Kevin in Argentina!

Kevin's trip to Argentina was amazing! They toured vineyards, ate incredible food, drank great wine, and went on some exciting outings.





There were 17 wine geeks from various parts of the USA touring together.

One highlight was white water rafting along the Andes Mountains. The tour guide on Kevin's boat is a woman who lives half the year in Colorado and half the year in Argentina (for rafting season). She's the only female licensed rafting instructor in Argentina.

Christmas in Michigan

The trip to Michigan was a great one. The highlight was meeting the newest addition to the family, Gabryelle Elise, who was born on Nov. 18. That makes 8 grandkids for my parents, 4 girls and 4 boys. The first picture is of my brother, Mike, holding Gabby for the first time. He is such an awesome uncle!

Above is my dad holding two of his granddaughters, Ella Jane and McKenna; both girls (and all the kids) are just crazy about their Papa! We attempted to get a picture of all 8 grandchildren, not the easiest feat. The grandkids from oldest to youngest: Christopher (14), Isabelle (8), Jack (7), Parker John (3), Patrick (3), McKenna (22 months), Ella Jane (16 months), Gabby (6 weeks).
Isabelle, my mom, and I got the chance to go downtown to see "Wicked", the musical. It was my second time, but mom's and Isabelle's first time. We went with our friends Audrey and Becky. It was great! As much as I loved the show I also loved watching Isabelle enjoy the theater expereince.

Christmas!

We had a very nice Christmas morning. It's always my favorite part of the whole Christmas season. I love the excitement, the bedhead, and the staying in pajamas past noon! The kids really seemed to enjoy the whole thing too.

Christmas Evening we headed to Grandma's and Grandpa's house. Isabelle got a guitar, which was so exciting for her! The middle picture is of Isabelle and Jack with their cousin, Shelby. Ella Jane wore a beautiful Christmas dress from Grandma.

Patrick's Performance

Patrick had a holiday program at his school. We are so proud of him. He sang, did the hand motions and had a good time. Singing is more difficult for kids with Apraxia. His teacher said that for weeks of practice he just stood in the group doing nothing, but in the last couple days before the show he started singing! His brain just took that extra time to process. In the video you will see him in the back row, the third in from the left. The picture on top is of Patrick and his best buddy, Maddy. They both had a great time performing.

Christmas Season is here

We had a fun day celebrating Christmas with Grandpa and Grandma Mary at their house. We had a wonderful brunch and opened presents. But the best part of the day was making our own Gingerbread house!



Everyone helped. Daddy cracked the roof which required a lot extra frosting and careful hands. Patrick was very patient during the roof repair.


After the adults finished with construction, the kids were the main designers with the frosting and candy. Of course they ate plenty of candy too!


Unfortunately, the roof started to cave under the pressure of the candy. Grandpa had a brilliant idea! He simply got out his power drill and put a couple of screws right through the roof for support. Doesn't everyone use power tools to make a gingerbread house!?!? We're very pleased with the final result. You can't tell from the picture but the house does, however, have a "sky light". It's sure to be a favorite holiday memory for all of us.

Give Thanks!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at my Uncle Steve's and Uncle Craig's house in Chicago. We celebrated the holiday with family and friends. Uncle Craig roasted hazelnuts with Isabelle in addition to doing most of the cooking. Dinner was amazing! But, of course Steve and Craig always know how to throw a good party!


For only the 3rd or 4th time in our marriage Kevin was able to join us for Thanksgiving. He left the store at 4:30 and even made it for appetizers!


Isabelle showed off her big turkey leg. Uncle Craig's mom, Genevieve didn't think Isabelle could possibly finish it. She was right! It was really a wonderful holiday with good food and good company.

Toddler going on.... Teenager!

Ella Jane is ready to go out on the town. She borrowed a necklace and purse from Isabelle and has Mommy's cell phone. I guess she's ready for some holiday shopping!

We are Thankful for Daddy!

This time of the year we don't get a lot of time with Daddy. The kids are always so happy to have him home. This was a little pre-bedtime cuddle. We're counting the days until January.

Recovering is hard work!

This first picture says just exactly how Patrick has been feeling. Those big sad blue eyes and pouty mouth are just breaking our hearts. He has needed lots of cuddle time.

Patrick has spent a lot of time sleeping, but almost never alone. He's had to be next to, or better yet, on Daddy or Mommy at all times. The last picture was taken this morning when I was sure he was about to wake up. He actually woke up at 1:00 in the afternoon, after 17.5 hours of sleep (he did wake up 4 or 5 times during the night in pain, needing a cuddle and medicine).

Patrick's Day

Patrick had his tonsils and adenoids out today. It has been a tough day for our little guy. The first picture is before the surgery, but he was pretty nervous about everything that was going on. The second picture is in the recovery room. He's holding his brand new train, "Molly" and had just finished a blue popsicle, which he had been talking about for days. I'm not sure it was worth it for him!