We had an interesting trip to Chicago for the usual Christmas festivities! As you may know from a previous post, our family all had the stomach flu over Christmas. Well, we thought we were over it when we went down to Chicago... wrong! Boy did we spread the love... it would be easier to list those who did not get hit than those who did. So, to all those who were recipients of our new family Christmas tradition... we truly apologize and hope you forgive us!

Somehow we were still able to fit in some good times during the trip. We spent a lot of time around my parent's house playing; we ran outside with the dogs and hiked in the woods; we spent a day for "Christmas time" with my parents and sister's family; we visited April's family while her brother, sisters and Grandpa were in town; April and I spent time with some good friends- Kerry, Dave, Travis and Britt- it was great to see you all!; and we took a train ride into Chicago and visited the Hershey Store and Navy Pier. Considering the circumstances, we got quite a bit in. Happy Holidays, family... we love you and hope you are feeling better!

Feeding the Ducks on the Fox River

They love cheerios!

This guy became my friend... apparently no fear at all.

Here we all are... freezing our tushies off!


My Mom had to squish in between the two car seats... not an easy task in our Ford Escape.

Our New Christmas Tradition

We are starting a new tradition in our home... stomach flu at Christmas time. Two years ago, April and I began the tradition while visiting our families in Chicago. We had such a wonderful time, we thought we'd make a tradition of it. This year on Christmas Eve we all came down with the stomach flu at the same time... like clockwork. While I was changing kid's bedsheets at home, April ended up going to the ER at 2:30 a.m. for some meds and IV fluids. I felt so bad that she had to driver herself there.

Somehow we made it through the night. Neither April or I slept at all, but the worst part for me was that I was headed to a 24-hour ER shift that morning. So when I got to the ER, the nurses were kind enough to hook me up for IV fluids and Zofran (anti-nausea). It was enough to get me through the day, but some patients were wondering why I was working with an IV in my arm.

So I am happy to report that we have left it all behind us... for now... but I'm really looking forward to next year for another round!

Our Early Christmas

Because I had to work on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Santa Claus was kind enough to come to our home a couple days early. On our "Eve" we put our cookies and milk for Santa, and carrots for the reindeer, which were all chomped up in the snow. Then on Christmas morning we all had hot chocolate and sat by our tree to open gifts. Nate and Elin had a blast and Nate was very grateful to Santa and to his Mom and Dad for his gifts. I think his favorite is his new art easel from Grandma Jan and Grandpa Zan.

Figuring out how things work.

Nate has found a renewed interest in Legos.

Tower building.

"The wheels on the bus go round and round."

New warm slippers!

April's stocking full of goodies.

Nate had to dig out a treasure chest, this didn't last very long.

More cans than you can count.

Picasso hard at work.

Kid's Pics

We have a local friend who took some Christmas pictures in our home, and here are a few of them. Now, I don't know how everyone else fares with their young ones during pictures, but I've learned that I still have a lot to learn about "patience". I definitely prefer spontaneous pictures.

"Daddy... you didn't see me do that, right?"

"Who said he could kiss me?!!"

"Mom! Quick... I have a surprise for you!"

My two girls.

"I know I can get whatever I want with this face..."

Christmas Decorations...

April and I both love Christmas decor... almost as much as fall decor. Here is our family room. Our stockings were hand-knit by April's Mom, Janet, and we've had the same tree since we first got married... a Target special!

And here is the exterior decor... very festive at night with the lights on!

Elin in her winter hat and gloves... she loves her hat and gloves, and she'll let us hear it if we try to take them off.

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

The real snow has arrived! We've had 3 snow-storms now, but the last one was a real snow-storm. I shoveled about a foot of snow off the drive, and the snow hill on our driveway is already above the mailbox. The worst part... the 2 feet of heavy snow that the city plow leaves at the bottom of the drive... I was having chest pains heaving that to the sides. Nate loves it, though. Here's a picture of him soaking in the rays on his lawn chair...

Construction at the Foreman's

Well, I won't quit my day-job, but I really enjoyed putting up the dry wall in our garage last week. For some reason, our builder only insulated and dry-walled half of our garage, so finally we got to the other half (a 20 degree difference in the winter). It doesn't take much thought and is good exercise. Our friend, Peter, assisted in the process... a good thing, too, since the 12 x 4 sheets were so heavy I would definitely get a hernia lifting them alone. It turned out well, and now our cars will actually turn over when we start them.

Apple Juice Anyone?

Nathaniel has been coming up with a lot of interesting questions lately. For example, a couple days ago I got a succession of questions including "Dad, does space go for infinity?", and "Where does all the water in the world come from?" Then an easier question came, "Dad, how do we make apple juice?" (He'd recently learned how to squeeze oranges for orange juice). I explained that there a large machines that press the juice out of the apples. But he believed we could also suck out the juice with a straw, so I suggested we try it. He did, and it didn't work very well. So he ate the apple, and that was that. Now on to the other questions...

Nate's Gingerbread House

Over the Thanksgiving weekend Nate was given a gingerbread house kit from his Mama and Papa. Now, I don't know about you, but when I was a kid, there was no such thing as a pre-made kit. All we had were graham crackers, homemade frosting, red-hots and M&Ms, but it was enough. And we had fun, darn-it.

Anyway, it was the only thing we heard about until we finally busted it out the next day and put it together. Nathaniel was very particular about decorating it (where did he get this from?), and in the end it turned out great! Thanks Mama and Papa!

Yummy...

One of our traditional favorite weekend breakfasts is Swedish Pancakes. This is a specialty I first learned from a friend in college, but April grew up with it, also. Nathaniel is the biggest fan, now able to down 5 pancakes in one sitting. The only problem... as the cook, I don't get to sit at all as this is a high-maintenance breakfast.

Thanksgiving at the Dells

This year we did something a little different for Thanksgiving... we spent the holiday at Kalahari, a giant indoors waterpark at Wisconsin Dells. If you've never been to one, picture a huge waterpark with multiple swimming pools, lots of giant waterslides, and millions of people all under one roof. Lots of craziness, but lots of fun.

This trip was for our kids, and we also spent the holiday with my parents, sister Shawnta and brother Mike, and their kids. We had a great time in our 3-unit hotel room (even though April and I had to sleep on the sofa-bed because of Nate's snoring and Elin's coughing... ugh!), and we enjoyed a huge Thanksgiving buffet at the hotel (yummy and easy... a great combo). All the kids loved the waterpark, and Nate really didn't want to go home. But he got over it when we he realized Christmas is next!

Bittersweet...

Winter is here! Pull out the sleds! Build a snowman! Drink some hot chocolate! Listen to Christmas music! Decorate the Christmas tree! Sit by the fireplace!



Winter is here! Pull out the shovels! Freeze on the way to work! Catch the flu! Wipe kid's snotty noses! Eight hours of daylight! Dig out snowed-in cars!

Nate's Baby Monsters

A lot of children have imaginary friends. Nate, however, has baby monsters... 101 baby monsters, to be exact, and they usually hang out in his pocket. They seem to cause a lot of problems around the house, but they can do a lot of good things as well. They have become a regular topic of conversation in our home. The little monster in this picture (the blue one, not the other one) we found recently at FAO Schwartz, and we couldn't resist but to indulge in Nate's little fantasy a little.

Tonight while going to bed, Nate said, "Mommy, what if the witches come into my room?" We're not sure where he got this from... maybe Scoobie Doo? April's answer was, "Well Nate, you have 101 baby monsters to scare them off with." Then Nate took April's face in his hands and whispered, "Mommy, don't you know they're just pretend?!"