First cereal and sitting up!

Livi sure is growing up fast.  She's been so interested in table food lately and practically steals it off my fork when I'm eating, so I figured it was time to try giving her some solids.  I tried feeding her some avocado on New Year's Eve, but she didn't seem to like it very much.  So, I tried some oatmeal cereal today and she loved it!

 More, Mommy!

She has also gotten so strong and is sitting up mostly by herself, with just a little support from the Boppy pillow.  I just can't believe my little Livi Lu is already doing such "big girl" things.  It seems like I just brought her home from the hospital!

Day at the Cabin

We spent today at the cabin, sledding and enjoying some of the beautiful winter landscape of the hunting land.  Nolan was a little apprehensive at first, but eventually enjoyed sledding down a few of the hills around the cabin.

He quickly figured out that pulling one's sled up the hill is a lot of work, and it was a lot more fun to just throw snowballs!

Mommy and Livi didn't last very long in the cold, but came out for a minute to check out the action.

I'm so lucky to have these two special guys in my life! :)

After Nolan's cheeks were good and rosy, we went in the cabin to warm up and have some lunch. Nolan and Grandpa Steve had a good time snuggling and taking some silly selfies.  

And of course, Roxy needed a few snuggles...

And it wouldn't be a trip to the cabin without a game of ping-pong in the basement!

Hello, 2016!

We had a quiet New Year's celebration this year.  Gpa Steve and Gma Patti came over in the evening for some appetizers and games.  Gpa Jim and Gma Marcia were supposed to come too, but Gma came down with a nasty case of pneumonia and they ended up staying in Eau Claire.  None of us made it til midnight, but we had a nice, relaxing time.  It was actually the 10 year anniversary of when Eric and I met! Time goes so fast!

Sweet little Livi is growing by leaps and bounds and got her first two bottom teeth over Christmas.  She's been so interested in trying table food, that I offered her some avocado on NYE - not sure what she thought of it.  We'll have to try it again soon!

Nolan is also growing like crazy, both in stature and in his vocabulary.  He is so very curious and talkative, and so incredibly loving to his little sister.  They spent New Year's morning snuggled in Livi's crib together, playing with all her stuffed animals, particularly her new Violet puppy, which Nolan is crazy for.  It makes me so happy to see what good friends they are for each other already.  

My goal for 2016 is to spend more time blogging our crazy daily adventures, so we can look back at these precious memories for years to come.  Happy New Year!

Danzinger Christmas

The day after Christmas was our special family celebration with the Danzingers.  Luke and Annalyse were home from California, and it was fun to spend some time together opening presents, visiting and catching up, and playing games.

Livi loves her new taggie!

Each year, we compete to be the first to find the pickle ornament hidden on the tree.  Things got pretty cut-throat this year and I bested Lucas to win an Amazon gift card.  Here's a picture of Nolan helping Uncle Luke look.

Later that day, Grandpa and Grandma D came to visit, to exchange presents, play cards and have lunch.  I think both Grandpa and Grandma have a special place in their hearts for Nolan and Livi and got a kick out of playing with them.  Grandma D remembered how much Nolan loved the vintage cash register at her house and got him one of his own for Christmas this year!

The kids really enjoyed some special time with their aunt and uncle and their grandparents.  We're grateful we got to make some good memories together during this Christmas season.  

A Very Kromer Christmas!

While in Eau Claire, we took the opportunity to take a few 4 generation pictures with Grandpa and Grandma D.  Mom and Dad got Stormy Kromers for everyone, as well as buffalo plaid shirts for the boys.

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Christmas morning was spent at our home and it was really special to celebrate with our two little ones this year.  Santa came and left presents under the tree for them and filled their stockings with lots of fun things.  Nolan's biggest wishes this year were "Inside Out", a cute Pixar movie, and "Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do you Hear?", a Eric Carle book with sound effects.  He received both of those things along with some legos, a custom made "Be Brave" wooden sign for his room, a few books, and some shirts.  Olivia got a talking Violet puppy from Santa, as well as an amber teething necklace, a couple Olivia books, a stuffed giraffe, and panda bear from Nolan.

 After opening presents we had our traditional Christmas morning breakfast of sausage, egg, and cheese crescent ring and finished it up with the singing of Happy Birthday to Jesus, and the eating of His birthday cake.

 After our food, we packed up our van and traveled to Durand to spend the rest of the holiday with my parents and the Weisenbecks.  That evening we traveled on to Eau Claire to spend a few days there while Luke and Annalyse were home from California.

Christmas Eve

Our Christmas Eve festivities began with Church at Trinity.  I had to play piano for the 4:30 service and got to sing a few duets for prelude.  Elsa, one of my piano students, even played Away in a Manger with me!

My little sweeties looked so nice for Christmas Church!

After church, our family heading to Aunt Debbie's house for the annual Christmas Eve gathering.  We celebrated with delicious food, some gifts for the kids, and the adult white elephant gift exchange.  Livi got a new pair of black dress shoes and a few onesies and Nolan got a cool animal alphabet puzzle and a turtle PlayDoh toy.  Eric was thrilled to end up with some Poo-pouri for the office and I got a scarf and a gift card for the Crimson Cafe.  All of Eric's aunts, uncles, and cousins were in attendance this year, so it was a big, fun, and noisy group.

 This Christmas Eve marked Grandma Ruby's 86th birthday!  We were finally able to get a picture of all of her great-grandchildren together.  Pictured L to R are Emma (Miller's stepsister), Miller holding Charlie, Emmett, Grandma holding Olivia, Mason, Nolan, and Jaxon.

And all the cousins were together for a picture as well! L to R - Scott, Jodi, Jamie, Amy, Eric, Ali, Tom, Claire, Derek, Paige, and Hayley

We feel so happy to be part of a family that enjoys spending time together during the Holidays and throughout the year.  Merry Christmas!