Nearing the end of the storm
Passing the time until we can get outside to play
We opened the back door...
The backyard - still snowing!
The storm is finally done - this is out the front door
After Erik shoveled the driveway!
Gavin's 10 minute outdoor adventure
Cassidy's igloo! She had SO much fun.
Happy New Year! We wish everyone all the best in the year to come!
We had 3 wonderful Christmas celebrations this year. First, we celebrated at our house a few days before the 25th. Santa was so kind to make an early stop at our house to accommodate our travels! We left him a plate of milk and cookies, along with some carrots and an apple for the hard-working reindeer. All the food was gone in the morning when we woke up! Speaking of waking up the next morning - Cassidy was the first to crack open her bedroom door. I heard her in the hallway, but she was too excited and overwhelmed to peek into the living room on her own. She came into our room, and I told her I'd walk out with her, but I asked her to give me a minute to "get 
dressed." All I meant was that I wanted to grab some socks and a warm sweatshirt. But she ran out saying, "OK! I'll get dressed too!" A full 10 minutes later, she finally emerged from her room in her "fanciest" clothes (which ended up being her beloved twirly skirt from Grammy and Aunt Belinda, which really should have had a shirt on underneath, along with her ballet slippers and a crown). By this time, Gavin was awake too, so we made our way into the family room to check out the tree together. The gift-opening started right away. Cassidy had been saying for weeks that she desperately wanted a "talking Hiro", which is a special train character from the Thomas the Train movies. She was thrilled that Santa had one with her name on it. Gavin is too young to have a real wish list, but he was very excited to open some new books and a special plush Thomas train that plays bedtime messages when you press a button on top. It was a magical Christmas, and we spent the whole rest of the day immersed in toys!
So neat! We had fun visiting with the whole family. The kids love seeing their cousins! We all went out together for a wonderful brunch at a local cafe on Christmas Eve, and we spent the rest of the day exchanging gifts and going to church just before dinner. Once the kids were asleep that night, the adults had a gift exchange. This one is always calmer than the daytime kids' exchange! It was a wonderful day all around.
celebration. We always love seeing Grammy and Grandpa Brown, Aunt Mel and Uncle Aaron, and of course Cooper the dog, whom the kids adore (despite Gavin's current hesitation around all canines!). We had a Christmas morning gift exchange, and had a relaxing afternoon spent playing with new toys and catching 
up with everyone. The kids took their naps on Grandpa's lap after all that playtime! Grammy made a delicious dinner (homemade Swedish meatballs are the tradition!) and Erik and I got to enjoy a night out to see a movie later
in the evening. The next day, we went to a morning church service and watched the Bears game together (a win!).
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.
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!
Earlier this year, my 3 best friends from college and I started talking about how fun it would be to hit the beach for a long weekend together. Now that we're all stay-at-home moms to 2 young kids, all living in different states, we don't have a lot of time to catch up. We decided a weekend in South Florida would do our souls some good. So we left our wonderful husbands in charge for 3 days and flew down to the beach for the weekend. The moment the idea arose, we decided we'd try to do something like this every year, knowing each year that any one of us might have to sit a year out due to life circumstances - new babies, family obligations, etc. So, this year, we really missed Tara, who needed to stay close to home to prepare for her lengthy holiday travels (among many other things!). Jamie, Meg and I had the most wonderful time - we slept in until 9am (3 hours past normal), collected seashells along the beach in the warm sunshine, and enjoyed some great local seafood at a couple fun restaurants. We stumbled upon a live band on our first night in town, and they were so great that we ended up staying out much later than I have in months just to enjoy the scene! It was such a refreshing trip, and I am so grateful to have such wonderful friends in my life. I really hope we can make it an annual getaway!
Meanwhile, back at home...the kids had SO much fun with 
daddy! Erik really did well - 3 days on your own with 2 small kids can be a challenge. He kept them very occupied and very happy. While I was gone, Chicago got its first snowfall of the season. So, Erik was fighting the crowds at Target for new snowpants and helped the kids create our new snowman, "Carroty." I am so thankful to him for allowing me this time away. I'm grateful to have such a wonderful husband!
Cassidy has started taking a ballet class through our local park district. It's called "Princess Ballet" for 3 and 4 year olds. Every week, this group of 7 tiny ballerinas arrive in little leotards, tutus, and ballet slippers to dance
with Miss Wendy, their instructor. They start the class with a warm-up welcome song, which the parents are allowed to watch, and then they wave good-bye to the grown-ups and turn into magical princesses for the remaining 30 minutes. Gavin tags along with me, and during the first few weeks he threw some of his best tantrums when I tried to explain that the dance floor was only for the ballerinas. I'd have to chase him around the mirrored room and carry him out flailing while the girls began their class. 
Poor little guy, it does look fun! But now he has found the silver lining, since he gets to run wild through the halls of the rec center with my undivided attention as we play hide-and-seek, color in coloring books and crash tiny matchbox cars together while we wait for class to end. The ballet class has been a big hit with Cassidy - so much so that not a day goes by anymore that I don't find her tip-toeing around the house in her tutu and ballet slippers. In fact, it's often the outfit she greets us in when she bursts through her door first in the morning.
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday surrounded by family. We started out with Grammy and Grandpa Brown, and enjoyed 
a turkey feast along with Aunt Mel, Uncle Aaron and Cooper. We watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV (and the annual dog show!) and had fun relaxing and playing the day away. Cassidy and Gavin discovered how much fun it is to crawl around under the table when it's full of people (and a dog) - they were squealing with delight.
At Grandma and Grandpa Reder's house, we celebrated Thanksgiving #2! It was another wonderful meal, complete with 5 homemade pies to choose from for dessert. With 15 people, we 
figured we'd make a good dent in that (although there were actually plenty of leftovers!). The kids vanished into the basement with all the cousins and only seemed to reappear for an occasional snack or hug. It gave Erik and I a welcomed break from our parenting duties!