It's been a fun and busy December! As expected, it's been snowy and cold - no surprise for Chicago. I brace myself for the frigid temps and try to remember the fun parts, like building snowmen and drinking hot cocoa! Erik was very excited to be heading to a Bears game with 3 of his buddies one Sunday afternoon. However, it happened to be the Sunday that all of Chicagoland went under a blizzard warning. But, the optimists that they are, Erik and the guys bundled up and braved the cold. Unfortunately it was a tough loss for the Bears, but the weather made for a memorable game. And of course Erik had a great time catching up with his buds, as always.
December also brings the annual holiday party with Erik's company. Erik has been with West Monroe since its inception, so this year was our 8th consecutive year in attendance. They always pick a fun, festive venue that gives us the opportunity to get dressed up and head into the city for an evening amongst adults. This year it was held at the Latin restaurant "Carnivale." We had a fantastic time as always! Erik is lucky to work with such a great group of people. He always says they are his favorite part of his job.We also celebrated the Christmas season all month long. One day while 
Gavin took a long afternoon nap, Erik and Cassidy made a gingerbread train together. Such fun! It has been part of our kitchen counter's decor all month long. We also had the chance to meet Santa with our playgroup 
friends. We had seen Santa out and about at various places throughout the past few weeks, never really up close, and the kids seemed pretty hesitant. So I did not have high hopes of getting a photo on Santa's lap at playgroup. But after he read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas aloud to all the kids in a circle, Cassidy and Gavin were the first to pop right into his lap. They were all smiles. So, the photo was snapped afterall. We asked him what the reindeer would like to eat on Christmas Eve, and he answered carrots and apples, so we decided we'd make sure to leave those out alongside Santa's milk and cookies. More to come in my next post about our Christmas celebrations!
Gavin took a long afternoon nap, Erik and Cassidy made a gingerbread train together. Such fun! It has been part of our kitchen counter's decor all month long. We also had the chance to meet Santa with our playgroup 
friends. We had seen Santa out and about at various places throughout the past few weeks, never really up close, and the kids seemed pretty hesitant. So I did not have high hopes of getting a photo on Santa's lap at playgroup. But after he read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas aloud to all the kids in a circle, Cassidy and Gavin were the first to pop right into his lap. They were all smiles. So, the photo was snapped afterall. We asked him what the reindeer would like to eat on Christmas Eve, and he answered carrots and apples, so we decided we'd make sure to leave those out alongside Santa's milk and cookies. More to come in my next post about our Christmas celebrations!