March 14-April 13 in review

Yes, once again a lot to update. I left off on March 14, the date Joshua met the Lord. This year, as we have in the past and plan to do in the future, pulled the kids out of school and had a family day. Each year there are more and more questions from not only Joey, but Jill as well. We told them that it was because of Josh that we were able to have the family day going to Rainforest Cafe and Legoland! We first went to Assumption where Joey insisted on bringing a few things for Josh, and Jill followed with a toy of her own. Jill also picked up her "Josh puppy" a puppy that was at his site, but she felt Josh had left for her. Since Joey and Josh usually share cars it was only fair to let Jill share the puppy. So it got a good cleaning, and Jill is taking great care of it. We went from Assumption to Rainforest Cafe one of the kids' favorite restaurants! After our early lunch we headed right over to Legoland! It was the perfect family activity for us that day; some therapeutic building, a couple of rides, and then a 3d movie that maybe pushed it a little too far for Jill. We ended up coming home with a good starter set of Duplo legos and a couple of kits for Joey and Daddy. We spent the rest of the day at our dining room table playing with legos and talking. A couple weeks later it was Easter! We celebrated the day before Easter going to the park district for the Bunny Bash along with Auntie, Grandma, Andrew, Emma, and their Grammy and Papa from NY. They were in for Easter weekend and to celebrate Emma's 3rd birthday! After a bunch of crafts, games, and egg hunt at the park district it was home for naps and then Emma's birthday party. The next morning the Easter bunny came and then it was off to church by Grandma's. After church we headed to Grandma's house to start our ravioli making tradition, color eggs, and stop off to Assumption and then time for the rest of the Easter festivities to begin: dinner, egg hunt, and a visit from the Easter bunny! This past month is always filled with mixed emotions, but we have been doing well and keeping busy. Here are some of the other highlights of the past month: Joey loved playing with energetic Jessie in the snow, Joey also had a blast helping me make some vegan pasta and vegan ravioli. Jill enjoyed it but got bored quickly, Joey recently told me that he wants to be a chef! We planted a root view garden of carrots, radishes, and onions, Jill planted some "I love you" beans that are supposed to say I love you on their first bloom. We went with Andrew and Grandma to dinner at Domo 77 where the boys enjoyed watching the food chopped up and fires going right in front of them! We celebrated Nonna's birthday and then 12 days later mine. Java and Jessie posing for pictures at the end of the night. I did a freezing cold race on my birthday, where we were somewhat misdirected so a refund of our entrance fee and $10 off next race but took some pictures of the frigid day. Just 4 days later we had nice warm weather and were on spring break so we went to Cosley Zoo with Bethany and Lilly. They were so nice to get Joey and Jill hats from their Disney trip, which they both love and wear all the time, and both Joey and Jillian had a blast with Lilly at the zoo and back at home. And then finally last weekend we had Andrew and Emma over for a few hours to play outside, have dinner, and the boys played video games for a little bit while the girls got their nails done and then played their princess matching game. We had Emma and Andrew over for a while so that Auntie and Uncle could have some time to do some last minute packing. Which takes us to today...the movers are at their house and packing up! Moving weekend is here for them!

Merry Christmas!

Ok, the camera has been cleared. The following posts are the past week, and I will not post til after Christmas with all the joy the holiday is sure to bring! We hope you have a great holiday!

Joey's Holiday Program

Friday was Joey's turn, and it was a different program with different songs and poems. Joey had a big smile on his face and did a great job. He was very excited to bring us our gift of an ornament he made for our tree. Since it was one week since the horrific events in Conneticut, before the program began the pastor says a prayer and speaks a bit about the services for the holidays and about his children when they were our kids' ages. He did this both days, but this being the week after, he also said the name of each victim, followed by a bell being rung, there was a moment of silence and a nice prayer for those that are grieving. He spoke how the bells changed their tune in a moment as the kids outside were ringing their bells to start the program. Whenever Joey has programs like this I can't help but be a bit more emotional or sensitive wishing Josh were alongside him. Joey is such a patient and loving boy that I know if Josh were with us he would be holding his hand, including him, and spreading so much love. So after the bells ringing one tone to another, reflecting on grief of losing little ones so innocent, followed by a bunch of smiling sweet faces the same age as many of the children's lives that were taken, and ringing bells... lets just say it was an emotional moment!

