Thursday, December 27, 2012

Packer game in December with no coats...

...Only because we were lucky enough to be watching the game from the Sargento luxury box!
Uncle Mark did an awesome presentation on the field before the game on behalf of Sargento for a donation to Hunger Task Force so the Rhyan's were down on the field before the game too!
We had a great time, lots of delicious food and great company and of course a Packer win too!
James enjoyed his first packer game too. He was very good and even got a certificate from the Packers celebrating his first trip to Lambeau! He also got to hold a Super Bowl ring!
Patrick and James kept everyone entertained doing their "discount double check" dance. Hilarious!

Snowmobiling up north

After the wonderful blizzard last week, we were able to start the holidays with a night at the cottage and some beautiful snowmobiling! Dad, Patrick and I took the sleds and Mom and James met us as a local establishment!

I found this flyer in the bathroom... If you are free January 19th, the Hideaway just outside of Mt. Morris has an interesting activity :)



Friday, December 14, 2012

Community Immunity!

 This fall our wonderful neighbor John came over to take some photos of James. Shortly after doing this, he asked if he could use James for an ad campaign. We agreed. I assumed he would use one of the photos he already took --- but that was not the case.
Not only did we need a different picture - but they wanted me to be in it as well (yikes!)

The picture is for a Public Health campaign called "Community Immunity" and it showcases Madisonians flexing their muscles after getting immunized.
They wanted a mom and baby combo and we fit the bill - and the two of us have gotten our share of shots this fall!  

We are lucky to be sharing the ad campaign with some pretty big stars!
(Ad campaign went to print just BEFORE Bielema left for Arkansas!)
We were also told it would be on some of the buses around town!
Patrick actually rode this bus to work the other day (you can see his reflection taking this picture, right next to the super happy passenger looking out the window!)

Do your part to stay healthy --- get your shots!

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

First snow!

It finally snowed on Sunday morning and we were so excited to show James the big flakes. Hopefully there is lots more to come in the near future :)
I think he is a fan so far - pretty soon we will have to break out the sled!
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Friday, December 7, 2012

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

It's December and that means Christmas decorations! Check out our awesome stockings that Lisa made for us last year :)
And look at our adorable elf ...
Hope you are enjoying the Christmas season too!

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Scrabble game!

So in an effort to not have the entire blog be about James, I need to brag about my scrabble game tonight. Patrick and I opened a bottle of wine and played Scrabble while watching the ESPN college football awards.
Only my husband would suggest that we do sit ups or push ups after each score (you had to do the other persons score). So I agreed, but decided I needed to win big time!
Here is a shot of the board mid-game... My second play was stir fry, which I am now learning is actually two words, but he didn't question it and already did the push ups! Glad we had the wine, now it is just really funny and I guess my final score will have an asterisk next to it.
Sad when spell check ruins the best game of your life :)
Overall, still a fun night and even without the 52 pointer, I still did way less exercise than Patrick!





Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Cute cousin pics

Last week we went to Kalamazoo to help Grammy take Thomas and Josiah back home. It was a pretty good trip considering we had 3 kids - three and under in the car for a 4+ hour car ride. Mom and I kept joking about which role was harder, driving through Chicago traffic or entertaining, feeding and appeasing the 3 adorable monsters in the back!
But with a little luck, a lot of goldfish crackers and multiple stops at McDonalds - we did it :)
We had a great visit - just hanging out. Most of our time with the Rubles is around holidays, which is great, but it was nice to just have time to play too.
Buppa requested a photo of the boys. We attempted it first thing in the morning and did pretty well.
It's pajama time!

Thomas is very gentle with James, though nobody really trusts him since he is so rough and tough with Jojo. Poor guy! Funny that James looks nervous and Josiah is smiling. Should probably be the other way around... For now at least!

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Two months!

Here are a few 2 month photos... It seemed too chilly for a belly shot this month... I know it is only going to get colder, but we will try a nakey shot again down the road :)
Two month stats: 13 lbs and 24.5 inches long!
James has lots of smiles and is talking more every day. Still working on rolling over on his own, but has been sleeping through the night for over a month now! Such a good boy :)

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

James' Baptism

We finished off Thanksgiving weekend with James' baptism. We were so blessed to have our families there to share in this special day.
James wore our family's baptismal gown, first worn by my great grandfather over 100 years ago!

We were so pleased that Pastor Bill was able to baptize James and that Lisa and Eric agreed to be godparents.
The cousins loved getting in on the baptism and posed so nicely with Pastor Bill. We missed Jack (home sick with John). The kids had a lot of fun playing after church and we know James will be chasing after them in no time :)
Family photos!
Our little family.
We have a very similar photo from our wedding, Eric and Lisa were our best man and matron of honor, now we just added the little man to the mix!
And one more pic of James, partying it up post baptism - totally spent but super cute!


Thursday, November 22, 2012

Thanksgiving

We spent a lovely lazy day in Fond du Lac for Thanksgiving with the Ellestads. The weather was perfect for football and the boys had fun playing with Ted's new goal post. The guys also participated in the annual Turkey Trot - hence the matching shirts... I can't explain the helmets and Umbros!
Winning field goal!
We have much to be thankful for this year, including fabulous cooks and family!
Some cute kid shots... Landon ate a turkey leg all by himself, Elise had milk out of a fancy glass and James had a multitude of Thanksgiving themed attire to wear, including a bib made by auntie Lisa :)


Overall if was a great 1st Thanksgiving for our little man... Lots of cousin time, 3 outfit changes and counting... And a rest on the couch with grandma!

Happy Thanksgiving to you :)