Christmas!

A visit with Mike's Family in NC! Eric, Mike's mom- Elaine, Joey, Joshua, me, and Mike. We were sad we didn't get a picture with Mike's dad and Sue! They'll have to send us one!

My family all together! From left: Trisha, Dad, Mom, Stuart, Me, Joshua, and Mike. In front: Hayley, Meagan (Ryan's wife), and Ryan.

This was a fun Christmas for us! My whole family was together again minus Stuart's fiance, Julie- whom we missed. We spent a day at the Museum of Science and Industry downtown Chicago and finished the night off with true "Chicago Style" Deep dish pizza! We also had lots of fun shopping, playing games, and just hanging out! We don't know when we will all be together again so we were grateful for the time we were able to spend together!

Joshua was adorable opening Christmas presents! We didn't want to "over" do- it with presents, knowing that he is only a year and a half old- so we got him a few things including a roller back-pack- which he loves, a Mr Potato Head, a coloring book, etc. But- even these few things proved to be too much! He was bored opening after the first present and so he sat and ate animal crackers while we opened the rest of his presents! We'll see how it goes next year!

Thank Goodness Daddy's Home!!!

Mike came home on December 19th! We have missed him these past 4 months! We have enjoyed some wonderful family time with family here in Illinois as well as a trip back to NC! We are so glad to be back together as a family again! Talking on the phone to Daddy was a nightly ritual for Joshua- Mike only was hung up on a few dozen times!

Catching Up...Again

It's been so cold outside we have tried to be creative with our indoor activities!

We had a big snow before we had any boots for Joshua so Grandma had the great idea to bring the snow to him. You can see what he thought of how cold it was!

Joshua-Isms

I was thinking the other day of all the cute things that Joshua does and how much I have enjoyed our "one-on-one time together over the last 16 months! These are some of the things that make me smile!

1. Joshua loves to use the word "hot" he places his hand over anything we give him whether it's a plate of mac and cheese or a bowl of ice cream.

2. He LOVES fruit- he will try any kind and loves any kind he's tried.

3. He shakes his head violently when we offer him vegetables. We've gotten him to try them a few times when we all eat them at the table and exclaim "yum-yum" however this does not work if it is anything green.

4. He walks around singing at random times!

5. When he is getting in trouble for something he wraps his arms around my neck and says " I yuv you" (This is probably my favorite right now) He already knows how to butter me up!

I love being this sweet little boy's mom!

My Quirks

So- I received my first tag- I think?! Thanks Danica! Here are some of the quirky things about me.... I hope you still want to be my friends!

1. I rub my feet together to fall asleep (weird- I know)
2. I am a Celine Dion fanatic. I know the words to every song and have almost every cd- she just came out with a new one I'm itching to buy.
3. I'm also a Mary Higgins Clark fanatic- I've read every book- and I never figure out who it is until the end- I guess I'm a little slow:P
4. I can't eat cake and ice cream together- I like to enjoy them separately at separate times!
5. I like to go fishing- but I don't like to touch the worm or the fish after I've caught it!
6. I sleep with one eye open. This has freaked Mike out on many occasions! I had surgery on my eyelid when I was 4 and the muscles were cut in my lid. So- the lid doesn't stay shut after I've fallen asleep- it just kind of "pops" open!

I tag Lindsay, Meagan, Miken, and Jenn

My Little Bump

This is a picture of my little bump- which feels much bigger than it actually looks in the picture! I am in my 18th week. We will find out what the baby is on Dec. 23rd! We're really anxious to know! I am feeling a lot better, and have been feeling little baby kicks here and there! They feel like "dainty" kicks- but we'll see!

Bad Hair Day

Joshua was waking up way too many mornings looking like this! So- I decided it was finally time for a haircut! (Mind you this is his 3rd one!) The new style is so much easier to deal with! Joshua did well getting it cut as he munched on smarties the whole time!