Mall Buddies

Adam and I have been having a ton of fun with some friends around here. I met Bethany and Becky at church, and we all had our babies within a few weeks of each other - a circumstance that has created a great bond between us. We've been hooking up on Fridays to let our little ones play while we enjoy some mama time. During the winter, we have to get a little creative to find places to walk since it's pretty yucky outside. This past Friday, we hit up the mall. It was great fun, and we met up with our new friend, Melissa and her daughter Rachel - also born around the same time.

Becky, Bethany, Me, and the babies.

This photo was taken before Melissa and Rachel arrived. We'll have to get another group shot soon.

These babies are ready to roll! Left to Right are Josiah (Brenden is in the back seat - Becky babysits him a couple days a week), Eliana, and Adam. Look at Eliana trying to hold Josiah's hand!

The highlight for these guys was when we took them into the pet shop to see all the puppies. Adam loved it!

One small step for Adam...

We were beginning to think that Adam would be a quadruped for the rest of his life, but he has finally decided to walk! He's pretty proud of himself, and so are we. These aren't actually his first steps, but you get the idea. He's not quite professional yet...

Our Trip to NOVA

Phil found some amazing airfare and hotel deals, so we spontaneously decided to take a family trip to our future homeland in Northern Virginia (affectionately called NOVA). We wanted to check out some houses and see our friends, Chris and Anna Tomlinson, who just moved there from California. We are SO blessed to have them there! It feels so good to already have wonderful friends in a new place.

It was so fun to watch Adam get to know CT and AT - he loves them! They watched Adam while we house hunted, which was a huge gift. We totally couldn't have done it without them and Adam had a great time.

CT and Adam having a heart to heart.

Adam got to meet the T's dog Bear. Pretty exciting stuff.

CT's book Crave: Wanting So Much More of God was just released on January 1. I was so excited to get my signed copy! How crazy is it that the guy pictured on the back of the book is the SAME GUY I'm standing next to??? You can visit CT's blog HERE. He is great with the words.

CT's parents, brother, and sister-in-law also live in NOVA and welcomed us into their home for dinner on Saturday night. We had great fun getting to know all of them.

CT was entertaining Adam, but I think he was pretty proud of his creation.

We made pizzas - YUM!

What could provoke such joy?

Papa T, of course! Adam got just a *little* bit of love and attention from the Tomlinsons - so fun!

We had a great trip. We saw a bunch of houses, and have a few possibilities. We'll keep you posted as our housing situation unfolds. Please pray for wisdom and guidance as we make these important decisions!

Where Do I Fit?

Sweet. I definitely fit in here.

(PS, he's been sticking the mega blocks in his mouth like that lately. Weirdo.)

Yep, I fit in here real nice, too.

Shooters, I don't quite fit in here...

or in here - bummer.

But, I do fit in here. It's a great place to read my books.

Yep, plenty of room in here.

Glad we have that all figured out.

Toys

Adam got a new storage unit for his toys. Isn't all this organization beautiful! Mom is a big fan.

The ball popper is a favorite around here.

We've also had lots of rides in the block wagon.

Getting the Band Back Together

Ok, sorry to disappoint, but it's not an actual band. We did, however, get to visit with some dear friends that we don't get to see nearly as often as we would like. I think this is officially the last "Minnesota" post, so it'll be back to blogging in real time after this.

Adam and Hunter got some playtime in and had a great time. They are getting to be such little boys - not babies anymore. I wish I would have gotten a picture of them when they were ACTUALLY trying to start a band. Phil walked in to Hunter's room and found that the boys had dragged out some of Hunter's musical toys and were making some pretty nice tunes with Hunter on the tambourine and Adam on the maracas.

We had brunch with friends from St. Olaf. I had to get a picture of Adam in his Vikings jersey with Jeff - perhaps the biggest Packer fan I know.

Adam with the Ole Ladies! It's so awesome when we are all able to be together - doesn't happen too often anymore.

Even more rare - the whole group! We were missing Laura's hubby, though. I am so blessed by these friends. FYI, Phil is the only non-Ole in this photo...it's amazing we married, huh? I think he does well keeping us grounded in real life. Otherwise we might float off on a cloud of Um Ya Ya.

Christmas #3: Christmas in Burnsville

After some time in Albert Lea, we headed up to Burnsville to visit with Grandpa and Grandma Leibrock, Aunt Grace, Unco Matty, and Aunt Jessie. Adam enjoyed digging through Grandma's tupperware drawer, trying to play with Birdie (the yellow lab who LOVES Adam, but gets a little too excited to safely play), exploring new toys, laughing a lot with his aunts and uncle, and attending the church where Mama and Daddy got married. He had a great time in the nursery while we enjoyed service, and even "made" a paper angel on Christmas Eve (with quite a bit of help by the nursery volunteer).

