Meeting Santa

December 14, 2008

We took Liam to meet Santa Claus today, I thought we would end up with the classic screaming pictures since he does have some mild separation anxiety but he did really well. We went to a store called Horrock's here in town, it is this odd store that has everything you could imagine. Anyhow I remember that one of my friend's told me they had a great Santa so off we went. When we got there we looked at Santa from afar and waved at him. There was no line so then we just walked right up. I climbed into the sleigh with Liam initially to see how he would do and he was all smiles...

so I passed him off to Santa for some alone time. It was love at first site we were able to capture some great pictures, we were sad to leave!

Trimming the Tree

December 13, 2008

Tonight we trimmed the Christmas tree, we attempted to have Liam help but soon realized that it was easier to do it after he went to bed :)

I thought that Liam would be fascinated by the tree but surprisingly he doesn't really pay any attention to it. Sometimes in the evening when I turn on the lights and say "tadaa!" he will squeal with delight but overall he pretends like it isn't there which I guess is a good thing.

Getting Ready for Christmas...

December 2008

We are getting ready to celebrate Liam's first Christmas and are having so much fun doing it! He has started to wear all his fun Christmas pajamas and clothes, and boy is he cute!

We went to Fredrick Meijer Gardens the other day to visit Santa's reindeer and to look at all the beautiful Christmas trees and decorations. As soon as we went out the door toward the reindeer he started laughing and the closer we got the louder he got! Everyone was laughing at him because he was so darn cute!

In one of the greenhouse there is a train that runs through it, we thought Liam would be too young to notice it but we were wrong. He was fascinated by it. In both of these pics you can see him watching the train go by.

He loved sitting up on top of daddy's head...a whole new perspective on the world!

This is such a fascinating time of year for us, Liam is growing and changing everyday. We are so grateful to be closer to home and family so that they can share in this experience.

Anyone for Some Ice Cream?

December 12, 2008

My Aunt Lorie gave us this great ice cream truck toy that all of her girls played with and Liam loves it! He stands next to it and pulls the ice cream out it, and he tries to push it! It is too cute!

I Love These Pics!

December 12, 2008

Today I was playing with our new Nikon D90 that Mike and I gave each other for Christmas and captured these priceless photos of Liam. I swear he is the sweetest kid ever!

Bath Time Fun!

December 7, 2008

Liam loves bubbles in his bath! He tries to pick them up and inspect them and gets confused when they disappear.

He looks like a Dr Seuss character in this picture!

Grammy Jill and Bro Visit!

December 4, 2008

Grammy Jill and Bro braved the Michigan weather to come visit Liam. We were so happy to see them but unfortunately poor Liam was so sick. He had his first ear infection and was on antibiotics, he was not the happiest baby during their visit. It was a great help to Mike and I to have some helpers though, Liam was having bad nights and we got very little sleep so it was a relief to have some help during the day.

We wish that they only lived a little closer so that they could watch Liam grow up in person instead of through the blog!

Looking for a Bargain!

December 3, 2008

As I read other people's blogs I have learned about coupons, CVS dollars, and great bargains. Apparently along the way Liam must have overheard me telling Mike how we too could save a boat load of money if we shopped the ads every week. He took it upon himself to really get involved in trying to save this family some moola!

Way to go big guy...keep up the good work and find your mommy some bargains!

Visiting the Crain's and Their Dogs!

November 28, 2008

While in Chicago we were able to visit Mike's cousin Jeff and his family, Jeff is Liam's Godfather. We had a great day filled with fun. The "boy's" had a chance to hang out and watch some television, how quick Liam falls into the stereotypical male role!

We played with the dogs....this kid loves dogs!

Liam had some cuddle time with their new puppy Scooby.

He also had some playtime with Buddy their Golden Retriever.

And Kaylin got some time in playing mommy and feeding Liam his dinner. It was such a great day and we can't wait to see them again at Christmas time.

What I Am Thankful For

November 27, 2008

Looking back the last year has flown by...

Last Thanksgiving Mike and I spent Thanksgiving in Birmingham Alabama without family.

-I am thankful to live closer to all of our family and for being able to spend holidays with everyone.

Last Thanksgiving I was pregnant and anticipating the birth of our first baby.

-I am thankful for a healthy beautiful baby boy and the start of a wonderful family.

Last Thanksgiving I was working full time as a NICU nurse.

-I am thankful for being able to be a stay at home mom and loving every minute of raising Liam.

Last Thanksgiving we were unsure of Mike's job and if it would work out.

-I am thankful that Mike LOVE'S his job and it is a secure and steady source of income.

Last Thanksgiving we anticipated the big move to the cold North.

-I am thankful that we are settling into our lives here in Michigan and that it has been an easy transition.

Overall I am so thankful for everything that God has graced us with. I love my husband, my child, my family, and my friends.

Happy Thanksgiving

November 27, 2008

This year we traveled to Chicago to celebrate Thanksgiving. We celebrated the actual day at my Aunt Lorie's house with all of my mom's family. Liam was a little overwhelmed at the beginning but warmed up quickly and played with everyone. The food was delicious and we had a great time.

My cousins Abbie and Sam playing with Liam.

Our first Thanksgiving as a family!

