Merry Christmas! (November & December updates)

We've had a busy November and December. It started with a birthday party for Theo's friend Tyler who turned 3. The next weekend we traveled to Minnesota so Jay could go on his annual deer hunting trip with his family and I could attend Debbie's baby shower for her twins. Theo and I had a great time staying with Jeanne, Casey, Darby, and Ainsley. We attended a talent show at Darby's school, went to the Minnesota Children's Museum with Theo's cousins, aunts, and Grandma Nancy, played at the Eden Prairie Mall, and attended Kailey's show choir concert. It was a really fun weekend! Two weeks later, our Minnesota relatives (minus Alex) traveled to Racine for Thanksgiving. It was another fun-filled weekend with lots of playtime and food. Theo had a great time having his cousins visit his house and "talked" about it long after they left. Once December started, our calendar has been packed with Christmas parties, starting with the Johnson Controls Family party in downtown Milwaukee. It was a really nice party, complete with a buffet meal, crafts, and a visit from Santa. The following weekend, we enjoyed some adult time at the Johnson Controls Holiday Party (also in downtown Milwaukee) and then a party with our Modine friends. Last weekend I got to have two Moms' Nights Out and another Childrens' Party with 3 different Moms groups.

Theo's big news this month is that he started sleeping in a toddler bed on December 11th. He really likes his new room and seems to have pretty much forgotten his old room and crib. He likes his bed, but often falls asleep on the bean bag chair next to it. His vocabulary has blossomed the past 2 months... he says over 75 words unprompted, but will pretty much try to say anything we ask him to now. He talks about the baby and likes to put his stuffed animals and books on my belly for the baby, but I don't think he really understands what's coming! He also started showing interest in the potty, so we got him a potty seat which he has used a few times, but I expect it will be a long time before he's really potty trained. I doubt I'll have the discipline to it once the baby comes!

That's all for now! Merry Christmas! We're not sending out cards again this year and will instead send out baby announcements in February!

October

You may notice a theme to our October photos - sports, pumpkins, and fall fun! We have had a busy and very fun month! The highlight of today was Theo saying his own name for the first time! He sure has changed a lot in the past month. Happy Halloween!

End of August & most of September

Summer's not over yet! We've been enjoying the last few weeks of warm weather with celebrating Jay's birthday, Taste of Racine, a visit to Minneapolis for cousin Hank's 1st birthday, and our very own Brew Fest!

August

We've had some great weather in August, so we've been making the most of it. The first album is just random photos.

The second album is from our trip to Door County. We stayed with my Uncle Jim in Sturgeon Bay. We spent the first day biking, beaching, and hiking at Peninsula State Park. On the second day, Uncle Jim took us on a tour of some of the places he used to live in the lower part of the peninsula, and we also took another bike ride to a beach park near his house. We spent the third day exploring the rest of the peninsula. It was a fun weekend - and we got to try out our new bike and bike rack!

June & July

We've had a busy summer so far. Since Jay's graduation, we spent almost a week in Minnesota attending a family reunion and visiting friends. We also enjoyed our first 4th of July in Racine, including the parade and fireworks, as well as Jay's first visit to Summerfest, but sadly took no pictures of any of those events! The rest of the month has been spent working on the boat Jay acquired from his grandpa, hanging out at the beach, celebrating my Dad's 70th birthday, getting together with various groups of friends, and finally enjoying the boat last weekend in Lake Geneva! I hope this nice weather lasts well into the fall! Theo turned 18 months on July 22nd and has been babbling a lot and generally enjoying life. He really likes to read books, help out around the house, play in the sand and water, go for stroller rides, and then he loves to hear a re-cap of everything he did throughout the day. Lots of fun!

Jay's graduation

Congratulations to Jay for receiving his Master's Degree in Product Design and Development from Northwestern University yesterday! Click below for some photos from the big event...


Also, on Wednesday of this week, Jay's dad, grandpa, and brother were in town for the annual Case fishing charter. It was a rainy afternoon, but Theo and I got to see them for a few minutes between fishing and dinner. Here are two photos:

Fun in the Sun

Finally we've had some weather nice enough to be outside! Here are some of the fun things we've been doing!

April & May

Wow - April and May are over already? In the past two months, Theo learned to walk! Hooray! Just when I thought he might never do it, he finally decided it is pretty fun. His first steps were on Easter (April 24th) and I would say that real walking began on about May 15th. Now he is a pro! What a difference a month makes.

Other photos in this batch include Easter in Schaumburg, celebrating Kailey's First Communion in Minnesota, as well as a few walking videos.

Theo's 1st haircut!

Theo had his first haircut today! Click to see more photos as well as a couple videos from some other cute things he did today.


Also, I added more pictures from our trip to Great Wolf Lodge in this album.

Florida Keys

We just returned from an awesome week in the Florida Keys. The weather was perfect and we all had a chance to truly relax. We stayed in Key Largo - my parents stayed with my uncle and we stayed right next door with his neighbors. It was a great set up for our first real vacation with Theo. Highlights included: a day at Bahia Honda State Park, parasailing, a boat ride in the ocean, Everglades National Park, an adventurous fishing expedition for Jay and Uncle Jim, an afternoon at Pennekamp State Park, another boat ride and snorkeling on Uncle Jim's boat, and some delicious seafood meals. Can't wait to go back!

Two more videos

Update: I took some videos this afternoon of Theo "walking" and sliding. Enjoy!

13 months old

So I've become a lot less consistent with photos since Theo turned 1. But here are a few pictures and videos from the past month. Most of Theo's latest tricks are documented. The only thing we haven't gotten a video of is of him "walking." We have one ride on toy that Theo will push with his legs. Then last night (for the first time), we got him to walk behind a push toy. It was very fun to watch. I'm sure he will be walking and running on his own before too long! We also haven't gotten a video of him on his slide yet. He loves the climber and slide he got for his birthday- thanks, Gramma Nancy & Grampa Jerry!

Theo's 1st Birthday

Theo celebrated his first birthday on January 22nd! We had a 2 day celebration with a party on the 23rd celebrating Theo's, Scott's, and my mom's birthdays.

Theo's latest development since turning 1 is nodding "yes" and shaking his head "no". Along with the few signs he knows, communicating with him has suddenly become much easier since he consistently answers questions. All those months where I felt like I was talking to myself have finally paid off! He certainly seems more like a toddler and less like a baby every day. Before we know it, he'll be walking and talking!

Christmas, part 2, and early January

Here are the latest photos from our second Christmas celebration with my family and from early January. Coming soon - Theo's 1st birthday!