Sheldon Christmas 2012

Last weekend we finally got together with our friends that we hadn't seen since Joey's birthday! It was way overdue, and the kids had a blast together while we were able to catch up as well. Joey and Jillian loved their gifts and play with everything! Thank you for hosting us, and for catering to our vegan ways! ;)

Happy New Year!

New Year's Eve day the kids spent some time showing their new Christmas presents off to Nonna and Grandpa, and then after naps it was off to Grandma's for our evening celebration. We had a yummy appetizer kind of dinner with all the chips, dips, poppers, pizza, you name it there! The kids were playing very well together which was very nice to see, and we put on A Charlie Brown New Year's Eve special for them to watch. Daddy found a countdown clock for Grandma's computer so we counted down til 8pm where we celebrated the new year with a parade, horn blowers, hats, and excitement. Java even came along for the celebration, but we were home by 9:15 and in bed for the real new year!


New Year's day we had Jillian's birthday party with friends and family. Just like Christmas, Jillian appreciated each and every gift she got whether it was a toy or socks, she was sure to show everyone and shout out some exclamations of how awesome each gift was. She really enjoyed everyone singing happy birthday to her and looked what seemed like at each and every person, even those hanging out in the kitchen to make sure they were singing to her. She did her best at blowing out her candles and had the best Tinkerbell birthday ever!


Here are the kids parading in some of their new dress up items:


And finally today Jillian had her 2 year appointment where she did very well. As I was answering questions for the nurse, another asked if Jillian would be okay to walk with her to the scale. I told her yes, and Joey asked if he could follow them and took off out the door to catch up. He came back and said "20-40 Mommy." Jillian walked in and said "I stood on the box!" And then finally the nurse walked in and said "27 pounds, 6 ounces." The nurses and our doctor were very impressed with Jillian's achievements and couldn't get over the fact that she was in her big girl underpants! Here are her stats:
Height: 35 inches 78%ile
Weight: 27 pounds, 6 ounces 76%ile

Christmas Week in Pictures

Before Christmas my Andrew and Emma's grandparents from NY were in so we were able to get together a few times with them to catch up. The first thing I had suggested for them to do was of course go to the Arboretum!


Christmas Eve service was at Joey's school church. The kids enjoyed singing songs, seeing our neighbor in the choir, sitting up front with the pastor talking about the toys he got as a kid and the magic of Christmas, followed by a cake for Jesus being ushered down the center aisle! We sang Happy Birthday to Jesus, had some cake and visited with our friends and then it was back home for a light lunch and naps. Christmas Eve was at our house with the Kurby side of the family: Nonna, Grandpa, Auntie Steph, Uncle Don, Mikey, and joining us a little later was Uncle Kevin, Aunt Nicole, baby Amelia, and Miranda. As the pictures show we all had a great time and the kids had a blast and loved each and every thing they got!


Christmas eve after everyone was gone and Joey finally made it to bed, Grandma and Jessie came to sleep over so they could be here in the morning. Grandma, Joey, and Jessie tried to get up at 4am Christmas morning, so Mommy had to go into their room and tell them it was a little too early! Santa did come and brought way too much. Even Java and Jessie had plenty of treats in the morning--Frosty Paws!


After playing with our toys and taking a short nap we headed to Assumption to say Merry Christmas to Josh who is so lucky to spend Christmas with the birthday boy-Jesus! (Although it is also Grandpa's birthday on Christmas day too--Happy Birthday!) Afterwards we drove to Grandma's for some more fun with Andrew, Emma, Auntie, Uncle Chris, Grandma, GG Joe, GG Rose, Mike, and Kathy. The food was of course delicious and Grandma got to use her new kitchen and dining area for her first real big meal! After dinner it was another obscene gift exchange and I think every kid got more than they even thought they wanted!


Monday was spent winding down, playing with all the things we got, visiting with Mike and Kathy, and wishing them a safe travel back home. Today (Wednesday) we had some free time and Daddy is still on vacation so we braved the cold and went to the Brookfield Zoo! The kids loved it, it was chilly but it didn't seem to bother anyone as we went from animal house to animal house.


We hope you all had a Merry Christmas! We are now getting ready for Jillian's 2nd birthday on Friday! Time sure flies!

