Conor's future alma mater???

Didn't i go to a beautiful school??? This is the holiday email greeting I got from Elon University, my alma mater. Maybe we will take Conor there to visit someday. Boy do I miss that place this time of year. They really knew how to decorate for the holidays and there was so much excitement. Merry Christmas!!

Lost in the Archives

I was recently going through some old pictures and found some great ones that never made it to the website. So while I am trying to keep my head above water between work and preparing for Christmas, thought I'd leave you with a little "blast from the past":

Sharing with Kipp, Jr. during one of our summer camping trips.

Naptime in the tent

Lunchtime during family vacation this summer

Totally wiped out after his birthday party

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Hello everyone and Happy Thanksgiving!! We had ourselves a wonderful weekend. I can't believe Thanksgiving has already come and gone...and here we are only 25 days away from Christmas!!

Aunt Laura came into town Tuesday afternoon and babysat so Mom and Dad could go to the NIU football game. Unfortunately, it was very cold and they played bad so they lost to Navy. Then Wednesday evening, the rest of the crew arrived. Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Joe, Aunt Cheryl (Grandma's sister), and Katelyn made the trek through the holiday traffic from Minnesota and arrived just before my bedtime.

Thursday--we had the traditional Thanksgiving feast with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberries, scalloped corn, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie, of course! It was delicious. I loved everything and cleaned my plate. We even got to play outside for a little bit.

Friday--the girls got up at 4 am to go shopping for some crazy reason. The rest of the afternoon was spent watching movies and taking naps. But, then they took Katelyn and me back to the mall later to see Santa Claus and the Christmas decorations. It was still pretty crowded.

Saturday--the whole gang went downtown to Chicago (except Daddy who had to stay home to do homework). We took a train, went on a bus tour, stopped at Navy Pier, saw lots of pretty Christmas lights and some really big Christmas trees!

I guess that's all for now. I better get to bed so Mom can go cheer on the Vikings--beat those Bears!! Not to mention, it looks like there might be some snow for us to shovel in the morning!...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Until next time,
Conor

15 months old

Well, Conor just had his 15 month check up at the pediatrician today and he has had an incredible growth spurt over the last 3 months. He is now 32.5 inches (back up in the 90th percentile) and 26 pounds (back up in the 75th percentile). He is so much fun now. He is always moving and always getting into trouble. He just loves to dance and listen to music. He figured out how to open the "childproof" cabinets....of course, the one with the garbage and the cleaning supplies. He figured out how to open the pantry door and is working very hard on regular doorknobs now too.

When he opened the pantry door he got a hold of some paper towel rolls and stuck his arms down them, now that is a favorite game of his. We affectionately call him...Paper Towel Man.

He knows several body parts...he knows the words and can point to them. He is very good at pointing to his belly button!! :)

Daddy is still trying to convince Conor that there is no choice but to be an Eagles fan. Conor just likes to wear Daddy's hats!!

He has a vocabulary of about 5-10 words and solidly knows at least 5 words in sign language. Not that I'm bragging, but he is one smart cookie. We are now bracing for winter, which is quickly approaching. I don't think we're ready for it yet. Conor still really loves to play outside. In his big winter coat, he looks like the kid from "A Christmas Story" though...the one who can't put his arms down...that doesn't stop OUR son though...he is quite determined. We'll have to get some pics of that eventually too!

We are worn out from all our travels so we are hosting family for Thanksgiving next week and are very much looking forward to some house guests...but that means I better go get cleaning!!!

Do you check this site??

If you are a regular follower of this site, please sign your name in the "Followers" section to the right...I'd like to know that I am doing this for more than a few people! We're interested in knowing exactly who is checking in. More pics to come soon!

Halloween, Baby Andrew, and Wedding #3

Last weekend was very exciting: packed full of all kinds of travel, adventures, rekindling old friendships, and meeting some new friends (through births and weddings, primarily)! The travel wasn't so bad, but of course, the weekend was too short, as we would have loved to have spent more time with our dear friends.

