imagination and is joy personified! Nathan lovingly decided to help make Abigail even more beautiful recently by cutting her some bangs. Fortunately, he chose to do that the day after we took some family pictures. We're pretty sure there was no protest by her.  Abby wants to be a horse when she grows up. 

Joseph is 18 months and our firecracker. His impersonation of a chimpanzee is spot on! He has some lungs on him! We know for sure this boy of ours is going to do some great things in his life because he is one very determined little guy in everything he does. He can say mo(more), all done, by, hi, daddy, mommy, no, and a whole lot of mumbling. He thinks he's just as big as his siblings and wants to do all things big kids do. Joe wants to be the center of attention when he grows up. 

Holland is our 2 month old angel baby. There is something so sweet about a newborn at Christmas time. She came to us in her own special way and no amount of effort on our part was going to change her breech position. Through many, many prayers she was born completely perfect! She is mellow compared to her siblings. We are smitten with her. We are excited to see what she wants to do when she grows up. 

If we could think of only 5 words to sum up 2013, they would be: 

- Blessed

- Inspired

- Crazy

- Happy

- Thankful

We feel deeply grateful to have this time each year to think of the true meaning of Christmas. The Savior has been ever present in our lives and we know with such certainty that He loves us all. What a tremendous gift He is for each one of us! We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

much love,

the Lombardo's

A Baby to Die For

I'm still waiting for the rest of Hannah's baptism pictures and Holland's blessing pictures from my sister (hint! hint!) BUT...she did send me a few of Holland that I'm dying over. Isn't she the sweetest? Yes, I think so!

 LOVE!

Oh I could kiss this face of hers over and over. Oh wait, I do!

Growing Up

I kept saying all day yesterday, "I can't believe she's five" or "I can't believe I'm putting 5 candles on her cake" or "I can't believe she's five". Seriously? I really can't believe it. And aren't her bangs just adorable in that picture above? NOT! Nathan gave her a little birthday haircut and I'm here to say I handled it quite well, if I do say so myself. There was only minimal crying. From both of us. Abby couldn't care less. That's one thing I absolutely love about this girl. She's completely delightful. She's passionate, and deeply loving, and full of drama! I love that she plays well with others and just as well by herself. Her imagination is endless. Her love for horses has only increased. All she wants for Christmas, or her birthday was horses. And she got them; by the boat load. Aaron and I bought her a bike for her birthday and I was sure she'd be so surprised and excited. Nope! Neither. It was more of a "token" thank you. When she gave her prayer last night she thanked Heavenly Father over and over again for all of her gifts, but totally forgot about her bike! Oh well. Hopefully she'll be grateful for it this summer when she can actually ride it.

Abby is a pleaser and a giver. She is quick to share and broken hearted when she disappoints. She is the perfect little sister to her older, more intense brother. She dearly loves him and they are each others playmates before all others. She's also fairly determined herself. Teaching her at home this year has been a joy! She LOVES books, loves learning to read and spell, and loves when we do anything artsy. She is also tenderhearted. The tears are ever quick if a playmate is not playing nicely. Her little feelings are close to the surface, making her vulnerable to the injustice of childhood drama! She's a little princess. She's petite and fragile, yet wants desperately to play rough...until she gets hurt, which is usually right away. She's recently given up sucking on her finger each night, with her beloved white blankie in order to earn her very own purple unicorn that she so badly coveted at the store. She earned it fare and square!

Overall, Abby is just happy go lucky! I'm so grateful she came to our home. Life would not be the same without her here.

Abby's special day.
licking her cake batter

 Sadie and Abby

 With the help of my mom, Hannah made this darling doll for Abby. Sweet sister!

Abby and Mara

Gift from Eliza. Yep, I think she likes it.

Gift from Grandma Lombardo. Do you think she liked it?

 Cute pillow and horse made for her by her Aunt Robin. Love!

 A giant PINK unicorn from Aunt Suzie. No one could compete with this gift! It was the favorite.

 closing her eyes for the bike. It was a little anti climatic. If only it had been a horse bike!

 Winter gloves and a fairy barbie from Grandma and Grandpa Eyre

 Her prized purple unicorn she earned.

Her cute little friends. Mara, Abby, Eliza, and Sadie

Traditional mom and dad picture

She spent the rest of the afternoon being a horse and playing with all of her horses. Then, if that wasn't enough, she ended the day playing outside in the mounds of snow we've received with her cousins.

Fun Day for a Fun Girl!

A Blessed Day

Two big things happened yesterday. Hannah was baptized and Holland was blessed. Oh my goodness, Hannah was so excited! Her cousins were coming. Her Aunts and Uncles were coming. Her grandparents were coming. Her friends were coming and those who couldn't come were thinking of her, and she knew it! She got to wear her special dress. She got to wear her special pink earrings from her Grandma Lombardo. She had her picture taken a lot, and she loves that. She got to get into that warm water and feel the warmth that comes from being baptized and receiving the gift of Holy Ghost. She got to fast for the first time today, and bear her testimony in Sacrament Meeting. She got to sit on the stand next to the bishop. She was recognized in primary for choosing to be baptized. She got to share her special day with the baby she loves most; little Holland. We think she's a pretty special little girl, who isn't so little anymore.

More of Hannah's baptismal pictures.

 annoyed by all the pictures I was taking.

I think she's pretty great! I'll share more of her actual baptismal day pictures and Hollands blessing pictures soon.