Where has 2012 gone?

Wowee! Cannot believe how much has happened since Christmas!

We had our friends in from Milwaukee visit on New Year's (above), and then met the MN Thompson's in the Dells for a weekend (below).

At the beginning of March, we went to Disney! Colby liked the Tea Cups and the Carousel, but that's about it! He admired the characters from afar, but burst into tears when they came too close! His favorite parts of the trip were the ocean (aka the hotel pool), and pressing G (the elevator button for the Ground Level). It was a great family vacation, but left us needing another vacation to recover! ;-)

Loving the Tea Cups

About as good as a family pic we can get!

Knuckles with Oso

Got a crush on June!



A great pictoral summary of our trip!

Here's a slideshow of all pics from our trip:

Oct/Nov/Dec...oops!

So, wow...three months since the last blog update. Shame on me! We enjoyed the Fall and now are knee-deep in holiday fun!

Some highlights:

• Colby would not wear a Halloween costume this year, so we put him in his skeleton PJs. That was a hit. We trick-or-treated around the neighborhood, and he loved the candy this year! So did Mom and Dad!

• Colby is very good playing the Wii, and his favorite games are Wii Sports Golf and Just Dance Kids 2. He is awesome at the Five Little Monkeys song! Mom and Dad even get in on the action.

• He enjoyed a road trip to Omaha for Thanksgiving, and got to visit with all of his cousins!

 

• Colby even got into decorating the house for the holidays this year. We have stick-on decals on our windows, perfectly arranged by Colby. Originally they were in his room (where Mom wanted them), but he thought they would be better in the front room. He said, "Be right back, Mom!" and got them one by one from his room. It was too cute, so I didn't fight it. He also loves the train we have under our Christmas tree this year. "Train is on the track!"

• Santa is too scary this year (no good photos), so we went on the Polar Express train ride with friends instead...he was thrilled by the train's arrival.

Here are links to all of our albums. Enjoy!

Fall 2011

Halloween 2011

Thanksgiving 2011

Fun with grandparents!

Mama and Dada took their first long vacation since I've arrived. They ran a race from San Francisco to Napa Valley. Take a look at the album, it looks like they had fun!

I enjoyed time with my Grandma & Grandpa, and Mimi and Papa while they were away. I even saw Gigi and Bupa. Mama could tell I had fun because all the candy and juice was gone when they got back. ;-) I am so lucky to have such wonderful grandparents and great-grandparents!

Ragnar Napa Valley 09-11

1st Day of Preschool

We both survived! Mommy didn't shed a tear, Colby shed a ton, but we got through it!

The drop-off was a breeze, but when Colby realized I wasn't there, he began to cry...for three hours. Needless to say, he napped well when we got home!

No mother wants their kids to be upset, but I have to tell you, my new-found freedom was awesome! I shopped without running through the stores, and I ran 5.5 miles without pushing a jogging stroller! I was loving life, but still missing my guy(s). (Joe, too, he's been in NYC this week). The preschool director said give it two weeks and he will love it...I hope so.

Enjoy his school pics.

1st Day of Preschool

Colby is 2!

I cannot believe our "baby" is two years old! It seems like just yesterday I was anxiously awaiting his arrival, eating as much spicy food as humanly possible to speed up his arrival...and then waiting an extra week! Colby even had a sense of humor back then! ;-)

Here are some pics of his party, unfortunately he was coming down with a 103 fever so he wasn't at his best. His second birthday was topped off by puking all over a doctor's office the next day. Poor birthday dude.

Colby Turns 2!

Our Thomas Adventure

Right before Colby turned 2 he became obsessed with Thomas. Luckily, the IL Railway Museum was hosting an event called "A Day out with Thomas" and we got to go with Matt, Julie, Josh and Will. It was a great time. Enjoy the pics!

Thomas and the Thompson's

Dells Trip, July 2011

We had an amazing time with our Villa Park friends at The Great Wolf Lodge in the Wisconsin Dells.

We would love to make it an annual trip!

Wisconsin Dells July 2011

Bubbles!

I discovered a few weeks back that Colby likes to eat bubbles. Yes, he will be the kid in school that eats glue! ;-)

Much to my surprise, he was able to blow bubbles without the assistance of a bubble wand after taking a swig of bubble solution. Probably not the best parenting decision, but it was super cute and funny.

