A Very Merry International Christmas

First there was the white elephant gift exchange, a first for many, on Christmas Eve. Another holiday with Nisha and husband Manas, Sumeet, Rudy, and Maggie. We can't believe Shane slept through all the laughter.Then there was Christmas Day luncheon with Maggie as head chef. Good eats from a girl who graduated from Ben's alma mater, George Fox.
It's been said that Shane's extra-special uncles Rudy (pictured) and Sumeet are toughies on the outside but softies on the inside. A new friend.

Merry Christmas

Celebrating Christmas in India means a normal day to the every-day people we daily encounter. But for those of us either from the West or with a faith that teaches the birth of a Majestic Savior through the humble smallness of a child, the 25th is That special day.

And so for us the Spotts, we find ways to celebrate outside our home country, but very much inside a country dear to us. Although time with Shane's grandparents, uncles and aunts will always be missed, Ben and I will include their lives to our children through story telling and memories. We will also teach our family, including ourselves, the beauty of doing life with others who really aren't that different from us after all.

Missing yes but feeling blessed beyond measure to spend another Christmas in India.

A few pictures of the majestic 5-feet-tall plastic Christmas tree.

His crawling days

This is a short video of Shane crawling. Four days after returning to India from a two month visit in the USA, he decided it was time to crawl. Shane loves to play "catch me." This is a glimpse into the day of the life at the Spotts household... with mommy in tow.