Recap of Christmas 2, 3 and 4!

Our drive to North Dakota went great! We got there at about 6pm on Christmas Eve. We were (of course!) greeted by a wonderful dinner at grandma Alice's house. I'm pretty sure I gained 20lbs. There was no shortage of food! We stayed at Alice's house that night. She is such a wonderful grandma. Eric is lucky! Caitlyn is lucky to have her as a great-grandma, too!

Christmas day Santa found us at Alice's. Caitlyn was excited about her train set and easy bake oven! After breakfast we went to Jean's. It was a tough Christmas for the Andersons'. It was our first Christmas without Gene and he was greatly missed.

The Grzadzieleskis' did things a little different this year. We had dinner at a buffet. It was nice. There was no slaving in a hot kitchen all day and we didn't have to waste hours doing dishes! I think it was way more relaxing for Eric's mom and grandma, which was nice to see. We all went back to the hotel after dinner. Caitlyn had so much fun swimming and playing with Brody and Mady.

Christmas #1

Christmas #1 is over. It was a fun one! We went to Eric's parents house on Friday to have dinner and exchange gifts with them and his siblings. Dinner was great! Eric's dad grilled steaks on the deck. It was about 10 degrees outside, but he was out there grilling! Caitlyn was totally spoiled again this year. She has had a lot of fun playing with her new stuff this weekend! Eric and I were also spoiled with too many new things.

We'll be leaving Wednesday for Christmas in North Dakota. It's a long drive, but it's always fun to see Eric's family.

On a side note....Eric met one of our neighbors today. After waking up to a lot of snow this morning and a windchill of -20, Eric went out to shovel. He was saved by one of our wonderful neighbors! She rode up on her four wheeler that had a plow on the front and offered to help. She did our driveway in about 5 minutes. We were so happy Eric didn't have to risk frost bite to get our cars out today!

Only 4 days left until Christmas!

Brrrrr....

It is very cold outside today! The windchill is about 20 below. Brrrr! I didn't leave the house much today. Cold weather is not my thing!

We finally got our Christmas picture taken today. What do you think?!? Hopefully the cards will get out before Christmas!

Caitlyn is getting very excited for Christmas. When I got home yesterday her and Eric were wrapping presents and whispering in the office. I was not allowed to go in there! They came out with big smiles and put my presents under the tree. I started making some guesses and am pretty sure I figured out one of the gifts. They are the worst at trying to hide this stuff!

10 more days until Christmas!

Licensing orientation is done!

I should be a licensed childcare provider in a few months. Hopefully! I have so much to do, but I completed the first step today. I spent 6 hours at the orientation and sids/shaken baby classes. I received a ton of information and I'm excited to get this going! I think it will be great for me and my family.

December...

Insert long sigh here!

December is bittersweet for me. Christmas is always a fun time. We love decorating and shopping!

It's also quite bitter for me, though. December 3rd, 2007 was the estimated due date for the first baby we lost. We should have a 1 year old. The second baby we lost would have been due around the 19th. I would love to be very pregnant right now. There is a quote that has popped up in many places that says, "When your parents die, you are an orphan. When your partner dies, you are a widow. When your child dies, there are no words for that." There really are no words to describe the way I feel. I will never get to see, hold or smell those babies. This happens to so many women every day. It's just not fair.

Sorry to have such a downer post today. We are so blessed and I really can't complain. I guess December is just hard....

Our tree!

We did a real tree for the first time this year. I love the smell and it looks beautiful! We also started to do some decorating around the rest of the house. We're definitely in that honeymoon stage of home ownership and will probably over-do the decorating a bit this year. It's fun, though!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I love Thanksgiving. It feels like a day to focus on the positive. I try to think about all of things that are going right and that I should be thankful for. I'll be honest, some years that has been easier said than done. I really try, though!

I have so much. My husband and daughter are, of course, at the top of the list. We are all healthy. My husband is my rock. I really could not ask for more in a man. I am also feeling so grateful for the beautiful house and great neighborhood that we are now in. What a blessing!

I know it can be hard to focus on the positive. I hope that on Thanksgiving Day you can look around and count your blessings. Happy Thanksgiving!

Our Home

The biggest news in our family is the purchase of our home! After looking at hundreds of houses we finally found the one and closed on October 24th. We have been busy painting and making it our own. Caitlyn is loving her new school and is very happy with her new (large!) room. This is our first time owning a single family home and are so thrilled to be here!

Welcome!

Welcome to our blog! Lately, I've enjoyed learning other people's stories through reading their blogs, so I decided to start one of my own. Our life isn't exactly exciting, but some days are interesting! This blog is for Eric and I, but I'm sure I'll be doing most of the sharing. Thanks for visiting and check back often!