Countdown to 2009!

Busy, busy, busy. What else is there to say? It is always a busy time of year - no matter how hard you try to keep it simple. Having 99% of my shopping done by Thanksgiving was a huge help in allowing me to sit back and enjoy. I finally found motivation to wrap my gifts. The tree (and shipping deadlines) helped - a Christmas tree just looks better with gifts underneath it!

On the 20th, I invited Kate over to decorate cookies. I made cookies for Ian's daycare provider, Kristin. She is an important person to us and we wanted to thank her appropriately. I can think of nothing better than delicious Queenie cookies to brighten one's holiday! One batch makes so many cookies that I had to find someone to share them with. Kate was in. Ian went down for a nap so he missed out on the decorating fun, but Ella joined in. They were so yummy - we all had to test a couple to make sure. Quality control was our main concern;)

The next day we took Ian to meet Santa. I was hoping to find a local Santa where we could take our own photo, but no such luck. I wanted to avoid the mall experience but I think we waited to close to Christmas for that. Note to self for next year! We packed up and headed to the mall on Sunday - hoping to beat the church rush. I think we made it just in time. After I got over the sticker shock (ouch!), I was eager to get a snapshot of our little man with Santa. I wasn't sure how he would react, but assumed he would stare at Santa in wonder and try to eat his beard. Bingo! He stopped pulling on Santa's beard long enough to get a cute picture.

Grandpa Conkright arrived on the 23rd. He dropped off the remainder of his gifts and headed over to Jon's for dinner. We were hosting a Christmas Eve dinner so Dad hinted that we should open the larger boxes he dropped off. We were glad we did - we now have seating for 8. A wonderful Christmas already (thanks Dad, Gina, Mom & Bob)! We hit the ground running as soon as we got up Christmas Eve, as we had so much to do before our guests arrived.

Casey started dinner prep right away and Ian really wanted to help.

Dinner was prepped. Ian was napping. Casey and I cranked out the chairs. I love them!

Casey did a fabulous job with dinner. It was delish! Prime rib, sweet potato gratin, mashed potatoes with parsnips, bread, brussel sprouts, grilled broccoli, and for dessert...the ever famous mayonnaise cake. Thanks again, Dad! We had great food and great company. We took a break after dinner so Ian could open a couple of presents. He got a tool kit, truck, some books and an awesome wagon from Uncle Jon and Aunt Heather. We can't wait for strolls to the park in the springtime! And there is room for two...

Ian was wiped out after opening his gifts and ready for bed, eager for visions of sugar-plums to dance in his head! We enjoyed dessert and then opened the rest of our gifts. We exchanged gifts with Dad, Heather and Jon. We got some pretty cool stuff. H&J got us an awesome Sturgeon Bay print! I also got a fabulous apron and utensil holder. I am thinking it should be the focus of our kitchen remodel - I see a red & turquoise theme coming on! We hope everyone else enjoyed their gifts as much as we did.

Christmas Day was so relaxing. Ian woke up around 7ish and we wandered downstairs to open gifts. Ian took a peek out the window, looking for traces of Santa. We opened gifts from Santa and each other. Ian was more into it this morning and found himself surrounded by gifts. He got more books, some clothes, an alphabet train set, blocks, a robot toothbrush holder, a See 'n Say, and money for his college fund. Sweet. He also got a super cool backpack with his name on it from Kristin! After exchanging our family gifts, we called my parents via webcam. It would have been nice to be together, but it was cool that we could still see each other open gifts so many miles apart. Again, we got so many great gifts. It was a good year for the Andrews family. Thanks to everyone for the lovely gifts and cards. We spent the rest of the day picking up the house, relaxing, putting Ian's truck together and taking naps. We went to the Nelson's for dinner and met up with Dad there. He stayed with us Thursday and Friday night before heading home on Saturday AM.

The rest of our weekend has been spent lounging, playing with our new toys, running some errands, eating, napping, watching Ian be cute, etc. It will be a short work week and then we will be back to entertaining. We are planning a New Year's Day dinner with cocktails and an Indian feast. I can't believe it is going to be 2009, where did the year go? Time for some reflection and goals for the new year. Stay tuned...

'Tis The Season

I enjoyed my time on Friday. I got stocking stuffers for Casey, paid a couple of bills, hung out with Maggie and picked up my consignment check. An extra $35 in the pocket this time of year isn't bad! My dad arrived safely on Friday and was able to catch some zzz's before coming to our place for dinner. Ian was excited to see Grandpa, but thrown for a loop at first. It only took him a couple of seconds to warm up to him though.

Saturday morning everyone came over for breakfast. It was a good start to the day. Ian took a nap and when he woke up we headed to the cookie party at Maggie's house. Yum! There were so many cookies to snack on and everyone got to take a box home with them. Trouble for me:) The best surprise of the day were gifts from Amy & Courtney! Courtney is one crafty gal and she made each girl at the party an apron. I love mine and it is exactly what I need to pull off being a fabulous hostess on Christmas Eve. Check it out!

Saturday night we all headed downtown for Longmont Lights. Ian's first parade! It was rather chilly so we only stayed for an hour, but I am glad we did. It reminded me of the hometown parades I enjoyed (and sometimes starred in) as a kid. I think Ian was pretty unphased by most of it, but he did like watching all the lights as they strolled by. We can't wait for next year when Ian can be our candy catcher! We retreated back to our place to warm up and enjoy dinner. We played Battle of the Sexes after dinner. A good time had by all!

We woke up Sunday to a few inches of snow on the ground. It was very cold too - yesterday it was almost 60 degrees and today it barely broke 5! Yikes! Dad hit the road early so we didn't see him before he left. He was hoping to beat the weather. Casey and I ran our errands separately because we didn't want to take Ian out in the cold again. Brr.... It was nice to be at home and relax, gearing up for the work week ahead. I finally found the motivation to wrap gifts. Our tree is out of control and Ian is starting to show more interest in the lights, ornaments and gifts! We told him he could play with the tree, but only if he got in the holiday spirit. He obliged, kinda.

Lastly, today is the Worldwide Candle Lighting for Compassionate Friends. This is a support network for families that have lost children. Every year we light a candle in honor of Casey's best friend, Anton. It has been 15 years since he passed away - we think of him and the Moellenberndt family often. This candle is for you Anton...

20 days left...

Wow! Only 20 days left in the year? