Winter and Christmas pics - 2010

We have sure had a fun winter already. All of the snow has brought some fun outdoor time. For about one week we couldn't really play outside because it was too cold but now the weather is really quite nice (relatively speaking!). Tessa loves playing outside and LOVES sledding this year.

We had a very fun Christmas. Tessa is getting to a very fun age where the magic is in her eyes for the holidays. The thought of Santa brings a smile to her face and the thought of sitting on Santa's lap makes her cringe. We sure did a lot in the 48 hours of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day but it's all so worth it. A lot of family time which is what Christmas is all about.

I haven't updated the blog in a while so I have quite a few pics below of the past few weeks. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.



"T-E-S-S-A, mom another present for me!" Tessa looked at every package to find hers and Nolan's. Hard to believe she is starting to be able to read already.

"T-E-S-S-A...another one!"

The girl's snuggling with their cheerleaders from Aunt Nancy. They LOVED them to say the least. Thanks Nanc:)

Yes...that is a superman snuggie...and yes, he loves it! Mom just had to buy it for Derek when she saw it:)



Christmas Eve morning with Mitchell, Mas, and Marah at Grandma and Grandpa Meade's.


Mas' b-day lunch at Culver's.

Owen yells out, "Look at the French fry Christmas ornament!" We all had to check it out...nope, it's a real French fry that was thrown into the Christmas tree. :)



Tessa's first candycane of the season and definitely not her last!

I love this picture...







This is as close as I am getting to Santa. Not one step closer and please don't put Nolan on his lap!

Nolan loved it:)

Oh thank God he's okay!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Our first snowfall of the season. The kids LOVED playing in the snow. Nolan was trying to figure it all out and you can just see his brain concentrating on this fluffy white stuff. As much as we love warm weather and getting outside in our sandals and summer clothes, there really is something magical about snow and winter. Tessa's face yesterday morning when she saw the blanket of snow on the ground was priceless. Yesterday we didn't have much time to get out and play in the snow so that was what we did all morning today.




First snow angel of the season...there will be many more to come!
Tessa winding up to throw a snowball at me. Don't worry, I got her back!

Sesame Street Live

What a fun morning/afternoon! Sesame Street Live and that it was. It really was super cute. Derek, the kids, and I arrived a few minutes before mom, dad, Jess, and her kids so we were able to see the families just pouring into the coliseum. Cuteness. Most of the kids that we saw looked to be about the age of Tessa or younger. I commented to Derek that there didn't appear to be too many six-seven year olds and I hoped that Mitchell would like the show.

The kids all did really well and really liked it. Nolan didn't like it when they would stop singing and felt the need to scream. Mom did a good job of keeping him occupied and entertained between the songs:) Marah, Mason, and Tessa all seemed to really like it. Tessa's favorite was "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star". As much as all of the little kiddos liked it I kind of think it's a toss up for who liked it the most. It's a close tie between Mitchell and Derek. Mitchell was singing and dancing along to the songs and Derek laughed out loud at each joke that was told. It was pretty cute. I guess that just means regardless of our age, it was fun to be a kid for the day.





Derek snuggling with Marah...
Derek snuggling with Tessa...

Marah and Tessa being silly after lunch!

Nolan is starting to walk!

Soon he'll be off to the races on his feet but for now he's moving nice and slow. He started taking quite a few steps on Thanksgiving Day. He gets so proud of himself and concentrates so hard at walking. He's getting to be such a big boy. Tessa is so proud too. Every time he starts to walk around the house Tessa shouts out, "Mommy, Noly's walking!" (Noly - Nolan's nickname) Tessa is so proud of little Noly.

Happy Thanksgiving 2010

What a great weekend. We were able to spend the weekend with friends, family, each other, and of course Tessa and Nolan. I was lucky enough to have Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday off of work and Derek was lucky to have Thursday and Friday off of work, which made it an extra long weekend. Fun! Wednesday night we spent with our friends, Thursday we spent with our family for Thanksgiving and then came Friday.

"Jess, I don't think I can go shopping super early on black Friday. Stores are opening too early. Let's just do the normal. I'll pick you up around 5:00." That is about how the conversation went until two minutes later when Jess and I chatted again. "How about I'll pick you up at 3am. I want to see the crazy people running through the store to get that early bird special." So I picked her up at 3:15am and went to mom's so she could follow us into Madison. First stop...Target. Why Target? You'd think that it was for the TVs, cameras, or phones...but nope, it was for the pj's for Mitchell's pajama pals. What a deal Jessie got. I actually shopped for some necessities at Target (diapers, lotion, make up) and those aisles didn't seem to be too busy so it worked out great. Then off to Kohl's and the mall. What a fun day! I think I could have come home before the kids were even up but we made it until lunch time where we had a yummy lunch with my Grandma and dad.

Friday night we headed to Mikey's to celebrate his birthday, Saturday I went to the Badger game (GO BADGERS!!!) with Brenda, Derek went to the game with my dad, and the kids had a fun day with their babysitter. Today we went to get our Christmas tree and set the tree up. I love putting the tree up! It's crazy to think that December is almost here. We are really looking forward to Christmas for many reasons but we are really looking forward to Bry coming home. It's always so fun to have him home.

I've been bad about pics lately so here are a few from the past few weeks.



Look...I used to be that small!







Surprise! Happy Birthday Cindy!

The gorgeous bartenders that gave my husband too much to drink that night...oh wait, the beer was self-serve...