Playing Cars with Daddy

Evan always has the best time playing with Daddy! Such an infectious little giggle!!

Evan's First Big Snow Storm

On Sunday after Christmas, we had originally planned to stay in RI for the day and watch the Patriots game with everyone. However, Mother Nature had a different plan for us. There was a big snow storm coming and so we either needed to leave early on Sunday or plan on staying until Tuesday. While it would have been fun to be snowed in at Papa and Gramma's, we decided to leave on Sunday. This turned out to be a good thing seeing as we all came down with a nasty stomach bug on Monday. Bruce had it the worst but fortunately Evan didn't have it very bad. We were down and out for about 48 hours and were mostly recovered by Wednesday. The storm ended up being less than anticipated as we only got about seven or eight inches. Wednesday, when we were all feeling better, we took Evan out to "play" in the snow for the first time. While he didn't hate it, I don't think he really knew what to think of it. He made a little snow angel and had a ride on a "sled" (really a trash can lid and jumper cables). I think we should work on upgrading our "sled" before the next storm!

My First Christmas!

Whew! What a busy day! Busy but so much fun!! After staying up so late, Evan slept in pretty late as well. He first started stirring a little after nine and Bruce and I were anxious to start our first Christmas as a family. When we went into his room to get him, he was all smiles...as he is almost every morning. We had some breakfast and then began opening gifts. Evan was just about as excited about the wrapping paper and bows as he was about his gifts.

After getting ready and packed up, we headed to RI to have dinner at Uncle Dan and Aunt Karin's new house. They put on a wonderful meal and Evan enjoyed the ham and twice baked potatoes. After dinner, it was time for a nap for the little boys. While Evan and Sean napped, we opened gifts. Danny was excited about all of his toys and could hardly wait until it was his turn to open another gift. Just as I began to open Evan's gifts, he woke up. I guess he didn't want to miss it! He must have been a very good boy this year because EVERYONE spoiled him...probably more than we did!

Christmas night, after video conferencing with Omi and Grandpa Bob, we went to Uncle Glenn and Aunt Chris's for the annual Dowding dessert and yankee swap. Even after such a long day, Evan was great! He spent quite a bit of time with Bumpa and shared lots of smiles and giggles with everyone. We spent Christmas night at Gramma and Papa's house so that we didn't have to drive as far. Once again, when we got home, Evan got a second wind and was not quite ready for bed. He spent some time sitting on Papa and Gramma's big bed being awfully silly!

What a wonderful first Christmas! Evan sure is a lucky little boy! And we are a blessed mommy and daddy!

Waiting for Santa

Christmas is always a special time of year for us because we spend the holidays with wonderful family members that we do not see as often as we would like. This year it is extra special with our first first-hand Santa experience. We spent Christmas Eve with the Kavanagh's and had an amazing feast at Aunt Linda and Uncle Louie's. As always, the food and the company were great! One of Santa's helpers made a special appearance and had gifts for all of the great-grandkids. Some of the kids (especially Jackson) were very excited about Santa, others (especially Evan) were a bit scared. We decided to drive home so that we could wake up Christmas morning at home. We arrived home a little after 10 and Evan was so excited that Santa was coming in just a few hours that he didn't want to go to sleep. We enjoyed almost an hour of his smiles and laughter before putting him to bed around 11! I am sure Evan's Christmas Eve excitement will continue to grow in years to come!

We Need A Little Christmas!

A week or so ago we received a musical Christmas ornament in the mail from Omi and Grandpa Bob. Ever since it arrived, every time we play it Evan gets excited and dances. It is just too cute! Thanks, Omi and Grandpa! Enjoy the videos!

Happy Holidays!

This year the holiday season has been so much fun! We have been enjoying sharing our traditions with Evan and watching his expression as he is exposed to the spirit of Christmas. We have been decorating, wrapping, baking 20+ dozen cookies (check out the three videos of Evan "helping" with the sprinkles), singing, watching the snow fall...and doing it all as a family! It has truly been wonderful! The next few days are sure to be busy and a bit crazy but also so much fun as we share in the celebration of Evan's first Christmas! Happy Holidays to all!



In addition to enjoying the holidays, Evan has been growing, growing, growing! I put him on the scale today and he weighed-in at 22 pounds! He has outgrown all of his 6 month clothes and is wearing mostly 9 months with some 12 months too! What a big boy! Evan continues to eat really well and has added yogurt, cheese, steak, ham, and oatmeal to the list of items he enjoys. Evan doesn't seem all that interested in crawling but he has moved onto one knee while reaching for something he is interested in. I am sure it won't be long before he puts it all together! His bottom teeth grow bigger and bigger and are being joined by the top two which started coming in on the 11th. Evan is currently getting over his third cold and we are hopeful that he will be feeling back to his usual self by Christmas!

Seven Months Old and Christmas Photo Shoot

What is the perfect way to celebrate Evan's 7 month birthday? Why, a Christmas photo shoot of course!! We knew we wanted to take some pictures for our Christmas cards this year and today was the perfect chance to do so. I think we may have gone a little over board though...we took 162 pictures...just today! Evan is moving and squirming around so much now though that some are blurry. Looks like we will have plenty (probably too many) to choose from for our cards!

Visiting the O’Shea’s

After a relatively low-key week where Evan and I were sick and Bruce was in Florida at a conference, we had a very busy weekend! Papa and Gramma picked Bruce up at the airport when he returned on Friday and brought him back home. It was very convenient seeing that they were going to be coming to Millbury that night to baby-sit for Evan anyway while Bruce and I attended his company holiday party. We had a great time, so good in fact that we ended up getting home much later than expected. Sorry, Papa and Gramma!
Saturday morning, we packed up the car and headed to Haddonfield, NJ to visit the O’Shea’s. They moved back from Mexico in July and this was the first chance we had to see them. While it was a bit of a long way to go, for what ended up being a relatively short visit, it was great to see them. Their kids are getting so big! Can’t believe the twins are six and Quinn is almost four! Time flies!

In Other News…

…I won’t be going back to school this year. We have decided that I will be taking the entire 2010-2011 school-year off and spending the time at home with Evan. I have loved our time together so much and everyday gets better. Instead of 80+ high school students, I will be spending my days with our sweet little guy! What is better than that? Nothing!!