Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year!

Hi All! It's two days after Christmas, and I hope that everyone has had a chance to clean up, calm down, and enjoy their Christmas loot. Olivia got a Memory game from Santa, as well as her own digital camera. She's had it for two days, and already burned through the first set of batteries. The camera holds 500 pictures, and she's already taken 300. She is truly having a blast with that. Santa brought Mia some toys she could chew on and some books and pajamas. She doesn't seem to care just yet. Santa brought Tony some sports clothes (White Sox and Bears, of course) as well as some movies and Rock Band. We haven't pulled that out to play yet, but will do so by the New Year, I'm sure. Santa brought me an upsized diamond engagement ring. I also got a clock, a necklace and a cd.

We went to Laima and Jeff's to celebrate Christmas with Tony's side of the family. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera, so there are no pictures from there. At Christmas, we do a grab bag with the rest of Tony's family. There is a stipulation that the gifts need to be made. Tony got a couple of bird houses from Pete - they are pink and white with the girls names on them and other little pictures and emblems. I got Adele's special blend of coffee and enjoyed my first cup this morning.

We hope that everyone had a great Christmas and enjoyed their day. Oh - and one other thing we got in Chicago - warm weather with rain that is causing a melt down and flooding. Thank goodness for warmer weather!

On Christmas Eve, while Mia slept...

....and it snowed - again!........Tony and Olivia were busy outside........building a snowman!Frosty the Fire Chief Snowman. Yes, it seems a bit strange for a snowman to choose the occupation of Fire Chief. Olivia and the famous Fire Chief.

Christmas morning, opening gifts......Olivia got a digital camera........Tony got Rock Band.......and Olivia got a pretty pink sweater that she decided to wear with Daddy's tie from the reception.And finally, this is what happens about two hours after the presents are opened....Merry Christmas to all!

Introducing......

....Mr. and Mrs. Joe Labuda!

Ahhh...the happy couple. Not all of you know Brandi and Joe, but Brandi is a very old friend of mine and is super fun to be around. Also, Joe, a very smart, fun, and perfect match for Brandi. They were married in Florida on 12-16 and had the reception last night. It was the 4th, 5th (?) snowstorm of the past two weeks, and we have about three to six more inches to show for it. Brandi looked lovely in her lacy dress, and Joe was very handsome in his tux. These two look beautiful together.

The wedding, in true Brandi style, labeled the tables by types of dog breeds. We sat at the herding breeds table. The place cards were in the shape/design of a dog house and ceramic dogs were decorating the lodge. Yes, the reception was at a lodge, with fireplaces and wood ceiling beams. It was very beautiful, especially with the fresh snow. The presents were placed on a dog sled, pulled by a blow up scooby-doo. Also, the cake had collars. And in a tribute to Brandi and her eating habits, the wedding cake made a sweet and delicious breakfast this morning.

Here are pictures from this fun event....

Here are Brandi and Joe enjoying Sam singing "The Way You Look Tonight."
Olivia coloring a gift box that Annette had given her to draw on.Olivia and a new friend, Allie. Allie is Brandi's step-niece (?). If that's a possible relation.
Brandi and Joe dancing their first dance to "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol.
Allie and Olivia dancing. Yes, Olivia is wearing snow boots with her dress. Brandi and Sam dancing.I know that the picture is blurry, but this is Brandi dancing with Olivia and Allie. Somehow, the girls go the idea that it would be fun to lift Brandi's dress and crawl under it. It was rather amusing watching the girls chase Brandi around the dance floor, and, as you can see below, Brandi fighting them off of her dress.

Again, the girls trying to get into Brandi's dress.

Brandi and Sam requesting that I come dance with them, which, of course, I did. And they both put their heads on my shoulder. So, once again, congratulations to Brandi and Joe! We wish you all the best and think that you guys make a great couple!

White Christmas....

This week, as we draw closer and closer to Christmas, we have been EXTREMELY focused on the weather. We have had multiple multi-hour commutes this week as well as extreme temperatures. Right now it is -4 degrees with a wind chill warning. We have about 2 inches of solid ice on the driveway, and the stores are out of salt. So, it looks as if we may actually have a white Christmas, which doesn't happen very often here. Did I forget to mention the six inches of snow?
That's one short Bears fan....
Mia in her little pink coat. It has bear ears on the hood, which is rather appropriate considering that we call her our little bear.

Tony has been diagnosed with Bronchitis, and I need to get Olivia to the doctor as well. Mia has slept through the night twice now, not consistently and both on Tony's night to get up with her. Anyway, as we have a busy week ahead, prepare for a long post next weekend.

Mia not looking at the camara.Olivia showcasing her new hair cut.

On the fifth day of Christmas....

It has been a busy week. Mommy's second week back to work, and it feels as if I haven't missed a beat. We had shopping and haircuts, doctor's appointment and sick kids (and parents). We have been busy.

First, Mia had her two month old appointment on Tuesday. She took her shots like a trooper, only crying for about a minute. She is happy, healthy and perfect. She tips the scales at 11 pounds, 7 ounces and 22 inches long. She's a bit shorter than Olivia was - Olivia was born at 22 inches. Mia is talkative, social, happy, laughing (first time today) and holding her head up. We call her our little big shot because she is working so hard to accomplish everything.

Here's Mia getting ready to cry.Here she is actually crying.Here she is almost smiling...And miracle, upon miracles - we actually caught a smile.Olivia was sick on Wednesday night. Actually, we've all been sick for about the last two weeks with the same cold that doesn't want to leave. Olivia had a fever on Wednesday. She came home, was crabby (because she had dry skin on her hands, we used vaseline, and she was unhappy that it wouldn't dry). Then she went to sleep for an hour before waking up and working herself into a huge fit because her ears hurt, which made her cry, which made her cough, which made her ears hurt worse. After she had some motrin, she slept and was fine. Olivia also got her hair cut and donated it to make wigs for kids. She had them cut off almost an entire foot of hair.

Here's Olivia being mad at me because I wouldn't let her use my camera.

Tony and I have finished our Christmas shopping and our cards are going out tomorrow. All that's left is wrapping the gifts. We can't wait for Christmas day.

O Christmas Tree....

The week in pictures....here's Olivia sporting her '80's style crimped hair. We braided half of her hair while it was wet, and this is the aftermath. I baked an apple pie all by myself - homemade. We'll see if it tastes as pretty as it looks.

We have finished our Christmas decorations. Here are our indoor decorations...
We don't have a chimney, so we hang our stockings from our kitchen half wall....

This is a picture of our stairs from the upstairs landing....View from the stairs....

and from the downstairs....

Here's the Christmas tree...Olivia and the christmas tree....Outside decorations....Closer view...

Mia.Mia and Uncle JJdaddyand mia. Photo by oliviaMiaMia almost smiling

Little Miss Mia Bear...

Today, Mia is officially two months. What does this mean? This means that it is time to stop referring to her age in weeks, and to start referring to her age in months. What has Mia accomplished so far, other than being cute? Mia can turn her head at will, is recognizing her family with smiles, she coos and gurgles and loves to chat. She is a complete attention hog. Mia is almost drinking 6 oz consistently every four hours. Mia has almost finished her first complete week at the baby-sitters house. Mia has gotten her first Christmas pictures taken (she cried most of the time) and is looking forward to her first Christmas. Below are some pictures I took today. I know that it seems like Mia is always in the carrier, judging by the pictures. I'm sorry, but that is the only time she will sit still for me and take pictures. Other than this, I am usually holding her, which doesn't leave a free hand for the camera. Thanks to Stephanie for showing me how to use the "burst" feature on my camera. Happy mini-Birthday, Mia!