This pic gives you an idea of the mayhem!

Uncle Ross and his buddy Liam!

Hanging out with Uncle John...they were so funny and cute together, if you could hear all the giggling!

Where is Sassy?

November 26, 2008

Today we were hanging around the house and I noticed Sassy was missing, I found her staring out the front door with her legs trembling. When I looked out the front door I saw we had a visitor...a squirrel! He was having his own Thanksgiving feast on Liam's pumpkin.

Sassy hung out watching her new little friend for quite a while. In out of the pumpkin his little head bobbed.

Ride 'Em Cowboy!

November 20, 2008

My Aunt Kathy gave Liam this rocking horse at my baby shower. I have had it in his nursery since he was born and just recently he has started showing interest in it. After I nurse him and am trying to get a burp out he will stare at the horse and laugh. So today we tried it out and as you can see he loved it!

He is such a big shot he tried it with no hands too! What a show off!

Diving with the Whale Sharks

I am waiting for pics from Deb to finish this post....stay tuned because it was an unbelievable experience!

Meeting Cousin Sydney

November 16, 2008

While in Atlanta my brother John, my sister-in-law Deb and niece Sydney came to see us. It was the first time that Deb and Sydney had met Liam. Sydney was super excited and loved to play and love on Liam.

While they were there I really tried to spend some one on one time with Sydney since she is used to having me to herself. We had a lot of fun swimming in the hotel pool, I can't tell you how many times I threw that girl into the water! We had such a great time with them, I only wish they stayed longer.

The Atlanta Zoo

November 14, 2008

Well the Boyles are on their own for a day, the Vicinanzo's left to go home to Birmingham and the Peterson family (my brother, niece, and sister-in-law) won't arrive until tomorrow. My favorite thing to do in every city is visit the zoo, so off we went! The weather was kind of crappy, misting and drizzling all day, but it did lead to a pretty empty zoo. My favor tie exhibit at this zoo is the gorillas, we spent a long time watching them.

When we got their the silver back was sitting right next to the glass, Liam and I sat on the ledge and watched him watching us :), it was soo neat. He tolerated us fairly well and then got bored with us. I nursed Liam and Mike walked over to the window to take a look for himself and the silver back slapped the glass...it scared the crap out of us! I guess he has a fondness for cute babies and their mommies.

Liam and I had been to the Atlanta Zoo back in May, I thought it would be fun to compare pics to see how much Liam has grown. What do you think?

A Trip to the Aquarium

November 12, 1008

Today we headed to the Georgia Aquarium while the boys went to their conference (I think we definitely had the better end of the bargain).

It was so much fun to watch Liam, he was really into looking at the fish. The Vicinanzo's really enjoyed all the sharks, especially the whale sharks.

Mike and I will be heading back to the aquarium to scuba dive with the whale sharks later in the week...I can't wait!!!!

Heading to Atlanta!

November 11, 2008

Mike went to Atlanta Georgia for a meeting and Liam and I flew down there to meet him. I obsessively worried about all the details...flying by myself (what if I had to sit next to some big fat guy while I nursed Liam on the plane?), what to feed Liam (he is used to all the good homemade baby food, would he be able to tolerate jar food?), where and when would he sleep, (we are used to him sleeping in another room with a noise maker on and the doors shut), and most importantly would he be a BEAST?

All the worrying did some good, it helped me to be motivated to try to solve all the problems before we left Michigan and I think made for a smooth trip. When we arrived at the hotel we were greeted by Mike, of course, and also the Vicinanzo family. We have not seen them since we left Birmingham and were so excited to spend some time with them. Everybody loved Liam and had a great time playing with him.

PS I did not have to sit next to a man but a very nice lady, Liam ate the nasty jar food with mild protest and an increase in vomiting, and Liam slept in a crib that the hotel provided pushed as far away from us as possible with the noise maker on high...some nights were painful but overall he was a champ. We survived and had a great time in Atlanta.

Liam's First Snowball!

November 8, 2008

Tonight we had our first Michigan snow, it was just enough to cover the ground. When we lived in Alabama Liam experienced his first snow that was just a dusting but shut the city down for the day! Up here in Michigan we were probably the only people that even thought that it was fun!

Mike brought Liam a snowball to see what the little guy thought about it. As you can see he was curious and a little cranky about how cold it was. Poor guy!

Grandparents Galore!

November 8, 2008

My parents came up for the day and brought my grandma with too! Grandma Hagen has met Liam a couple of times but it seems like we are always at a family gathering and everyone wants a turn with him. So it was nice for her to only have to share him with my mom and dad, although that too can be a challenge.

It is hard to tell from these pics but Liam has started to have either separation anxiety or stranger anxiety. When my parents arrive my mom wanted to hold him ASAP, when I passed him off to her he started screaming and reaching for me. I think it hurt my mom's feelings a little bit but after he warmed up to everyone and was Mr. Social!
We had a great day that included lunch at a new restaurant in town and then we headed to Meijer Garden for their annual gift show. We finished off the day with some dinner at our house and then some sad goodbyes so that they could trek 3 hours back to Chicago.
This just reaffirms our decision to move back North, I love these visits! I only hope we can survive this first winter :)