Thanksgiving in Indiana

On Friday evening, the kids and I traveled to Indiana to celebrate Thanksgiving with my side of the family. The Snooks generously hosted the holiday, once again, at their home. It was a lovely day that included an abundance of delicious food, quality time with over 40 family members, and an afternoon of competitive boardgames. There were plenty of little people to entertain Helaina, and everybody was begging for time with Zachary. Unfortunately, Randy had to work the hockey game on Saturday and couldn't join in our crazy fun. We are looking forward to driving back to Michigan tonight to see him.

Uncle Nate, Helaina, and Aunt MaKayla

Madison and Helaina

Great-Grandma McGinley

Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma Walter

Our handsome little man

Giving Thanks...in pictures

Pictures from Thanksgiving at Randy's parents' home...my heart is overfilled with thanks...
Family

Food...to nourish, to gather loved ones together, to celebrate special occasions.

Grandparents...we love them, but ooooohhhh my, the indescribable relationship between the grandparents and grand kids

Older cousins and pets

Great-Grandparents and the chance to hold in their arms the legacies they will one day leave behind

God Bless the cook, especially this one! Thank you Teta for keeping our family healthy.
Zachary's First Thanksgiving...pureed turkey dinner...delicious!

Jesus' Birthday, Christmas

Enjoying holiday traditions with friends, neighbor kids

7 months

A few days ago, Zachary turned 7 months old. Each day that passes, Randy and I just want to devour his super squishy cheeks more and more. He is such a lovable boy! He's finally sitting all by himself and starting to stand alone when leaning against a table or the fireplace. We introduced the sippy cup at 6 months, and this past week he started holding and drinking from it on his own. Zachary is a big boy and likes to eat and snack. He can self feed a cracker, and his pincer grasp is getting better. Finger foods are just around the corner!

This guy loves to be tickled and chuckles just at the sight of our hands coming near his belly. Still no vowel or consonant sounds, but he does babble, coo, and laugh most of the day. He's been battling a cold for a week now and our hope is that he feels 100% in time for all of our holiday gatherings. Not sure if it's the cold, a recent flu shot, or a growth spurt, but Zach continues to be a sleepy head. He sleeps from 7:30 pm to around 7 am with a morning nap and an afternoon nap, both about 2 hours in length. Hopefully he'll be giving up the late afternoon cat nap, but for now, he still needs that little snooze to get him to bedtime.

Our little man ready for Christmas...rosy cheeks and all :)

Our princess
Our family is really looking forward to the remainder of the week. There is something very special about quality time with our families. We'll spend Thanksgiving Day with Randy's side of the family and then a few days in Valpo for the McGinley festivities. And we just can't wait to see Baby Caden again. Randy's cousin, Jen, and her husband John, welcomed Caden on November 7. We can't wait to snuggle with the little man again!

Megan's 30th Birthday

November has already proved to be a busy month. Randy has spent many nights at the hockey rink, and we're still early in the season. We've started preparing earlier than normal for the holiday season as having 2 kids doesn't allow for much free time to leisurely shop and decorate the house. We've completed about 50% of our holiday shopping and most of that was done online...coupons and free shipping...holla! Later this week, it's quite possible the Christmas tree will be visible in our living room. We're slowly, but surely, embracing this holiday season.

I am scheduled to have my braces REMOVED tomorrow. Probably going to the be the best Tuesday of 2011. I couldn't be more excited.

This past weekend, Randy was a super husband and dad and took over all home and children duties while I traveled to Indianapolis for the night. We celebrated Megan's 30th birthday, all day long! Lunch, pedicures, wine tasting, dinner with 20 of her closest friends and family, and a night cap with a live country/rock band...a very special day in honor of a very special friend!

Happy 30th Birthday Mego!

Most of the girls in attendance

Megan and her fiance, Jon

Love, love these ladies!

Saturday Morning Swimming

It was a delightful morning with the family. Saturday morning swimming, lunch date at the mall, and a frozen yogurt treat. This was Zachary's second session in the pool, and he continues to enjoy all thirty minutes. Who knew we would have 2 fish for kids?

"Look Daddy! I'm such a big boy!"

Open Gym Gymnastics

In an effort to fight the seasonal blues and help keep the kids more active, we've returned to the open gym gymnastics at the rec center (same place we do swimming, music class, and our workouts). One day a week, I wake Zach early from his morning nap and rush the kids out the door. It's the perfect place for little tikes (walking through 4 years) to jump, swing, balance, roll, and tumble. I love the laid back environment as most moms bring their "babies" to the class as well, and we help each other in chasing after all the kids. Zach loves to scoot around on his belly and try to pull himself up on the equipment. The class is an hour long, so I pack a lunch for all of us and as Helaina would say, "we have a lunch date."

I'm really starting to see many of the same faces at these events. Between all the classes at the rec center, the mommy/child class, and a variety of other kid friendly hangouts, we are on a first name basis with over 15 to 20 families.

Just a small side note that I forgot to mention before, Meg takes her daughter to two of the classes that Helaina is involved with. And who is Meg you might ask? Well Meg is the labor and delivery nurse that delivered Zachary in the hospital with the random doctor we had never met before. Today, looking much different than he did 6 1/2 months ago, Meg reunited with Zachary at the open gym gymnastics class.

Fun on the trampoline

Trying out the bars

Flashing the infamous grin