Christmas Amidst Construction

Lilly's first Christmas was not the traditional first Christmas you might imagine. First of all, she doesn't even know the word Christmas, much less associate it with anything. On top of that, the house we bought is under construction as we are working tirelessly on finishing the renovations before Charles starts school Jan. 7 and I go back to work. Unlike a Christmas tree and decorations, we had boards and nails scattered about along with tools and electrical cords filling most of the living room.

Nonetheless, we had a little Christmas morning on our bed just the three of us where we read the story of the birth, opened some presents and listened to some favorite holiday tunes. Lilly was more than pleased with the wrapping paper, ribbon and tape that surrounded her - not to mention the actual gifts that were inside. Here are some of the photos to document the occasion.

Christmas before Christmas!

Lilly looked too cute last week before a Christmas party not to take any pictures!

Christmas Letter 2008

Dear Friends and Family -

Due to our tardiness in writing this letter, we are posting it here rather than sending it snail mail to everyone. What a year 2008 has been - most likely one that we will never forget. Here are some of the highlights!

The year started off with a bang - a 6lb, 5 oz. one to be exact! Lilly Cruz was born on January 9 in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. We are so thankful for her health and development over the last 11 months. Also in January we had my mom and aunt come for an adventurous two-week visit. Other than that, the first few months were kind of a blur - with little sleep and lots of changing diapers.

In March, Charles and I along with his parents, trekked (involuntarily) down a mountain on foot with 7-week-old Lilly in tow. Many of you saw the pictures posted online of the landslides that occurred while we did the big descent.

Charles and I filled our suitcases in May and said goodye to our loved ones in Bolivia. We made a stop in Cartagena, Colombia, for a week of R and R before arriving in the States. The beaches in Cartagena were amazing and Lilly got her first little suntan (and burn).

The summer was a whirlwind of vacation and visiting. We made it to DC for 4th of July and to Corpus Christi, TX, for Hurricane Dolly and just about everywhere in between. It was so good to catch up with those of you we were able to visit.

August started a hard season of the year as we fazed out of our exciting return into some culture shock and dishevelment. We bounced around for a few months housesitting, living with parents, substitute teaching, remodeling houses and more odds and ends. It was a hard season but a growing one.

In November we celebrated Thanksgiving in Memphis and Florida with family for the first time in years. What a time to be grateful!

We are ending the year with a bang as well. We have bought my grandmother's house on a 1-acre lot in a nice wooded community in Starkville, MS, about a mile from Mississippi State University. It is an understatement to say it needs a little bit of work. However, Charles has enjoyed the projects around the house so far. He plans to pursue a Master's in Landscape Architecture starting in January and his concentration will be in Green Building Design with hopes to work in the international realm when he finishes. I have accepted a position with the University and will begin in January as well. Lilly is so busy these days, crawling and on her way to walking soon. Please see some pictures we had taken of her recently www.erinnolenphotography.com/mccall.

We wish you a blessed Holiday Season and New Year.

Charles, Hannah and Lilly