Christmas Tree Time

Liza had lots of fun going to get a Christmas tree this year.  We went a place called Poweshiek Pines in Brooklyn, IA and everyone was there was nice and friendly.  They showed up the ropes and off we went to cut down our tree.  Poweshiek Pines has toboggans for use so you can pull your Christmas tree back to the parking lot.  Fortunately for us, but not so much for Liza, there wasn't much snow on the ground.  She did enjoy her toboggan ride across the grass. 

Bair thought we should see about getting a second tree since this one seemed to be the perfect height for Liza!  It seems to me it is a new baby tree that is just starting to grow; for a few minutes Bair was contemplating asking if they'd sell it to us!

We finally found the perfect tree for us and Liza was so happy she jumped up and down...well the best she could all bundled up in her new snowsuit and coat.  She had trouble sitting upright on the tobaggan ride because there was so much stiff bulky clothing!

While Daddy was getting the tree situated on top of the car we went to feed the "reindeer."  Liza enjoyed seeing all the animals and was brave enough to help me feed apples to this one.  She was waving to him and talking up a storm.

The tree is now up and looking great (thanks to the fabulous light decorating skills of Bair) and Liza's perfect placement of each ornament. 

In this photo I think she's admiring all her hard work.  Don't worry Daddy, we put the Radko's out of her reach (mostly)!  She is mostly enamored with the baby bottle ornament that we put far back in the tree and the big Radko ones with the gorgeous colors. 

It's December!

It's so hard for me to believe it's December because we haven't had any snow yet and that's unusual for our area.  I guess I better get in gear and start thinking straight because Christmas will be here before I know it and I've got presents to think about. 

Here are a few pictures of Liza from this morning.  We were goofing off before heading to Rita's.  As I was leaving Rita's I heard one of the little girls come over to Liza and say Rita, Liza looks absolutely beautiful today!  I know it's because she has a dress on - I had to put her in it before it was too small.   

Thanksgiving and Happy Birthday Mother!

Big Thanksgiving week for our family and we had such a nice time! We went to my sister's house in Madison. Or as Liza calls her with affection, Auntie Em. My Mother and Daddy did all the hard work grocery shopping and cooking Thanksgiving dinner. It was quite an adventure for Mom to put out a wonderful meal when she couldn't find a whisk or sharp knives. I think there are more boxes Auntie Em needs to unpack!

My Daddy does a great job preparing for an occasion and we were so pleased with how beautiful the table turned out. You might notice Liza's pink spoon at her place setting, that's because Dad thinks of everything!


The turkey was ready and smelled wonderful - the trick was how to cut it without many carving options. Once we figured out a system all things went smoothly! You can see Mom's gravy and green beans still on the stove. The green beans were very good!


The day after Thanksgiving was our 10 year wedding anniversary and we celebrated with a little bit of shopping! I went to Toys R Us for the midnight opening on Thanksgiving night and drove by Best Buy on my way home to see what it was like. The picture below is from my camera phone but it shows tents and how the campers were using shopping carts to block the sidewalks so people could not try and cut into their space. I wish I had a real camera for better pics!

Bair, I love you and am so happy to have been married to you for 10 years. As much as I love you, I don't think I'd ever camp out like this! I hope there is never anything you want this badly!


Later on Friday we took Liza to Toys R Us and had a lot of fun watching her recognize so many things we saw in the store. In a fast moving cart she can spot Dora from quite a distance. I think this might be our last year of being able to take her with us and buy gifts on the sly. She never once questioned why we had a big box in the cart with her!

After our anniversary comes my Mother's birthday! Happy Birthday Mom and thanks for all the wonderful things you do for us...like bringing this gingerbread house for Auntie Em and Liza to make together. You'd never know it but this project started shortly after waking at 6:30 am on Saturday morning.


Liza had a wonderful time with her Auntie Em and we loved watching them together! I think Auntie Em was hoping for straight lines and perfect candy placement but that just isn't Liza's style...yet...Rita reports Liza might be Type A already since she knows who coat is whose and who is playing with which doll!


Admiring all their hard work - way to go - Liza and Auntie Em!

Playing around

Liza was hamming it up for the camera on our way out the door one morning!


Entertaining herself playing with Mommy's sunglasses as she looks for Moo Cows out the car windows.

Happy Birthday!

Today is Grandmother Bair's birthday. Here are a few funny Liza videos that we hope make her laugh. Happy Birthday!

The old stand-by using the airplane for getting Liza to eat her peaches.



Liza loves the Doggie book by Sandra Boynton because her Daddy makes great dog noises. In this clip Liza is reading it all by herself and doing her best to make the same noises.



The quality of this video is poor because it's dark. I was trying to grab the camera quickly enough to capture an impromptu before bed moment.

Fun in COSTCO

When we got to COSTCO Saturday afternoon I couldn't figure out why Liza kept trying to stretch out in the cart. Then the light bulb went off - oh yeah - it's nap time! We had to go back to the car for her diaper bag and while on that trip Bair found a few blankets to make her more comfortable!


Don't for a single minute think she actually slept! She just had lots of fun playing around. I think the tzatziki and gogurt were getting in her way.

Our of my friend's who has a little boy Liza's age made this cute hat so we had to show it off this morning on our way to Rita's. Thanks Becky!

Feeling Better

After several high temperature days without much food or drink I think it's safe to say our little one is feeling much better. Thanks for the calls, emails and comments on Facebook!