The Holidays

This post is combining December and January to get me caught up! I'll try to be concise and to the point.

December was a beautiful month in Colorado, we started out with nice weather and a family hike at a local lake. Joey really enjoyed it and so did mom and dad. We got to see a bald eagle nesting area while enjoying the mountain air. 

Joey learned to dance with Mara, and fell in love with the Christmas tree. We decided that we wanted to visit Michigan for Christmas, so we bought our tickets this month to "go home". We did however decide to have a nice Colorado Christmas as well. The weekend before we were scheduled to fly to Detroit, we crammed in as much as we could to celebrate the season. 

On the Saturday before, we had a Christmas party, complete with a white Elephant gift exchange! We gathered with family and friends and enjoyed food, gifts and lots of cheer. That Sunday, Gary and I visited a family in Denver and helped to deliver Christmas gifts and dinner to them, to make their day a little more special. Finally on Tuesday morning (Christmas Eve), we headed to the airport and made our way back to the mitten. 

We were so lucky to visit with so many family and friends while we were "home". We would have liked to fit more in, but surprisingly, two and a half weeks seems to go by in a flash. Not to mention, we had a huge winter storm (15" of snow and ice) to deal with for the last week we were home, which made travel very difficult and put a major cramp in our visiting. We did still get a lot in, lots of time spent with Joey's grandparents and great-grandparents (aunts, uncles and cousins too!), sledding in the snow, visiting Dave and Kate's farm, a New Years Eve celebration with Devon, Al and Brady, dinner at a Japanese Steakhouse, lunch at Rainforest Cafe, dinner at Amy and Jeff's, and so much more we can't write it all down. Lots of good memories to hold us over until the next time. 

We came back to Colorado's beautiful weather, 63 degrees and sunny! (I do NOT miss Michigan's winters at all).  We have been playing catch up for a while, but finally feel like we are back in the swing of our routine. January, came with a lot of changes...we decided to switch hospitals for the birth of baby #2, and we will now be delivering at University of Colorado, and hoping for a water birth this time! We bought a "big boy bed" for Joey, he is not officially sleeping in it yet, but it is set up and he's getting used to it being in his room. Hopefully he will be transitioned well before baby needs the crib. That is the plan. We have also spent some time getting things in order for baby #2's arrival. I can't believe I'm in my 3rd trimester already! Only around 11 weeks left! YAY. 

So far, I'm feeling pretty good...I think better than I did with Joey at this point in the pregnancy. Hopefully that will keep up. 

Lots of love!!!!! Enjoy the pics.

20 weeks

Winter Hike at Stanley Lake

Loving the fresh air

Bald Eagle Habitat

Bald Eagle Nests

Colorado Sunshine

I love my dump truck

I love my dog

Opening Christmas gifts

Mara loves Alice

Anticipation

YAY Mickey!

Charlotte and Alicia 

Just like dada

Merry Christmas

A day in the park

Four Generations

Chillin at Mimi and Papa's with dada

I love Mimi

Hi Papa

Life is good

sledding by the pond with mama

spending time with great grandpa Masta

learning from great grandpa Keeling

hanging out at the farm with lil Addie

Meeting the cows!

1st time on a tractor

Christmas gifts at Granny and Judgies

Happy New Year

I missed you Brady!!!

Learning from Brady

Give it to ME!!!!!!!!

Preggers!

26 weeks

dada and Judgie

I love Judgie

New Years Day dinner

A trip to the Rainforest

The Barkman Jacket!

Maple Rowe Farm

Fun in the snow

My first hill

YAY!!!

Pregnant snowman! lol

Future Eagle

Feeding Mara

Best buds!

Just another January Day at the park

Helping Dada get my bed together

BIG BOY

Movie time with Aunt Sessi

Fireman Joe