We left Thursday night immediately after work/school and drove straight through the night to arrive in New York to visit Joel, Lisa, and their 6-week-old new baby, Andrew. We arrived on Halloween Day, so we were able to dress the boys in their costumes and Conor even did a little trick-or-treating. He liked the mini M&Ms...just his size. Although we didn't let him try anything else, I'm sure he would have eaten it all!! Conor was a lion and Andrew made an adorable cow...we didn't get any pics of the boys together in the costumes though!

Andrew is so cute, you just want to pinch his little cheeks! It's hard to believe it was just over a year ago that Conor was that size...and that calm!!! After spending a day with them, I think the Chase's might have a little idea of what they are in for next year at this time!! Being low on sleep and away from home didn't help Conor's mood or temper at all (as you can see in the group photo!).

On Saturday, we traveled another 2 hours to Connecticut. We had never been there before but can I tell you how beautiful it is there!?!? The leaves were still showing brilliant fall colors, and there were mountains and hills and rivers around every curve...it was just breathtaking. Conor apparently wasn't impressed. His biggest excitement of the day was pulling every last kleenex out of the tissue dispenser at the hotel while we unpacked and got dressed.

Then we headed out to Collin and Amy's wedding, which was the most gorgeous setting. They said their vows atop a rock formation on his dad's property, then had a wonderfully catered garden reception. The weather was awesome, the food was delicious, and it was so good to be reunited with old friends.

We have not seen Collin or his twin brother Carson since they were in our wedding almost 6 years ago. It was great to see you guys again!!

Conor acutally did very well in the car, for the most part. The night driving was easier on him because he could sleep, or at least rest, a little easier in the dark, without feeling the urge to get up and play and run around. We tried to keep him fed and entertained but the last half of the last day coming home was trying for all of us. Even lunch time got frustrating, especially when Conor decided his feet should go in the food, rather than the food in his mouth!

We are locking ourselves at home until Christmas, no more road trips for a while. This van is parked!

Helping update the website

Conor loves to type on the computer keyboard and play with the mouse...he throws a fit if you try to take him away. Perhaps it will be sooner rather than later that I can turn over to him the duties of updating the website regularly!!

Wedding #2

Two weeks ago another one of my cousins got married. Rachel and Dan had a beautiful ceremony and, again, perfect weather for a wedding. Everyone looked great...and they even rode golf carts away from the church. It was very amusing!! We had a fun time, again seeing many friends and relatives we don't get to see too often.
Congratulations Rachel and Dan!

Grandma trying to keep Conor quiet and occupied in church

Conor and Marcus playing with the autumn decorations outside
Family photo op

Mommy, Conor and Grandpa take a break from dancing
Grandpa finally figured out how to get Conor to sleep...I think he has some special secret or something ;)

midweek update

Here are just a few funny pictures from our week.
Conor loves this toy so much...maybe a little too much..daddy has had to remove the batteries more than once for his own sanity.

Conor is starting to test limits, for example:
Don't touch the buttons on the TV or DVD player, Conor!!

It is really starting to get cold here, so we have been trying to enjoy a few more days outside while we still can. Conor loves being outside and loves playing at the park.

Swings continue to be his favorite park apparatus.

Silly self portrait! Mommy, what are you doing?

Conor's babysitter made this pumpkin for him...he thinks it's pretty cool.

We are heading back to MN this weekend for another wedding, so there will be more pictures coming soon!!

Wedding #1

Last weekend, my cousin Shalena got married in Minnesota so we made a whirlwind trip for the weekend. The weather was perfect, the bride and groom looked great, and the wedding was lots of fun. It was great to see all those aunts, uncles, and cousins that we usually get to see only once a year at Christmas. Congratulations Shalena and Aaron!!

The three sisters and two brother-in-laws!

Conor checking out the newest addition to the family...2 1/2 month old baby Kelsey. He was fascinated!

Little Conor playing with big Connor between the ceremony and reception. All the kids played so well together and had so much fun.

Sisters!!

Adam and Erin...where's Conor?

...Sleeping in Grandma's arms. Amazingly, Conor was tired enough to fall asleep for about 2 hrs during the dance despite the loud music and lights. He did wake up later on to enjoy the last hour of the reception where he was right out on the dance floor with us. He even did the electric slide with mommy!! :)

We will have to do a better job of getting a nice family picture next week!! Good thing about having so many weddings this month.