a week in a life - we had a very busy christmas week, with last-minute shopping, parties and family get-togethers dominating our schedule. when i was a child, christmas was always a very magical time for me and my family. i especially enjoyed getting together with my cousins, opening presents, and stuffing my face at nearly every opportunity. the holiday began to lose its luster when i became an adult. perhaps it was because i was getting fewer presents than i had bought, or the massive amounts of weight i would gain from overeating. my little cousins were also no longer cute--some of them are now bald and have nervous eye tics.

with baby russell with us for the first time, the magic of christmas feels like its back again. jenny and i enjoyed taking him out to parties and family dinners where he would be the center of attention and meet new people and other children. jenny had fun dressing russell in a santa claus outfit that is absolutely adorable. dressed as santa, russell went with us to toys r us, and several shoppers screamed out loud how they wanted to pinch his cheeks. i'm so proud of our little boy.

as new parents, jenny and i are savoring every moment that we have with russell. can you believe that he's six months old already? his baby teeth are starting to come in, so we quickly scheduled an appointment at the sears portrait studio to have his picture taken while he still has those chubby cheeks and that toothless grin. somehow, i think we'll be visiting the studio many more times these next few years.