2012 Santa Picture

For Eric's first Christmas, a picture with Santa was not in the cards. We gave it our best shot, but our darling little boy wanted absolutely nothing to do with the old man in the red suit. It was very similar to the scene from A Chirstmas Story when Randy, Ralphie's brother, had a meltdown meeting Santa!  Well, this past year, we were able to get E to sit with Santa, but literally for only about 10 seconds or so - not even enough time for Santa to look at the camera. I guess it's no surprise when kids are not particularly fond of being passed off to a complete stranger in a very peculiar outfit! 

Ben's 10!

He made it - Ben reached the 10 year mark Saturday!  Over the course of 10 years, we've spent countless hours at the vet for all of his various ailments and surgeries including the one that I like to refer to as his gastric bypass (not for his huskiness, but for the bloat/torsion problem in Bloodhounds).  Last year, he had two surgeries removing three different types of cancerous tumors, and he's come out of all of that happy as a hound. I'm just estactic that he's doing so well for an old man. 



Ben's brother from another mother.



Ben after running his first 5K.



Thanksgiving & Christmas!

We spent Thanksgiving with family at the Konrad cabin and Christmas at home.  We need to figure out how to fit in more trips to the Cabin this year - we love it there!  Eric had a fun time on Christmas, he spent most of his day opening and playing with presents. He had 5 or so gifts to open, and he had to play with each present for a couple of hours before he was ready to move onto the next.  I think we finally made it through his gifts around 4pm that afternoon which made Christmas seem extra long and that was really fun.

Funny kid prefers to push this toy rather than ride it.  I think it's because it makes a whole lotta noise when it's pushed!  It must be a boy thing - the noisier, the better!

  Eric lined the trucks up as he opened the box and said, "One, two, three trucks!"

Here's 'cheese' face.  I'm happy that he's starting to look at the camera when I'm taking his picture. Hooray!

Cabin trip - even November freezing cold weather can't keep the group away from the fire pit.  I'm amazed that they weren't roasting smores!

Goodbye Mom

My Mom passed away on Saturday, October 20, 2012, and since then, this blog has been on hiatus.  I knew my next post had to be about my Mom, and I just couldn't wrap my head around putting all my emotions down on paper.  What do I want you to know about my Mom?  She is without a doubt the kindest, most selfless and sincere person that I have ever met.  She loved her family more than anything.  She had 8 kids and taught each of us the value of hard work and discipline and to believe in ourselves.  She shaped all of us kids into adults, and she did a fine job.

I miss her so much. Some days are better than others, and some are unbearable. Eric's doing so much fun stuff and learning so many new things each day, and I want to tell her about every bit. He'll do something silly, and I'll think..."Oh man, I have to call Mom!"  For weeks, I would actually pickup the phone before I realized that I couldn't call her.  Now, I've gotten to the point that I tell her, just not via land line! This holiday season and Christmas has been bitter sweet.  It was so hard to send Christmas cards without sending one to her, too.

I guess what I've come to realize is that dealing with the grief with losing my Mom will be a life-long process.  I can't imagine that I will ever miss her any less, but I guess it will just get easier with time.  In the meantime, I have a fantastic hubby and wonderful family and friends to help me out. Another huge help is this little, adorable 20-month-old boy running around this house that is full of energy, spirit, and happiness and that I just can't stop kissing (which by the way, is probably why I'm on my 3rd cold of the season)!

Here's to you Mom; I love you.

Family Pics!

We recently had family pics taken with local photog Mary Collier. That day, Eric was all energy and basically just wanted to run, but even with all that, Mary was still able to get some super adorable shots of our little man and family. What I love most about these pics is that they capture Eric's energy and personality in all of its 18-month-old glory & this little moment in time when our precious little boy was a total handful! **love**

  

   

Weekend Update

Still staying out of the smoke......have I mentioned that I'VE HAD IT WITH THE SMOKE......gggrrrrrrr!!!