Here is Grandpa and Grandma's Christmas tree with lots of presents from Santa.

In case you hadn't heard, my parents recently purchased a cabin up on Lake of the Woods, Canada (they close on Thursday, Jan. 14!) This has been my dad's dream for years. So, Phil and I knew exactly what to get him for Christmas - Crap for the Cabin! He was so happy with his basket of games and edible treats to enjoy up north.

Another great gift: Matty got a framed photo of Favre, in purple, beating the Packers. Beautiful.

Adam LOVED the rings he got from Grandpa!

He carries them around with him everywhere now. I attach them to his stroller when we go out.

This is just too funny.

Adam had so much fun playing with Grandma Ann! What a great ride!

We had our Christmas Day dinner at Aunt Bethy and Unco Bob's house. So wonderful! This year, an added bit of fun. Each person had a cracker at their place to pop open after eating. Each one had a lame joke, a prize, and a paper crown. The rule was - you HAVE to put on your crown after you open your cracker! Here are some cousins proudly sporting their crowns.

On our way home from MN, we stopped to let Adam play at a McDonald's play yard. I was, of course, freaking out about the germs, but he seriously needed some time to get his wiggles out! He had so much fun crawling around with Daddy and even met some new friends.

What a lucky boy - THREE Christmases!!!

Let it snow...and snow...and snow...

There was already a considerable amount of snow when we arrived in MN for Christmas, and the snow kept falling while we were there, making for a true Minnesota experience. I was so excited to play with Adam in the snow for the first time! What an adventure.

Here I am with my marshmellow man all ready for some fun! Yes, those are bags on his feet. I hadn't gotten him boots yet (we had no snow in OH at the time), so we improvised.

At first, he wasn't the biggest fan.

Not his favorite day ever...

He didn't seem to mind it too much, though, if I sat next to him. I showed him how to draw in the snow with a stick.

Once I made a little path for him, he was all about crawling around. He also thought it was cool when we would throw snow up in the air.

He even let Grandma Peg pull him around in the sled a little bit.

He was loving it.

The fam in our native land.

Christmas #2: Christmas in Albert Lea

On December 18th, we left Ohio and were Minnesota bound. Adam did so well (thanks to his friend, Elmo) and we made it in one day. Our first stop was Phil's parents' house in Albert Lea. Unfortunately, because of the weather, we weren't able to spend as much time there as we would have liked. I was so glad we went to MN earlier this year, so we were still able to get a few solid days in. Adam had a great time playing with Abby (the dog), exploring new toys, playing outside in the snow for the first time (see post coming soon), climbing the stairs, and having fun with his grandparents, Uncle Matt, and Aunt Tricia.

The Christmas tree. I love that, because of the nice high ceilings in the dining/living room, Peg and Casey can always have a beautiful tall tree. Notice the little rocket that Adam got from his grandma and grandpa - way awesome!

Adam also got some new books.

This was a hoot! The stairs lead to a little loft area overlooking the dining room. Adam thought this was awesome and loved climbing the stairs and looking down. He and Uncle Matt came up with a new game. Adam and Aunt Tricia wait at the top...

and Uncle Matt jumps up to touch his hand with Adam laughing hysterically. Nice ups, Uncle Matt!

Mama enjoyed herself as well. Had some great "mama time" in the jacuzzi tub, and Peg taught me how to make her focaccia bread. This is seriously the best bread ever. Here they are before rising and going in the oven.

All done and ready to enjoy! Yum!

Thanks for a great time, Grandpa and Grandma!

Christmas #1: Christmas at Home

We always go back to Minnesota for Christmas to be with our family, but we also want Adam to have Christmas in his own house. He really enjoyed the Christmas tree (and didn't even wreck it!) and loved looking at the nativity scene.

On Thursday morning, before we left for MN, Adam came downstairs to discover that Santa had visited his house early! (Notice the absence of ornaments at the bottom of the tree. Yes, we have a cat and a baby.)

Adam was pretty excited to look in his stocking.

His favorite thing out of his stocking was the Mr. Bubble bubble bath. He seemed to love the bottle all by itself, but also enjoyed some bubbles in his bath that night.

Santa brought Daddy a puzzle of Minneapolis.

But, let's be honest - this is mostly about Adam. He got some more animals for his Little People Farm - two dairy cows and a milk lady (I call her Mrs. Farmer).

Getting a little help from Dad.

Peek-a-boo Elmo! He loved it!

Checking out his magnetic toy for the refrigerator. Now he'll have something to keep him busy while Mama cooks!

Pooser also got a new toy in her stocking - a little mouse on a string. Adam has learned that the way to play with Pooser is to dangle things in front of her face. He laughs and laughs when Pooser bats at it. So funny to watch!

Minnesota Christmases coming soon!