Father's Day and past weekend

I have been very lazy in posting more than just pictures of what is going on. I will do a Joshua's Journey soon. I have a list of things I want to write/share, but that list keeps growing, I'll blame summer and activities, but sometimes it is just so hard to articulate grief and a love to and from beyond this earth.

First off here is Father's Day...

the kids painted Daddy a "trophy" which Mommy was not good at assembling so it became a candy dish for the Hershey Kisses that they gave Daddy along with some buttons that they really enjoyed making (gluing a whole lot!) for Daddy. We headed to Assumption for a breakfast picnic where Joey kept telling us "Josh's house is cool." And when an old Volvo drove down the side road he said "Josh is here!" After I corrected him and said that was not Josh's car Joey then said "Jesus is here!" To that I laughed, told him how Jesus is always with us, just as Josh is always in our hearts and we can talk to either of them whenever we want. However, I do think that Joey thinks Jesus drives a Volvo!

After coming back home and playing around with Daddy it was nap time. After naps Jillian was looking a little bit like a straggly mess with her hair, so I grabbed her purse and brought her up to our bathroom and let her play in the mirror while I attempted to cut her bangs! Yes, first official haircut, even if it is just bangs, so I had to take pictures. She loved sifting through her purse looking through her fake lipstick, keys, brush, and little book, but when it came down to cutting her bangs she did not like it at all! But, she does look a lot better.

After naps we met Nonna and Grandpa for dinner and then headed back to their house for dessert and to play with Uncle Don, Auntie Steph, and Mikey! We will be seeing them again real soon for Northlake Days which is right by their house. Last year Joey loved riding on the cars, but Jill was a little too young to do anything. I'm sure this year will be fun with both of them!


And finally we got our first babysitting job with Jessie on Tuesday. She was a good girl, played hard, ate well, and loved resting on the pile of shoes that we have by the back door. I guess I'll have to leave that mess there for her to cozy up to! And today a few pictures of some inside fun painting, baking, and I set up an obstacle course for them. Hoping for warmer, sunnier weather!

Mother's Day Weekend

I had a great mother's day weekend! The weather was perfect and everyone was in good spirits. I had just gotten an Arboretum membership so that was all I wanted to do on Saturday! Joey and Jillian love being outside and they had so much fun running around the Arboretum. I ended up upgrading the membership, long story short now we can get more people in for free and I know it will pay for itself in the long run, got a free bag which is now my new diaper bag (I look like a tree hugging hippy, but that's ok!), and the best part was it didn't rain! We started off at the Children's maze and then did the big maze. We headed into the Children's Garden where there was so much for everyone to do. Joey and Jillian loved climbing and running around everywhere. I will just let the pictures speak for themselves...

It was a perfect day!

Sunday Joey and I woke up early, Phil and Jillian joined us a little later and after a light breakfast we headed out to Uncle Chris' work for brunch! There were some pretty fountains, trees, flowers, and of course the green to take pictures so we took advantage a little bit and tried to round everyone up. After brunch we went on a golf cart ride around the course. It was another beautiful day to be outside! We headed home for naps, and then it was back to Elmhurst, this time the destination was Grandma's house. Grandma was gone for the weekend, but came back after dinner so we all crashed her house and had some pizza and waited for her to get home!


Another update is that we finally took out the pool/slide that Daddy and Nonna were crazy about getting for the kids. The weather was really warm and humid today so Daddy came out during lunch and Nonna and Grandpa stopped over to see the unveiling of the monstrous water park! The kids loved it, took too short of naps because they just wanted to get back out there again!


And finally, here are a few random pictures. The first few are of the kids feeding Daddy some popcorn. I love popcorn and so do they. They love watching the popcorn pop in the air popper, and then feeding the popcorn to Daddy. Daddy claims to not like popcorn, but he never refuses when he's hand fed by his kids! The one of Jillian sleeping is the only one I have from Uncle Chris and Aunt Brooke's baby shower because after she woke up she fell back asleep on me which didn't allow me much movement for other pictures!

Gearing Up For Easter

So we had a pretty busy weekend and still didn't get quite everything we wanted to do in (we missed Eva's birthday party on Saturday night, but had a much needed, and planned for a while, adult only dinner out with Paul and Katherine!). So here is what we have been up to...

