DeVotchKa gave a New Year’s Eve performance at the Show Box. Daniel gave tickets to everyone in the family. Those guys are super talented. Everyone played more than one instrument REALLY well. They had a real gypsy sound. I liked it a lot. Jeff and Lauren suggested earplugs before the show. That was a great idea because it was loud even with them in the whole time.

We took a cab in from Mercer Island. What a great idea! We came late so that we could have dinner at home and feed Eden before we left. That worked out great too, because the show didn’t start until after 10 pm. We all split off kind of funny at the end so that we could drive Daniel and Kim home. We got home at around 2:30. And just as we went upstairs, Eden woke up to eat again. Perfect timing!

We were worried because she hadn’t made a mess in her diaper since Christmas Eve. That’s not automatically a bad thing for a baby her age. She seemed like she was comfortable. We were a little concerned still. Finally on the 31st we got the awaited and anticipated mess. Straight to the bath she went! Chad had given her a bath just the evening before. It was amazing how much smaller her belly was after she got everything out. I couldn’t help but to be relieved and proud. It’s funny and a little bit weird how your perspective changes after you’ve had a baby.

Nana Banana got a long white gown for Eden. We even put the bonnet on her. She looked pretty cute. Too bad she only wore it for 30 minues.

On Christmas Eve, Gramma Sophie and Jeff and Lauren spent the night here at Church’s. It was still snowing enough that we were afraid the roads would be impassible on Christmas. We don’t remember what we did.

Presents were fun on Christmas morning. I got a RC plane that I haven’t tried out yet. Elisa gave me a Sedaris book I wanted. My big present to Chad was a $3 oil vial. Three days after Christmas I gave Elisa the DVD that I ordered but had been delayed in the mail. We did good.

There were some fun presents to see opened. We got everyone go-cart racing. They had to put together puzzle pieces that were attached to their matchbox car present. Daniel gave us all tickets to the same concert he was given tickets for on his birthday. And then there was the enormous scavenger hunt for Dad’s Apple computer. He had to use his GPS and his metal detector. One of the clues was submerged in the lake and anchored to a tree branch with string. It was pretty cool. They whole time we had to trudge through the snow.

The Parry side celebrated Christmas on the 27th at the Hilton. We snagged a boardroom. Elisa and I got a digital camcorder from my parents. They forgot we had already gotten one (practically unused) for our wedding. There’s no reason to have two camcorders, no matter how cute Eden is, so we will exchange it. We gave Sophia a kick bike, and I think Elisa and I were the most excited about it. Jeff didn’t let us assemble it because then he wouldn’t be able to transport it back to Idaho.

So what’s the big deal? There are signs of incisors already appearing! Yes, they are months early. That’s the part that is truly impossible. Eden is only 2 months old today. She is showing all the symptoms, like drooling and refusing to eat. When we put lidocaine on her gums she calms down and takes food. We didn’t believe it ourselves, so we had to get some photographic proof. Look for the 3 white dots on each side of her bottom gums.

• Photos of Eden’s Ninth Week

The sadness we felt during the election was specifically related to the belief that sometimes it is OK to do immoral things for a moral cause. If you feel that doesn’t apply to you, then it wasn’t meant for you. I can see how our post sounded like a blanket judgment. Really we were writing about very specific circumstances. It made us so sad partly because it was so rare.

We’ve had a lot of chances lately to talk to family and friends about political issues. We are sincerely grateful to everyone for sharing their beliefs. We keep coming to you or asking you because we respect you! Our family members are good examples of people who care about this country and want to see it moving in a moral direction. We agree with them 100%!

We don’t all agree in our political opinions. But that’s not what’s important, is it? The important thing is that we value each others’ opinions.

When people we know spread false claims, it hits much closer to home. I’ve talked to people that think it is OK to stretch the truth a little when the stakes are so high. One person justified a little bias by asserting that the other side was worse. When the negativity and loss of faith in politicians’ integrity affected some of our loved ones it made Elisa and I so sad that we felt physically ill. [Corrected from: "It is the negativity and disillusionment of our loved ones that has made Elisa and I so sad that we felt physically ill."]

So I want to give a big thank-you to all those that took the time to do their fact checking this election season. Thank you to those that valued truth over sensationalism. Thank you to those that made their decisions with charity and not anger. Thank you to all those that scrutinized their opinions and listened to criticism. You all know who you are, because it has been a taxing couple of months for you. No matter what side of the issues you take, I hope your voices get more prominent every year like you deserve while your opponents become more marginalized.

No matter what the rest of the world believes, we owe it to ourselves and our causes to be fair and honest every time. It makes our positions stronger, not weaker. As voters we want to make educated decisions. We need to encourage others to make educated decisions by being straightforward. Otherwise we are undermining democracy and our own part in the process. Stretching and bending the truth may commonly be found in politics but they really have no place there. Maybe you’ll recognize this quote from A Man for All Seasons, which to me says that even our biggest detractors deserve to hear us treat the issues with integrity.

Even though it is scary and difficult, especially in German, it is always such a wonderful feeling to share those special thoughts and feelings with others. I miss that about being a missionary. Even while taking a break from my calling as primary chorister I have fewer opportunities to share my testimony.

Anyway, I was really proud of myself for trying in German. It is a scary thing to start a sentence and not know how you are going to finish it.

Chad did a Frankenstein pumpkin. I forgot to put the bolts under the ears so it really just ended up being a guy with thick eyebrows. Chad was bragging to everyone about my mad pumpkin carving skills. I was under a lot of pressure to produce a masterpiece. I ended up doing a mediocre “Cow Jumped Over the Moon” scene. If I had professional tools it would have been better. Elisa sounds like such a perfectionist all of a sudden. I must have been really concentrating while I was carving because people kept coming up and asking to take action shots of me. We snacked a bit on brain muffins and Smore pie just long enough to stick around for the pumpkin carving results.  Out of probably 20 pumpkins 6 were winners, but I was still pumped that I was one of them! I got a lift ticket to Hoch Ybrig.

We went over to the Mascaros for the evening. The Jacksons were there too. All the kids got dizzy off of the sugar cookies they decorated. We attempted to make root beer. It was pretty successful after we practically doubled the already high sugar content. We played games and talked about Proposition 8, (allowing or disallowing homosexual marriages). It is nice to have people you can talk openly with and have a mature discussion regardless of differences in opinion.

By the way, I dressed up as a mom for Halloween and Eden was a little caterpillar in a cocoon. Technically she was just asleep in her swaddle but that doesn’t sound as exciting.

Wednesday we went to Luzern. We checked out the Verkehrshaus (Transportation Museum) which was really fun especially with the weather being so bad. They had a special IMAX film on the Alps. Sadly that was the most Renee and Jordy got to see of them. Then we hurried to get in a few sites in Luzern before it was totally dark. Jordy is making a t-shirt quilt so our quest was to find a good t-shirt in each city. We were not totally successful so Chad and I have been given the assignment to find ones for St Gallen, Bern and Zurich to bring back to her.

Eden is getting cuter and heavier each day. It was great seeing our visitors bickering over who got to hold her. There is no shortage of people who love her. She was quite a trooper to spend two days in her carseat/stroller. She has got to be pretty happy to not have to stare up at a plastic rain guard for awhile.

Yesterday morning we said farewell to our Idaho mom and sister. As far as we can tell we are officially on our own with this parenthood thing until we take our trip back to the states in mid-December. That is unless we have anyone else who wants to visit and lend a helping hand.

• Photos of our day trips