Happy 4 Years!

First there was college and dating then there was marriage

then there was the belly

then came the baby
who keeps getting bigger and keeps us laughing and on our toes

We've packed a lot of crazy fun and wonderful memories into 4 years, and we can't wait to see what the many years ahead will bring!

Keep up the good work Daddy

It was too close to E's bedtime and too dark and too cold for him to help Daddy, but it didn't stop him from watching Daddy dig us out of the latest round of snow

And the pig steals the camera...

Evan LOVES to look at pictures and videos (usually they are of him) on our camera. He will actually bring me the camera and ask me to show him the pictures (by a few words and mainly grunting and pointing until I get the memo). So, this morning, I asked if he wanted to do his animal noises and then watch the video on the camera. He excitedly said yes, BUT by the time we get to pig, he just contain himself any longer and he wants to watch the replay!

It must have been a rough night...

Really. No. Idea. BUT, it must have been a rough night of sleep to manage to get one arm out of the sleeper without unzipping it!

Snow, Swimsuit and a Christmas Tree

We got some snow over the weekend, so Evan got to try out his winter coat along with his brand new snow boots and shovel (boots and shovel were an early Xmas gift from Grammy and Grandpa)

Helping Grandpa shovel a path to the woodGetting his hands warmed up before going inside...Evan found my suits and thought they were a lot of fun to try on : )And the start of decorating the Christmas tree. Evan did a great job helping with the bottom branches. Mommy may have re-arranged after he went to bed : )

Our Family Tradition - Advent Calendar

We have a lot of family traditions that I would like to start with Bret, Evan and future children. One of those is our version of an advent calendar. We had one growing up and each of the kids got to hang an ornament on the tree. Thankfully, Grandpa's workshop has been busy, and this year we have our very own tree and ornaments (a gift from Grammy and Grandpa last year at Christmas). After Grammy and Grandpa forgave Evan for getting them sick, they brought the tree over and Grandpa helped hang the first ornament!E loves decorating the tree, and so far we have avoided all meltdowns because he only gets to hang one. He gets it up and instantly asks for more : ).

No School!

The great things just keep coming from daycare! First we got the nasty stomach bug, then on Monday, we get a phone call that says "SURPRISE! You can't come today because we have no power". I was on a roundabout, so we just drove in a circle and came right back home. Since we hadn't been up to getting the house decorated, Evan helped get everything ready to go for Christmas!

He liked the Nutcrackers, but he LOVED the Nativity. Specifically, the camel and the three sheep that we have.This was the first spot that I thought would work for the Nativity. We are re-thinking that spot. Wonder how Evan got up so high to play with the camel?Well, he dumped a bin out, flipped it over and pulled it over the the wall then climbed on top!
Bret's absolute favorite Christmas decoration is this tree. He decided to hand it down to Evan for him to keep in his room. E loves the plan and really got into putting on the lights on with Bret!
The final result...

Turkey Day = Sick Day

We knew Thanksgiving was going to be one for the books around 12:30am Wednesday morning when Evan woke up to start a long night of throwing up. Its a TON of fun with a little one that has no concept of toilet, trash can, carpet vs. easily wipe-able floor, etc. His instinct was to cuddle against you, so both Bret and I had a few outfit changes through the night! The next morning he was rightfully tired, but he ate a bit and kept everything down!

Wednesday night we headed to New Castle. Something my family ended up being not thankful for and the rest of the family was VERY thankful that we didn't end up with them! By the end of the weekend - I had the bug and gave it to Bret who gave it to my mom who gave it to my Dad who gave it to my brother. We were very giving this ThanksGIVING : ). And thankful that daycare provided us this excellent bug to share!

I was pleasantly surprised how well Evan did with the Christmas tree. He has a lot of monkey tendencies and is all boy, so I was waking up with nightmares that he had climbed the tree and was tossing the ornaments off left and right! But he very carefully helped Grammy and Grandpa decorate the bottom of their Christmas tree.

And with helped, did a few ornaments on the top. This might have been how Phil got infected with "the sickness"
The troops rallied to go out and pick a Christmas tree. This might have been how Grandpa became infected.
Very excited to be out and roaming on the Christmas tree farm. Also a big fan of his giant gloves.
Which one???That one Daddy! and AHHHHHHH bright sun for someone that has been holed up in a dark room getting sick for the last day!
Stopping to ride the tractor...

We pick up the tree tomorrow, so pictures to come later of it in all its 9' decorated glory!