The In-Between Things

With the holidays, things have been a bit hectic and blogging has taken a backseat.  Here is just a quick recap of a few things that have been going on in between all the craziness. I have been pretty bad about the camera lately, so this is just a little of the last month!

We have tried for four years now to figure out what to do with our kitchen. It is just a weird space.  We have bought rugs, a TV, furniture, and multiple chairs to try and fill the space in a way that looks good and uses the space wisely. I think we finally figured it out.  About a month ago, we had some built-ins put in the kitchen area. The boys had a blast playing in them before the cabinets were on!

We met up with some great friends, The Alspach's.  Sarah and I were Zeta's together, and were roommates  in the house.  I am partially responsible for she and her husband meeting, which really means I am responsible for her children being born.  OK, I may be giving myself a little too much credit, but nonetheless, it was so great to see them and meet Ellie and see Anna again.

They all really had a great time playing together.

We had dinner with the Davis', Rachel's future in-laws.  Hobo comes from a family of 6 kids and two wonderful parents.  They were in town for a wedding and we planned a family dinner while they were here to discuss wedding planning and just get to know them a little better.  They live in Minneapolis so while we don't get to see them much, Rachel and Hobo travel up there quite a bit.

We have made a few visits to Hoppin House and playground with friends.

We took one side of Eli's crib off to try out a 'big boy bed' and while it went really well, there were a few days that we opened his door from nap time and found him like this

His room was clean before nap time but he managed to take as much stuff out as possible.  This prompted us to put the rail back on temporarily. 

We went wedding dress shopping for Rachel, but I have to keep those pictures a secret a little longer!  As we were shopping for dresses I saw a dress on a mannequin that I thought was just perfect for Rachel, but she would not even give it a shot.  After some convincing she agreed to just try it.  Guess what? It was the dress, and she bought it that day!  I could not dream up a more perfect dress that fits her personality and the feel of her wedding.  The funny part is that this is exactly what happened when we went dress shopping for me...she saw a dress on a mannequin, I hated it, agreed to try it and it ended up  being by dress!

I am so excited for her upcoming wedding, and think she and Hobo are just perfect for each other.  

We have spent lots of time in pj's, baked a few batches of cookies to get ready for the holidays and attended our fair share of birthday parties.  

We just celebrated our last night of Hanukkah, and it may just be another month before that post comes.  I will say, that it was a lot of fun celebrating this year with Eli and watching him get so excited every night.  Hopefully, those pictures (the few that were taken) are going to come soon!

Thanksgiving 2011

Ethan came into town a week before Thanksgiving. I love when he is here, and Eli loves it just as much as I do.  We spent just about every single day leading up to Thanksgiving hanging out at my parents house with Ethan, and helping my parents get ready for Thursday.
When Eli saw Ethan for the first time last week, his face lit up like never before. He ran into his arms and just starred at him in disbelief like he could not believe Ethan was actually here. It was priceless.

Our Thanksgiving is pretty predictable: Turkey Fry in the morning, followed by an all day Turkey Extravaganza at my parents house with about 50 or our closest family members and friends followed by Polichinka Palooza Sunday morning.
I strategically put the boys down for their naps about an hour before we were expecting everyone in hopes that I could have some peace and quiet, and some time to actually visit with people and not be constantly chasing them around. Thankfully they both took 3 hour naps and allowed me and Blaine some time to ourselves.

Thanksgiving morning started out like any other at our house, except we had a visit from a Pilgrim and Indian at breakfast.

Shortly after, we headed to my parents house while the Turkeys were being fried, and the boys were playing poker.

With the help of my cousin Max, the boys played outside too (of course Eli has his mower!) before going down for naps.

And then the guests arrived....

Owen woke up first and enjoyed a little Thanksgiving lunch.

Everyone just kinda hung around all day. I would say it was one of my top-three Thanksgivings ever.  I wish I had been better about getting pictures, but between chasing Owen around and trying to visit with everyone, it just didn't happen.

We added another tradition this year that we celebrated Saturday night (in addition to our Sunday morning Polichinka Palooza).  My grandmothers birthday always falls around Thanksgiving, and one of my aunts and uncles live in Dallas and aren't usually here to celebrate her birthday  or Hanukkah with us. So we decided to start "Birthukah" (Birthday/Hanukkah) with a cake for her birthday, Hanukkah cookies, mandatory Hanukkah songs/singing and gift exchange.  It was great fun!
Here is my Aunt Carol trying to talk my grandmother into giving her some Hanukkah money.

Eli patiently waiting to sing Happy Birthday and help Grandma blow out the candles.

Sunday morning was our annual Polichinka Palooza, so everyone came over around 10am to eat some delicious Polichinkas, sausage, eggs, bagels and lox.

And after almost 3 years, Eli FINALLY found the best little cave for a kid to play. I used to play under here with our dog Charlie when I was younger and thought it was the coolest place ever.