Monday, December 24, 2007


Merry Christmas 2007! Happy New Year 2008!


Handsome Cason on Christmas Eve, eagerly awaiting Santa!


Abram, my cutiepie started to get the hang of Santa and Christmas this year!


It is a tradition to have Christmas Eve as a big family, we all exchange gifts with extended family and have a huge Christmas feast. Uncle Scott is helping the kids open their presents. Cason looked back on this picture later and said, "Uncle Scott was so nice to me." It was cute.


Santa was in the area and stopped by to give a couple of gifts to
the children, this is them looking at him.

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Christmas Letter

Dear Family and Friends,
It's that time of year again. I hate to miss out on sending snail mail Christmas cards the traditional way but November was way too busy to get ahead with those type of projects and here I am right before Christmas just beginning to think of it again.
This year has been a great one. We are so blessed! In May Luder began working at Hirschler Fleischer. He enjoys his new job and is surrounded by great people. It has been a good change for our family.
May was a big month, Luder and I took a 5 day trip to Boston for his 30th birthday where we saw the Red Sox and toured. We had a great time together! Mom turned 50 and we had a party in Harrisonburg for her, it was great to be with her side of the family! We also had our summer vacation to Myrtle Beach, SC for a week with the kids. We saw all kinds of family and really enjoyed the sun and water. The kids are already asking to go back.
This summer it seemed like we had something to do almost every weekend. We went to Lake Anna, visited the grandparents, I went on an overnight get away with Carol to VA Beach (it was so needed and a blast) we went swimming whenever we could and Cason took his first swimming lessons at Burkwood.
The fall started off with a Milton family reunion at Patti and Frederick's house and a pumpkin patch visit. My girlfriends literally kidnapped me for my birthday and we spent the night out at my favorite restaurant and shopping, I am so grateful for friends that make me feel special.
October and November were really the busiest. I took a cruise with my family, incredible! We got ready for Halloween, it is a really big deal when you have preschool aged kids. We had the boys birthday party in November at Chuck E. Cheese and my Dad turned 50. We traveled to Southern Pines, NC for Thanksgiving and then had a surprise party for Dad near Greenville, SC.
December rolled in so fast, I can't believe it is almost Christmas! A little about each member of the family:
Luder is still working hard at his career. He is trying to balance his family responsibilities, work and church. He is the Young Men's president for our congregation. He does a great job at everything he does and is especially an exceptional father.
I am enjoying the "toddler world" where you fight for toys, throw food and embarrass your parents at least once a week. A since of humor makes it so much more fun. I laugh at my life and constantly think, "Wow, if you would have told me I would be doing this 10 years ago, I would have laughed at you." I love these little children, I just look at them and thank our Father in Heaven that they are healthy and beautiful. They snuggle with me and tell me they love me. Being a stay at home mother is overwhelming sometimes but I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to put my whole life into my family. 2007 has been a year for me to learn more about myself. I have been reading, traveling, home improving and volunteering at church in the Young Women program. I have also started my own wellness business with Luder's support. I am excited about helping people get healthier.
Cason has been going to school three days a week in the morning. He still LOVES trains. He has a fish and a dog named Charlotte (who is really my parents dog but it is working for me so far). For the most part he adores his brother and is very helpful. He melts my heart with his sweet compliments to me and he has slowly started to read over the past couple of months. His preschool teachers say he is going to be a President. He is pretty good at persuasion so we will see.
Abram is a sweet, funny, chubby little man. He loves to play outside, to be read to and he learns very quickly. He sings his ABC's, knows the sounds of the letters for the most part and can count pretty high. He loves backhoe loaders "bak ho-woders" and anything construction related. He makes me seriously laugh uncontrollably sometimes.
We have had a great year together. I am so grateful for all the blessings that we have enjoyed as a family. Life has it's trials but we grow from them. I still think about losing Nan over a year ago and she helps me keep things in perspective. Life is short, I want to be present as much as possible.
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy Year. We hope that you will take time to enjoy the season and maybe even get a little sentimental if possible.
Love,
Luder, Ginny, Cason and Abram Milton

Scroll down to see pictures of mentioned events.

Monday, December 17, 2007

Christmas Is Here


This is the Washington DC Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, this is where Luder and I were married 6 years ago. The temple is breathtaking all year, I had never been at Christmas to see it decorated. It was amazing, there was a live Nativity Scene and I felt such a special feeling while I was there. Luder took this one of me and my little men. Abram saw the fountain behind us and said, "I get in it!!!" It was 30 degrees and I laughed.


Luder and I agreed that this is truly Abram. This is how he looks most of the time!


Cason had Santa visit today at his preschool. They have a Christmas party complete with Santa, a reindeer craft, Christmas Bingo and I don't know how this always happens to me but I get designated to bring in stories and read to the children at all the parties. It is probably because I get really into reading to them and I learned how to do it "correctly" in my parenting class-Thanks Dr. Rodriguez!


Part of the whole preschool party ritual is eating these really good treats, Abram has officially made himself a place at the big kids table. He is looking to enroll next year! I don't know what I will do with myself with a break like that!


So last night we had Christmas with the Milton Grandparents and Jonathan, Luder's brother. Granmoma got them a pretend chainsaw. So funny, Abram went around all night pretending to use it. I don't think he knew what he was doing. At one point he said he was doing "adjustment" which is what his other Grandpa "Bop" does. My Dad is a Chiropractor and adjusts the kids when we get together.