Sunday we went out to Grandma's house to make our annual Easter ravioli. Auntie brought some donuts that everyone enjoyed, but Jillian really seemed to like getting into the chocolate frosting on hers! After some nourishment (don't tell anyone I'm an RD!) we made some ravioli for Easter. All the kids really got into it this year which was a lot of fun. Grandma made 3 batches of dough, Auntie Christy had the boys set up with the pasta press rolling out the dough into sheets, and I had the girls playing with flour, measuring cups, and pretty much whatever they wanted to make a mess while filling and sealing the ravioli. After some cleaning up we sat everyone back down at the table to color Easter eggs. Joey and Andrew had a great time coloring the eggs, Emma was more interested in trying to suck on the dipper that holds the eggs, whereas Jillian didn't want to use it at all, she just stuck her whole hand in the colored water to dunk her egg in and fetch it out when she was ready. A messy, but fun day! After heading home for naps we all met back up at the mall to attempt an Easter bunny visit. It was 4:15 and we showed up to the area where the bunny was. But he wasn't there...he was taking a break. Ok, so we stayed in line and at 4:30 when he was back we waited, and waited, and waited. Let me also tell you that our mall recently got a train (not sure if its for the holiday or what) that takes kids through the mall. Andrew had been on it before, but Joey had not, and the two were fixated on the train. So after waiting a little while longer, Auntie and I looked at each other, I left the line to see what the train line looked like and $15 later we had sent Grandma off with all the kids on a train ride! The real kicker was that as we were walking back to the train station to meet everyone we saw the Easter Bunny coming back from yet another break! We saw the line and wouldn't have moved in almost an hour! At that rate, the Easter Bunny is going to be late!


We weren't too upset about not visiting the Easter bunny. Last year we didn't have Jillian sit with the Easter bunny even though it was her first Easter because she had fallen asleep and Joey was terrified. Saturday Jillian proved to us that she loves the Easter bunny and tried booking towards him before we could even check in at the Bunny Bash! Uncle Mark, Auntie Miya, and Nathan joined us for the Bunny Bash at our park district where we took a quick picture of the kids with the Easter Bunny, Joey bounced in the bounce house, Nathan, Joey, and Jillian played some games, pet some of the bunnies, chicks, ducks, and lambs at the petting zoo, danced around to some music, made some crafts, and tumbled around on the mats for the Easter egg hunt. Thanks for coming to play with us Nathan! Note, Nathan is a fast guy...every time I tried to snap his picture he'd turn around or walk out of the picture!


As I mentioned earlier we had a nice dinner Saturday night with Paul and Katherine. Here are some of the other happenings in the past few weeks. Remember when it was in the 70's and the kids didn't need to wear coats? Hopefully those days are coming back, but during that time we took advantage of as much outside time as we could. Java and Snowy even got a play date in too!

Christmas!

We had a very busy but fun Christmas. We host Christmas Eve, hang around Christmas morning to see what Santa left, then we headed out to church and Assumption before going to Grandma's on Christmas day. Joey and Jillian seemed to love every moment! Here are the pictures and our holiday in a nutshell...

Christmas Eve


Christmas Morning


Christmas Day


Joey with his bike, and Jillian doing laundry...

Winter Fun

This weekend we had some winter fun! Joey has been back in action helping us shovel and enjoying the snow. Friday night the weather was the warmest we'd seen in a while so we took advantage and went to Cosley Zoo to see the lights with Nonna and Grandpa. Unfortunately we forgot our camera, but we had a good time looking at the lights and hanging out in the barn keeping warm with the animals. Saturday we headed off to the mall to make sure Santa was reminded of what Joey wants for Christmas (this was visit number two this year...we saw him at the tree lighting ceremony the day after Thanksgiving). Andrew, Emma, Auntie Christy, Uncle Chris, and Grandma also joined us. All of the kids did really well. Emma wasn't too sure, which set Jillian off a little bit, but all four sat together well enough for a few pictures. Joey and Andrew told Santa their wishes, and as we were walking away from Santa, Andrew asked me "So where do we pick up my green bike?" Such a character!

