Family time

Thanksgiving blew past like a turkey running for his life. And now with the Christmas holiday rapidly approaching, I hope that we will spend more time focusing on showing our love ones how much they mean to us instead of trying to find monetary gifts to do so. I love spending time with family here in Rockford. And wish that my family were close enough for us to do so. Love is all we have--all we need. Don't take it for granted.

It's Fall, Y'All!

Only 5 days after the official first day of Fall, and Rockford has definitely abandoned summer without looking back. The leaves are already changing AND falling. The temperatures are already consistently in the 60s and 50s. And my vitamin D levels are at an all time low. Who wants to lend me their SAD lamp?

Liam is getting bigger by the minute. He has already grown since his three year well check in July! He is 40.25 inches tall and 38.6 pounds heavy! He is a funny little character too. Patrick and I have so much fun entertaining and being entertained by him! Liam is still very much into his dinosaurs, but lately he has really gone back to his true roots of loving farm animals. All day long, if you had our house bugged, you would think we had horses, cows, roosters, and goats for pets.

The sad news that we have just experienced is the loss of our sweet Sammy girl. She was a part of mine and Patrick's lives 6 months after we started dating. So from 1997 to 2011, Sammy lived a long,happy life. She tolerated the addition of a Rottweiler and a child to our family. She endured many moves from state to state--too many to list, really. She will be greatly missed by us and those of you who knew her. Say Hi to Bo for us, old girl. Have fun chasing squirrels with your new legs!

The Beach

This summer Liam and I spent a lot of time at the beach in Naples, Florida. We were there visiting my friend Kate, from Atlanta. We had a great time, and Liam LOVED being on the beach and going out on the boat. Uncle Tommy was a great captain! We had a blast.

Spring

Is it Spring?! Because I had to turn on the heat in our house last night! Brrrrrr!

It is definitely Spring training, though, because we have only seen glimpses of Dada... Go RiverHawks!

We had a great time when Cara visited from Canada! Liam and I took her to the beautiful Anderson Japanese Gardens here in Rockford. I took lots of pretty photos, but for some reason I'm having trouble uploading them to the blog. Another try another day!

Happy Spring, Y'all!

Dancing Machine

blah blah blah :-)

My blogging skills are less than good. I don't know if I slack because I have a hundred other things to do OR if I think the world really doesn't care about the petty details of our normal little life. Anyway.....

For the first time in FOREVER, I am not a baseball player's wife this baseball season. Patrick's plans to play another season with the Rockford RiverHawks were halted when the team moved to another league in which the age limit is 28. So he will now be the hitting coach for the team this season. We will see where God leads us from here, and we are happy for this opportunity.

Liam is getting bigger and bigger and funnier and funnier. His favorite show is Team Umizoomi, a math-based show on Nickelodeon. He still loves dinosaurs, and has a great ROAR! He loves to go for walks outside and loves swinging at the park. We took him to his first movie, Hop. He did great!

I am very excited about an upcoming visit the first week of May from my dear friend Cara. She is coming all the way from Victoria, BC Canada!!! The last time Cara visited me, we were living in Marietta and I was pregnant with Liam. The week after she left, Liam was born. This will be Liam's first time meeting Cara!

I wish Spring would spring already!!

Today the sun was shining. Even though it was only 30 degrees, we just HAD to get out and enjoy the spring-like sky. I put about three layers of clothing on Liam and we headed out into the neighborhood. Here is a photo and a video from our walk.

I CANNOT WAIT FOR SPRING!!!!!!

Liam, 2 and a half.

2011 Blizzard

Well we survived!!!! I didn't even take any pictures. To be honest, it wasn't as scary as I had anticipated. Poor Patrick might not agree--after all the shoveling and snow-blowing he froze doing. And Liam, poor kid, didn't even get to go out and play in the fresh snow. Shhhhh...he doesn't know any different. He's just looking forward to warmer pool weather!!!!!

Happy New Year!

It's 2011, and we are happy in our home! After lots of hard work and moving around, we are finally settled and rooted here in Rockford. We are surrounded by loving family here, although far away from other family and friends. We are enduring the cold and snow, anxiously awaiting the beautiful Spring and mild Summer. Sammy is enjoying making snow doggy angels and having her own backyard. Liam is loving having his own room and running all through his new house. Patrick worked so hard to make this house perfect. And I couldn't be happier.

We enjoyed our first merry Christmas in our home. And over New Year's Eve we welcomed a new sister into our family. (No, not a sister-wife, unfortunately.) Patrick's younger brother, Dan, married his love, Melissa. The wedding was beautiful. What a great way to ring in the New Year! Liam had a blast dancing the night away. We got to visit with aunts, uncles, and cousins from LaCrosse. We enjoyed hosting Ed, Lauren, Baby Eamonn and Loki dog. I'm looking forward to hosting lots of guests in the future!