I was finally able to capture this moment on video...enjoy!

Easter 2011

Colby really enjoyed the egg hunt and treats this year. We are still going through our chocolate eggs! ;-) We were lucky to have Kevin and Angel in town, too. It was a lot of fun to be with family!

Easter 2011

Missed April, will be better in May

Sorry, gang, for being absent in April with the posts. Here are some cute pics of Spring fun. Hopefully May gives us a chance to be outside a bit more.

Rain, Rain Go Away!

I love playing the Wii with my Dad!

My new Cozy Coupe, probably faster with the wheels on...

Arizona, Feb/March 2011

We just got back from a week in Arizona, and it was WONDERFUL! We went to baseball games, went on hikes, relaxed, and enjoyed the weather. We are sad to be back in the snowy tundra, but it is good to be home. Enjoy the pics (all 239 of them!)!

Arizona 2011

Feb 2011 Blizzard

The snow hasn't kept us from having fun! According to Paul Konrad on WGN, we got 23" of snow! Wow!

Enjoy the pics of Colby's first blizzard experience:

Blizzard 2-2011

Happy 2011

Here are some great pictures of our holidays and New Year's celebration (Kevin and Angel's wedding, hurray!).

Hope everyone's 2011 is treating them well so far!

Christmas & New Year's Wedding 2010

Merry Christmas!

Baby it's Cold Outside!

Take a look at our snow-filled fun!

December 2010

Colby's Frequent Flyer Card

So young Master Colby is certainly a jet-setter. He was on a plane four times in one week over the Thanksgiving holiday.

The weekend before Thanksgiving, we visited my step-sister and brother in Atlanta. We had so much fun! One of the higlights was the Atlanta Aquarium. Breathtaking!

We also visited my cousin Jared's restaurant while we were down there. Colby loved the stuffed snowballs (a New Orleans tradition brought to Atlanta). I will not do it justice, but it's essentially shaved ice, sweet cream, ice cream and whipped topping. There are many flavors and creations to choose from; we had a mud pie and pumpkin pie.

We spent Thankgiving in Omaha, visited with new baby Corbyn Hevi, and were prepping for the big wedding at the end of the year (Kevin and Angel's). See the dress rehearsal below...I will make sure Colby wears pants down the aisle.

View the full album for Nov 2010 here!



Happy Halloween 2010

Here is our photo album from the fun events. Enjoy!

Halloween 2010

A Milestone: Colby's first haircut

Watching Dad get haircut first

A milk before the big event

Ok, doesn't look so bad...

Hi Alex the Barber!

Double-fisted dum-dums was the key

A little young for a shave...

C'mon, let me play!

Father and Son, a great pair! Thanks, Alex!

Pumpkin Farms, etc.

The Fall is one of the best times of year, especially to a little boy that likes to go on adventures. We went to two Pumpkin Farms (Sonny Acres and Susanna Farms), and even saw Yo Gabba Gabba LIVE! Enjoy some of our pictures!

Petting the sheep

Taking a drive

Picking the perfect pumpkin

Yo Gabba Gabba LIVE!

The YGG gang

Close-up

Muno back stage!

The best little pumpkin is ME!

Banana Bread (with Cauliflower)

Mr. Colby does not like veggies. I have tried many tricks, but alas, nothing has worked until now. This recipe is from Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld (yes, Jerry's wife). I loved it, and so did my dad and Babysitter Amy. Colby seemed to like it well enough, although I cannot help but think he's on to my game. Enjoy!

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 3/4 C whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 C all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 C firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1/4 C of canola or vegetable oil
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 1/2 C banana puree*
• 1/2 C cauliflower puree **
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat 9x5 loaf pan or 2 mini pans with cooking spray.
2. In a bowl, mix flours with baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, mix the sugar and oil until well combined. Mix in the egg whites, banana and cauliflower purees, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture just until combined.
4. Pour the batter in the loaf pan. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean: 55-60 mins for a large loaf, 25-30 for the mini loaves. Let cool on a rack for 5 mins, then turn the bread out of the pan to cool before serving. (I did not let it cool, I ate it piping hot!)

*Banana Puree: Mash up a banana, add a bit of water, and blend.
**Cauliflower Puree: Cut into small florets, steam for 8-10 mins, then blend.