On Sunday Joey and Andrew went with their mom's on the Polar Express! It was a very, very cold day, but luckily we only had to stay outside for a maximum of 5 minutes waiting for the train to arrive. It was windy and frigid but worth it all. The boys got their tickets with their names on them, and later the conductor punched them similar to in the movie (Auntie told us the shape was a "t" for "train"). We got on the train and headed for the North Pole. The train ride itself was fun, but we were also read the story Polar Express on the way out. Once we got there we had a special surprise...Santa joined us and delivered bells to all the kids and sang songs the whole way back. Back in the train depot we warmed up from our short walk off the train with some cookies, juice, and water. Then we were allowed to visit with Santa again! We were in the line to visit Santa, but since we have already mentioned to Santa our wishes (twice!) we decided not to go again, but we did get a very neat snowman ornament with Joey's name on the front, and the back reads the date and states that it was from the Polar Express 2010. So where was Jillian during all this? Well, Daddy took her to the mall for a fun filled day as well. She indulged with Daddy with a snack of a soft pretzel, then lunch was a slice of pizza, and dessert a cookie! Daddy said he let her wander and just followed her around for a while and she was having a blast! They went to a few stores to look for a Christmas dress, but came back with a few outfits instead. Looks like they'll have to venture out again soon! A great weekend had by all!

Thanksgiving, Tree Lighting, and Winter Fun!

Yes, again very behind in updating. Joey is doing much, much better now, and ready for Christmas! Thanksgiving was a lot of fun at Nonna and Grandpa's. Jillian enjoyed her first Thanksgiving feast, trying absolutely everything, and both Jillian and Joey had a blast with Uncle Kevin, Uncle Mikey, Auntie Steph, Uncle Don, and Nonna and Grandpa. We can't wait for Christmas Eve to continue the festivities!

The day after Thanksgiving we headed to town center to see the tree lighting ceremony. When we pulled into our parking spot we were surprised to see our neighbors in the spot directly in front of us! So Jillian was cuddled and loved up by Aubrie, Mr. and Mrs. Sole, while Joey kinda stayed with Joey to watch Santa arrive on the firetruck to light the Christmas tree and then head into a heated tent (thank goodness for that, it was cold and windy!) and we were able to sit with Santa and Joey told him not once, but twice what he wanted for Christmas...a "choo choo table!" Thanks Aubrie, Dominic, Nicolas, Gigi, Mr. and Mrs. Sole for hanging out with us, and Mr. and Mrs. Sole for coming over for a little while afterwards, we really enjoyed your company!

Since it has been so cold outside on Saturday (11/27) we met up with Grandma, Auntie Christy, Uncle Chris, Andrew, and Emma at Chuck E Cheese's for some inside fun and games! Joey loved playing all the games, especially the car racing games. He also like climbing and playing on the free stuff which is always a bonus! Jillian fell in love with the little Merry Go Round, and would look at herself in the mirror next to her, kick her legs, and hold on to the pole while her horsey went in circles...too cute.

The following day we had our first Christmas celebration. We usually don't get together with my dad's side of the family sometimes until February, so this year we decided to aim for a pre-Christmas celebration! Joey and Andrew had a ton of fun running around Grandma's house telling everyone "monsters were chasing them!" Jillian played really well with Uncle Wayne, and we all enjoyed each other's company. Jillian got her first tea set, which Joey and Jillian love to play with, Joey also loves his car. Thank you for all the great gifts, and more importantly great company!

Finally, we have been keeping warm and in the holiday spirit. Joey has made some ornaments, baked some cookies, and enjoyed the first snowfall! He again is a great helper when it comes to shoveling, and his snow suit is nice and warm...he has a hard time coming back in when he is out in the snow! He loves throwing snowballs at Java, and trampling the snowman that Mommy was starting to make!

Spring is Here!

Last week, as I mentioned previously, Phil was away for a business trip. He surprised me by coming home one night early. I was putting the kids to bed when I saw an unfamiliar car parked in the driveway. I checked to see if the door was locked and as I was walking away I noticed Phil in the back seat of the town car! He was able to get back early and surprise me for my birthday! But before he came home we had a busy day with visitors. Nonna and Auntie Steph came over in the afternoon, and then Grandma, Auntie Christy, Uncle Chris, and Andrew came over in the evening.

Jillian has been doing really well with tummy time, always lifting her head very high. She also loves standing and sometimes demands that you help her stand instead of sit. So we put her in the exersaucer to see how she'd do and she loves it! Joey likes showing her all the toys on it too. He's even reverted to putting most of the toys in his mouth again too.

