Holiday Family Time

With Daddy home for 2 weeks and the snow and holiday spirit in the air...we have been having a lot of fun family time. These are just a few random pics from the last few weeks... Oak playing in the snow after our days of several feet of snow...you can see it goes up to his shoulders almost:)

Early morning bed-head and play-time with mommy and daddy
Making sweet-treats for our friends...Oak always wants to help and has to be dressed festively while doing it:)

Santa's Helper hamming it up for the camera

We tried to take a good family photo for Christmas...but it really didn't work out...here is one of the "cheesy" ones:)

Visit to Great-Grammy's House

This is the highchair that my brothers and I used to eat at when we would visit my Grandma's house...so it was quite "momentous" to have Oak eat at it...and cute!

My mom, Oak, and I went to Ft. Myers Beach, Florida for a long weekend before Christmas to visit my Grandma...she was anxious to see Oak since the last she had seen of him was a few moments after he was born. We enjoyed the sunny, warm weather (while at home Alan and Dad were weathering one of the worst winter storms Michigan has ever seen, several feet of snow in a couple of days:), played in the sand and ocean (Oak's first time in salt water...), and Grandma's pool, and met lots of Grandma's "family" that are wonderful people. Thanks Great-Grammy for having us...we love you!

The Holidays and SNOW, SNOW, SNOW

We are sorry for not posting in so long...it has been a fun-filled, busy, and exciting last month. We have had snow almost every day for a couple of weeks now...

light, fluffy stuff, then wet, heavy stuff, then cold temps in the teens so much so that we have about a foot on the ground today...a beautiful, sunny day!

Oak is not sure what to think of it...I keep bundling him up and trying to take him out...but after a few minutes his hands get too cold and he begins to cry. So, we have been tearing apart the house having lots of indoor play time.

Alan's parents visited for Thanksgiving again this year...a great time of hanging out and catching up and announcing to the Carter's and Anders' at the same time that Oak is going to be a big brother (can you read the shirt? I couldn't get a good picture:)...

Yes, you read that right, we are pregnant again and due sometime in late July. We were as shocked as you are, since our motto has been "one and done" since we had Oak. But, God in His incredible ways and humor decided we weren't done...so, after a couple of minutes (for Alan) and a couple of days (for me) of working through the unexpectedness of it all...Alan's motto has been "awesome and unexpected!" And, I am with him...we now are expecting another little munchkin who will be just under two years younger than Oak...I know, we will have our hands full!! We are excited, blessed, and thankful...and of course battling through the first trimester, with my nauseau and exhaustion. It sure is different this time, though, trying to keep up with Oak while feeling this way!

We now are into the furry of Christmas with parties, baking, making things, decorating, and shoveling, shoveling, shoveling the snow (every morning, at dark, 6:30 am, Alan and I are out there shoveling away...really beautiful, really refreshing, we love it)!

We hope you are enjoying the beginning to this Christmastime and rejoicing in all of the blessings in your life!