**WARNING-Long winded post regarding the holidays, etc!

I'm back! After a nice break from blogging and the internet in general, I'm back and we've got some catching up to do!

First and most urgent, please pray for Tricia. I posted a few weeks ago about her situation and requested prayer. She is pregnant and has cystic fibrosis which is causing some serious issues and threatening both her and her baby's life. Learn more about specific prayer requests at her husband's blog here. We know that there is power in the prayers of the righteous and that God still heals today! Thanks so much!

Now, onto our family holidays. We celebrated early with my extended family on the 15th. We started this tradition a few years back. At Thanksgiving, all the adults exchange names and the kiddos do, too! This has been a real blessing both financially and organizationally...nothing like trying to find a place for a million new toys in an already crowded little boy's room! We gathered at my brother and sister-in-law's house (we rotate locations year to year) and enjoyed covered dishes like warm potato salad, saucy meatballs, pigs in the blanket, and cheesy garlic bread. There were yummy desserts like my sister's Oreo Truffles and my mom's famous chocolate chip cookies. But the star of the occassion was the pig...nothing says Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus like a good ole' pig-pickin'. Welcome to the South ladies and gentlemen! After stuffing ourselves, we headed straight for the Trivial Pursuit 80s edition. I'm sorry to say that the men beat the women for the second year in a row. I'd like to chalk that up to their average age being higher than ours, but I think we are pretty even!! The boys had a blast running around outside playing and the girls ended up with beautiful fingernails and hairstyles after their makeover sessions. It was great fun!

Jacob spent Christmas morning with his mom and her extended family. We miss that Christmas morning excitement every year, but love that we get him on Christmas Day at 2:00. Then, he gets to stay with us until he goes back to school, so we get a nice, long, uninterrupted visit with him! We ate lunch at my parents' house and then picked up Jacob. He enjoyed opening his gifts and was thrilled with the guitar that Santa brought. No, dear readers, there was no ultrasound machine under our tree. Maybe next year!

We left on December 27th for Matt's family home in Pennsylvania. There's nothing quite like an eight hour trip for a woman who is eight months pregnant. Needless to say, 8 hours quickly (or should I say slowly) turned to 10 hours. After a couple...okay 7 stops, we finally got there. We don't see Matt's family very often due to the distance and it's always nice to visit. There was lots of visiting, catching up, Rummy, darts, and just resting! Just to make up for the loss at 80s Trivial Pursuit, the women did stomp...I mean defeat the men at Taboo! The kiddos had a great time playing together and as always there was lots of wonderful food from Matt's stepmom, who happens to be a great cook! It was a great time spent with family! We drove home New Year's Eve, just missing the 9 inches of snow they got in PA on New Year's Day!

Baby Sloan has been given a first name, but the middle name is still in limbo! So for now, we have a little Elijah _____ Sloan ("Eli"). That was the hardest decision I've had to make so far with this pregnancy. Matt is choosing the middle name and right now he's narrowed it down to Alexander, Joseph, or Matthias. So, keep checking back for that big reveal! Eli is moving so much! He's kicking me in the ribs on a regular basis and sometimes he's so busy you can watch my belly move as he moves about. It's very, very strange, but also amazing. We've almost finished setting up the nursery. It's hard to believe that we only have 6.5 weeks until the big due date. Matt and I start childbirth classes tonight. I'm really looking forward to it! It's all so exciting!

As I type this, I'm keenly aware of how blessed we are. God is such an awesome provider. Our family is healthy and happy. We were able to provide some fun gifts for Jacob this year. Matt and I were able to exchange small gifts with each other. In a little over a month we will welcome a new little one to our family and I will be able to stay home with him. I am so thankful and look forward to a wonderful New Year!