Saturday was another family day for us. Since Auntie Christy is due any day now, we weren't sure if we'd be able to do our usual Easter tradition of making homemade ravioli at Grandma's house Easter morning. So we decided to make them ahead of time this year (sans mimosas). Andrew enjoyed helping with the dough, and Joey was more interested in coloring eggs after the raviolis were done. He prefered using the dunk method of sticking his hand in the colored vinegar water instead of using the egg spoon. Joey and Andrew had a lot of fun cooking, coloring eggs, playing outside, and hanging out inside.

After going home and taking a much needed nap we headed to Nonna and Grandpa's house for dinner. We got to meet Zino and Irma and spend more time with Auntie Steph, Uncle Don, Uncle Kevin, and Uncle Mikey. Of course Joey was showered with attention which he loved, and was worn out by the end of the day.

Finally, on Sunday we attempted the Easter Bunny. It was not a very successful attempt, but we can say we tried. Andrew was hesitant, but at least Uncle Chris was able to hold him and take a few good pictures. Joey was fine up until Phil walked towards the bunny and then Joey grabbed him tightly and started screaming, so Phil pretty much did a walk by and wave to the Easter Bunny. And Jillian? She had fallen asleep in the stroller. We were anticipating Joey having a hard time seeing the Easter Bunny so we let her sleep. When we got home Joey was playing with all of his (and Jillian's) bunnies, so we put them around Joey E.T. style.

Merry Christmas!

Joey had a great Christmas. Christmas Eve was spent at Nonna and Grandpa's house along with Auntie Steph, Uncle Don, Uncle Kevin, Uncle Mikey, and Auntie Marie. After dinner and presents Joey put on his poker face and was up late having fun with everyone! You wouldn't have known that it was past his bed time, he was having so much fun playing cards and having a great time.


Christmas Day was celebrated waking up to see that Santa had eaten the cookies, and drank some milk that was left out for him. Joey actually took the leftover cookie and ate it as he walked around the family room looking at the gifts that Santa left. Grandma was over just before Joey woke up, so she was able to see his reaction too. After breakfast and playing with new toys we got dressed and headed to church, Assumption (the cemetery), and then back home for a nice dinner. It was another long day for Joey, but he did really well.

Continuing the Holiday Festiviites...

Again, here are a few different days of activities...
Sunday we were at a holiday gathering at our neighbors (see the Joshua's Journey in the previous post) where we had a surprise baby shower for Jillian, and were able to celebrate the season with great friends. Joey enjoyed playing with Nicole, and after really warming up to her did not want to leave her side. He kept grabbing her hand and walking her to see Dakota (their German Shepherd) and playing catch with her ball.


Saturday we had Christmas at Grandma's house since this year Auntie Christy, Uncle Chris, and Andrew are heading up to New York to see Uncle Chris' family. It was very fun night filled with an excellent dinner, great company, and holiday atmosphere. Joey and Andrew were excited about opening their first gifts, but then would rather play than open other gifts.


The highlights for Joey were getting a kitchen from Auntie Christy, Uncle Chris, and Andrew. He loves eating the plastic food, and pretending to prepare meals. He even tries to warm his sippy cup in the microwave! Grandma got Joey a fun play set that has 2 tunnels, a clubhouse, and a tent. We set it up for Joey and he loved it! He went right into the tunnel, and has been having a blast in the tent. Java has even taken an interest in the tent, but hasn't made it through the tunnel yet. Thanks for a memorable evening and of course way too many gifts!


On Friday we had another good snow, so we all bundled up to head outside and shovel. Joey did help a little bit, but was still more interested in getting his basketball out of the garage to throw around. After working in the front, we went into the backyard for Joey and Java to play together. Joey kept falling, having a hard time being mobile in the snow, but he enjoyed watching Java race around the yard and catch snowballs in her mouth.


Wednesday night will be the last night I teach a fitness class before Jillian is born! Yes, I still have been jumping around teaching classes. After being on bed rest with Josh and Joey for 13 weeks I wanted to keep doing as much as I could, and I never had any restrictions this whole pregnancy...so different from last time! I don't have any pictures, because it was another surprise, but my 5:30am class that I teach (AM Challenge) at the Park District also threw me a shower at 6:15 in the morning! They brought in juice, cookies, and a bunch of adorable outfits and an angel bear for Jillian. It was another big surprise. So thoughtful, and such a fun group of people. I will miss them the next 6 weeks while I am on leave, thank you!

