First Comes Love...

Merry Christmas, friends! I hope this finds you well and enjoying the day with those you love most.

Happy Birthday, Benny Boy I'm a bit late writing this, but given how busy we've been, I'll consider it a small miracle to be writing this at all! It's Christmastime, and I love this time of year with a brand new baby.  Sure, it lacks sleep, seasonal motivation, and has me falling behind on overindulging, but it's perfect. My favorite way to celebrate, by far. This past weekend we hosted Gma's side of the family for a big sit down dinner.  Dad and I farmed off the big kids Friday night, and you came along with us for a big Costco and Freddie's run to get all the food and drink.  Then Saturday morning, you helped out by being super chill and taking a long morning nap.  By the time guests arrived, we were totally prepared. So thanks for all the help  :) This month has brought so much change!  You are holding yourself up really well and are increasingly engaging with people around you. A sucker for a good smile! Here are your new news this month:...

This past weekend we went to see Santa. Abigail is really into the stories of Santa, the elves, and The North Pole this year, so it's been a lot of fun.  She's watched Elf a few times this week (which is SO much better than The Muppet's Movie we watched 4,746 times the past few weeks, thanks to George) and she asks about Santa, his elves, and The North Pole a lot. It's super adorable. We haven't succumb to an elf on the shelf (and I hope I never do!) but telling her the elves are watching from the clouds and will tell Santa if she's being naughty, seems to be keeping her incredibly obedient this past week. Yay! I remember when I was young, if I acted up around Christmas time, my Mom would whisper sternly  "Santa's watching!" and so, our "the Elves are watching" seems to be doing the trick - thanks Mom  :) Some pictures below are from our visit to Santa on Sunday.  George was sick (he's the sickest health guy I've eve...

I was going through pictures the other day and came upon these gems.  It's been a year since most of these were taken and it's crazy to think how fast she's grown! Her favorite friend this time last year was Veronica (tall, blonde girl in a few of these pictures) and she loved going to school, saying the pledge of allegiance, and eating snack :) I just wanna jump through these images and squeeze that little girl; what a doll!

This was our second year celebrating Thanksgiving at the new house, and while the group was the same as last year (my parents, Victor, Catherine, Mamie, Papa, and Uncle Bob) it felt a little different than before; in a more relaxed, wonderful way. Papa's train tracks sure did make it more fun for the kids! The majority of the long weekend was spent relaxing at the house, walking around in the snow, and making fires.  We took the kids to town on Friday evening to welcome Santa to town, pick out their yearly ornament, and walk in the children's parade ( where we managed THE front and center position! ) Neither Abigail or George had an issue with Santa this year.  Abigail was a bit shy but she managed to tell Santa that she wanted a butterfly bike for Christmas (in response, Santa asked if she wanted one with wings.  Really Santa?  Thanks.)  As for George, he didn't say much, but Abigail assured the big guy that George wanted some new choo-c...

With the holidays upon us, I decided it was time to take down Abigail's artwork from late summer and early fall. So, hold on to your hats; here's another installment from The Lauckner Gallery, 2015! She's been bringing home at lot more work this year, so I'm finding it increasingly difficult to hang on to everything. But I do love how many worksheets I find in her folder; drawing shapes, coloring in pictures, and practicing her penmanship. It's coming along, and I'm so proud of her!