Boxer in Training

Ethan had a little run in with one of his toys, needless to say the toy won.

Merry Christmas

Okay Grandparents, here are your pictures from the spoiled brat!

We really miss you and hope that all of our families are having a great Christmas.

Wish we could be there but we send all of our love and thanks.

The aftermath

Ethan's special message

2 more days!

Ethan has been so good on not sneaking in a look on his Christmas presents. Eric and I on the other hand have been horrible and we cannot wait. As soon as we get a box in, Ethan is good about placing all the gifts under the tree and walking away. Whereas Eric and I try to guess what it is before we have to put it away. I tell Ethan that we are going to open them soon but since I have been saying that for a while I think he is set on that those are permanent fixtures in our house. I think now that Ethan is older this year; he is going to get into the unwrapping of gifts. Last year, he would unwrap and just want to play with that toy but I think he will just go nuts and start ripping everything.

I am looking forward to the after Christmas shopping. I do not get into big crowds and never go the day after Thanksgiving but I really need more Christmas decorations. This will be the best time to get them at great prices. I have always wanted to go shopping after Christmas but every year we are visiting family and I can’t go nuts. Therefore, since I will be here for Christmas I am taking full advantage of it.

Well we are less than two months away from our little one arriving and she is just as active as ever. Lately, I will get a jab from an elbow or some bulging from either her head or her butt. She is running out of room and I am uncomfortable no matter what I do. Standing, laying down, sitting, it all does not matter anymore. With Ethan, I never got a Braxton Hick contraction but had tons of heartburn. Now I get about 4-5 Braxton Hicks contractions a day and I have tons of indigestion, not heartburn. Lately, I have been busy just trying to get prepared for her. I have washed her clothes, had to go searching for the packed up bottles, and Eric found the bassinet for me. I have a couple more things to do but I think we are ready.

North Pole Express

Conductor's outfit complete with a train whistle

Train video

With only 10 more days until Christmas, Ethan needed to give Santa his Christmas list. What a better way to do it then to go on a train ride to the North Pole to visit Santa and Mrs. Claus themselves. The train itself was built in the 1930’s so unfortunately there was no heat but seeing how it only took us an hour, to get to and from the North Pole, it wasn’t to bad. Thankfully, Ohio was hit with a lot of snow; therefore, we got to enjoy a nice winter wonderland ride. Ethan got so excited when we told him we were going to ride on a train, but it really hit him once he saw it and his eyes lit up. It was a 30-minute train ride to the North Pole where we got off and met Santa and Mrs. Claus. They asked Ethan what he wanted but he just froze, although I was surprised that he got on their laps and even waited to get his picture taken. There was hot chocolate and kettle corn available and a craft area where kids got to write their Christmas list. On the way back to Ohio, Santa’s elves made all the kids balloon animals. We had so much fun and it really got us into the Christmas spirit. This will probably be our last winter like this for a while so it was nice to enjoy the snow with an old-fashioned train ride.

Who wants a big kiss?

It snowed!

This morning we all awoke to a snow covered ground. Of course, as soon as Ethan saw it he was ready to go outside and kept saying "outside" every time he walked by the window. After hearing him whine for awhile, we all got bundled up and he was running out the door. He just kept walking around and was taking it all in. I don't think he remembers last years snow. However, since it was morning, it was still pretty chilly so we started to head indoors. Ethan was not to happy with that decision and just wouldn't come in. The only way we got him to come inside was assuring him that we would come back outside in the afternoon when it got a little warmer. He held us to it because as soon as he was up after his nap, he was ready to go again. This time it wasn't as cold or windy, so it wasn't torture for us. I don't think Ethan even cared how cold it got because he still didn't want to come inside when it was time for dinner. But once we did get him inside, our slow cooked dinner of pulled pork sandwiches were waiting for us. It was a great ending to such a cold day.
Rosy nose and cheeks
I don't want to come inside!

"Christmas is a time when you get homesick - even when you're home"

It has been a very busy week for us. Eric went to Texas to pick out our lot that we are planning to build our house on and got to pick the little stuff like colors, tile, carpet etc… Ethan and I stayed home because a flight out there being pregnant and with Ethan was not worth it to look at several dirt lots. Therefore, Eric was chosen as the lucky contestant to do that while Ethan and I went through all of the designs and just told Daddy what we wanted. We are happy to get that started. Before Eric left, I mention to him to take our insurance for the rental car in case anything happens. Well, he calls me stating that someone hit him from behind, the driver appears drunk and a cop witnessed it all. He tells me he is fine, it was just a fender bender and he needs our policy # because he forgot to grab the insurance. Eric and I are so used to this kind of luck and can’t believe we get stuck in those kind of situations. He says I jinxed him. Thankfully, no one was hurt and the rental car place just needed it to be documented.

As soon as Eric got back, we got started on the Christmas decorations. At first, Eric and I kept trying to convince each other that we really didn’t need to put up a tree. Our Christmas spirits are a bit dampened because we are not going to be able to see family this Christmas. Eric will be too busy trying to finish his thesis. However, the sight of seeing Ethan on Christmas morning without a tree made us sad. Lazy Scrooges!

Playing outside


He is taking the job serious. He better because next year someone else may want to put the star on.