Finally, we had to put in some pictures for Uncle Mikey...the biggest Sox fan we know! Joey is excited to see him on Christmas Eve so he wanted to put on his Sox outfit in anticipation.

Let the Celebrations Begin!

Sorry to be posting so late, last weekend started our holiday celebrations with friends and family. We were not as good as we could've been with taking pictures, we'll have to remember that as the festivities continue on the next week. On Saturday we celebrated Christmas with Uncle Paul, Auntie Katherine, Ben, Abbey, and Juliette. Juliette is already 4 months, I can not believe it! Joey and Abbey played well together. Unfortunately the only pictures I have are of Joey and Abbey playing with his gift- a blender which has become his new favorite toy!

Sunday morning we went to breakfast with Auntie Pam, Auntie Trisha, Auntie Christy, Andrew, and Grandma. Auntie Pam, Auntie Trisha, and Auntie Tiffany (who we missed that day) updated our holiday decorations with Jillian's name. Last year they made the cutest advent calendar of Santa with Joshua and Joseph's names on it, as well as a Santa plate and cup for milk and cookies. They added Jillian's name to complete and they look perfect, thank you! Joey had a fun time playing with Auntie Trish's lotion, pretending to put it on everyone's hands. I think he's seen mommy put on hand sanitizer a little too often. (During his diaper changes he reaches for the sanitizer and rubs his hands together.) That afternoon we went by Nonna and Grandpa's to celebrate Aunt Brooke's graduation from her PhD in psychology. Again we were negligent with the camera, but Joey had a fun time with everyone. Congrats Aunt Brooke.

Tuesday night was the night we headed to the mall to see Santa. Not sure how Joey would do, Andrew braved the bearded man first. He was pretty hesitant and was clinging to his mom pretty well, but at least they got a good picture out of it. Joey on the other hand did not do so well. The video is great, but we only got one picture from the ordeal. Waiting in line Joey was having fun looking at the lights and decorations. He even watched Andrew sit on Santa's lap and didn't seemed phased by it. After Andrew was off, Joey ran up to Santa, bypassed him and went straight to his bag to take a look inside. Mommy picked him up to plop in on Santa's lap, but Joey grabbed on with all his might, hands, feet, head, he was not letting go. He was screaming and crying the whole time. Mommy had to hold him and sit next to Santa. In order to unwind from the traumatic moment, Andrew and Joey played in the play area of the mall for a little while.

Deck the Halls

We have been slowly putting up Christmas decorations, before Thanksgiving most decorations were up, but Sunday we finished putting up our Christmas tree. Joey was napping for the beginning part, but did help put the lights, garland, ornaments, and of course the star on the top of the tree. When he first woke up and saw the tree he kept pointing at it saying "Whoa!" He has been very gentle with the ornaments and lights so far. He has only grabbed one off that of course looked like a ball and threw it, but luckily it was an unbreakable ornament! He loves looking at the ornaments that are down at his level and every morning when he first walks in the room he still says "Whoa!" I think he likes it! Every night before he goes to bed he does the same thing I used to do when I was younger (ok, and still do every year) which is lay under the tree and stare at all of the lights. It is so fun to see the wonder in his eyes.

Happy Thanksgiving

Joey had a fun, family filled Thanksgiving. We went to Nonna and Grandpa's for Thanksgiving and celebrated with Uncle Chris and Aunt Brooke, along with their dogs Ruby and Ella (although Joey still called them Java), Auntie Steph, Uncle Don, Uncle Kevin, Uncle Mikey, Nonna, and Grandpa. Of course it was a yummy meal, and afterwards Joey played with everyone's piles of change as they played cards, taboo, and enjoyed each other's company. It was a very fun day.

On Friday, Uncle Chris and Aunt Brooke came over for our Christmas exchange since we won't be seeing them at Christmas. Joey enjoyed playing with them and had fun opening his gifts...a nice new warm coat and trucks- his favorite! Thank you Uncle Chris and Aunt Brooke, we hope you have a safe trip back. Can't wait to see you again in a couple of weeks!