Snow!

Well, we woke up on December 1st to a winter wonderland. It puts me in a Christmassy mood!


Of course, Owen and I had to go out and play. I got him all bundled up. It took about 20 min! He kind of looks like the marshmallow man, don't you think?! He loved to play with the snow and touch it! He loved looking at his footprints.


He loved picking rocks and throwing them into the snow.

He loved making snowballs!

I know this is a silly picture, but I couldn't resist putting him in the planter outside our building. He thought it was really funny!

The shopping is almost done. If only I could get Mike to bring up all of those boxes of decorations...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, we've had a rough couple of weeks. More than once, the thought of skipping Thanksgiving entered my mind. I'm glad we decided not too!

Owen, Mike and I did some cooking. Mike made marshmallow salad, a recipe of his great-great grandma. I made sweet potato fluff and pumpkin upside-down cake. Owen is very interested in cooking and the kitchen. He was a great sous chef!

Thursday we went my Aunt Phyllis and Uncle Frank's for Thanksgiving dinner. It was so nice to get out of the house and be with family.


This was our 5th consecutive Thanksgiving with the Lakofka's and we had a delicious dinner and a great time as always! Thanksgiving is such a great time to remember how many thing we have to be thankful for in our lives. I am so thankful for my wonderful husband and son, our dog, and of course, our friends and family. We have been truly blessed.


The feast...

I couldn't resist an action shot!


Owen enjoyed his first "real" Thanksgiving dinner. Last year he ate baby food turkey and sweet potatoes!

Family fun...

Saturday, we got up and went to the children's museum.

We haven't been for awhile, so Owen had a great time re-discovering all of the fun things there are to do there.

They are having a special train exhibit right now and Owen is very into trains, so he had a great time!

Sunday, we went to church and left Owen in the nursery. I know, exciting morning! It was so pleasant to be awake and alert for Mass and not have to spend it chasing after Owen. After Mass, we went to brunch at the Dixie Kitchen. It was delicious. We also got some new, easier to put on mittens for Owen.

Mike and I didn't get a date night, but we did watch some great 80's movies on instant Netflix. Again, I know it might not sound like too exciting of a weekend to most people, but we had a great time just being together and awake!

Certified lactation specialist

The first week of Nov (I realize it's been a couple of weeks now!) I went to a 50 hour lactation conference with my friend Vicky from work. It was in Schaumburg. It was jam packed with important info. I swear, the first 3 days, all they did was lecture from 8-5:30 with 2 15 min breaks and an hour for lunch. It was good but very intense. More than once, I felt like we might not make it through the week! I'm really happy I went, though. There was a test at the end, which I passed!!! Now, I am a certified lactation specialist. That certification really means nothing, but I did learn a lot and I have fulfilled the education requirement to sit for the lactation consultant exam in July. Hopefully I can keep studying between now and then. Thanks to my mom for coming to watch Owen!

Silliness!

Lola sleeping on her back...

The cow says...

Check out my "hair gel" (it's mac 'n cheese and applesauce. Gross! Never leave your child unattended in their high chair, even if it's only for 20 seconds and your really have to go!)

On this particular morning, Owen wore a washcloth like a hat for 20 min

Boy in a basket

I got myself up here, but I don't like it very well!

Showing off his snazzy new outfit

Goodnight!

Baby it's cold outside...

You should see what he usually wears to mow...

Owen at the park on a particularly cold Saturday, trying out the new snow boots. Is it just me, or does he look so old?!

Lookin' sharp in his pea coat. Please don't mind the drool!

Happy Halloween!

We got home from FL the night before Halloween. Thank goodness, because there was lots of Halloween celebrating to be done! In the morning, we went to a party with my work friends. Owen had lots of fun playing with the other kids (and all of their fun toys!)



The group picture didn't turn out quite as well as when these guys were babies. It was a little easier to keep them all in one place back then! I think they have more fun now, though!

After Mike got home from work, we met our neighbors for a little Trick-or-Treating. The boys had a blast! Owen didn't really care about the candy, but he loved trick-or-treating. He lasted a lot longer than I would have guessed, too! All in all, it was a very fun Halloween!