Uncle Andrew's Visit

The week before Christmas we were able to have Andrew back in WI!!!!  It was pure excitement in our house for his arrival - all of us were looking forward to spending a few days with him around the holidays!!!

My parents brought Andrew to a basketball game one night, I knew about it but Abigail did not.  We didn't know how she would react since he hasn't seen him in a few months.  Well, she about lost it and screamed ANDREW and ran right up to him and gave him a big squeeze.  It was so great to see that!  I am not sure how much of the game Andrew got to watch, but Abigail kept him busy with a trip to the concession stand and then workbooks so that he could brush up on his math skills!!

I was able to bring Andrew along while I picked her up on day from school.  It was like he was a celebrity at that school - the teachers and even the night custodian knew who he was!   Abigail had been talking to EVERYONE about Andrew coming into town!   She was able to show him around the school and talk to him about her life as a kindergartner.

The rest of the week was semi-normal with school and work.  When the weekend came around - we had Andrew spend the night per Abigail's request.   She sure loves to play with her toys with him and keep him busy.

We celebrated Christmas with Andrew and my parents on Christmas Eve since he was flying back to Seattle on Christmas Day.  It was nice to have him around and fun to give him the creative gifts that we had for him.  Abigail was so attached to him the whole day - helping him unwrap presents and watching a movie with him.

It was sad to see him go since we won't see him until the summer when we go to Seattle.  The time spend with him was just wonderful and to have it happen around the holidays made the season even better than it already was!   To see Andrew and Abigail together laughing and playing is such a wonderful sight for this mom!!!

Here are some pictures that I was able to capture from that week.....Enjoy!

December

Another game of catch up here!

December was another jam-packed month for our little family!

Abigail was super excited this year to start the preparations for the holiday season.  Not sure if she thought that the sooner we got all the stuff done, the sooner Santa would arrive!  Regardless she was a blast to have around and a really big help!

She LOVED doing cookies again this year.  I left her decide on the colors and the decorating - it was a fun result!  Yes, my kitchen was a mess and the dogs had sugar and flour on them, but it was so much fun!

Early in the month, the city of Wausau holds their annual Holiday Parade.  The super nice thing is that the parade starts from Marathon Park which is super close to the house.  We met up with one of Abigail's classmates who lives very nearby and walked over together.  With the adults and 3 little girls - it was an adventure but fun.  My parents met up with us and we had another classmate and her mom join us.  Sure was fun to see the kids together and nice for the parents/moms to get together as well.  The girls really enjoyed the parade and were so fun to watch all their faces and reactions!

In the middle of the month, I was able to volunteer in Abigail's classroom while they building Gingerbread Houses!!! I was not sure what to expect since I am not a fan of frosting, but I was pleasantly surprised by how smooth it went.  Abigail has a wonderful class of kids - respectful and funny!  It was very neat to be able to spend time with her during the weekday and she was so proud that I came in to help her and her classmates.

Basketball continued during December - which is always fun.  We enjoy going and watching Matt/Dad and always nice to see my parents there too! 

Abigail's elementary school music program put on a holiday/Christmas concert and it was held at Wausau West High School.  She was so excited to dress up and perform.  We were excited to see her sing the dogs she had been practicing at our house for weeks.   She did NOT disappoint - she did great on stage and was so much fun to watch.   All of the kids in her school did great - it was a true delight to experience it.

Well - I think that sums up the majority of the month......now onto pictures!

Christmas 2017

As mentioned earlier, Andrew was home the week before Christmas so we celebrated with my parents on Christmas Eve. 

Matt's parents came up to our place on Christmas Eve for a few days - so we had even more fun!!! 

Abigail has been awaiting this day for a very long time so it was pure excitement in this house!

The morning came and once again Abigail surprised us and was very generous and willing to help all of is with gifts and thoroughly enjoyed each of her gifts!   This big hits were legos and studded toys....surprise!  

Below are pictures from our house and our weekend at Matt's parents (which we squeezedin earlier in the month).

January

January was a pretty low key month for us.  With the temps being frigid and sickness everywhere  (not us...thank goodness!), we stayed home most weekends and enjoyed our time together.

We managed to get out on snowshoes one day, Abigail received a pair for Christmas from my parents.   She did great and the dogs loved having is run around the yard!

My mom made Abigail a new night gown so bedtime has been more fun!

There was a snow day one day and we were able to have Abigail's friend from down the street spend the afternoon.  It was a fun afternoon of playing and snowman building!

Well until I post again....enjoy the pics!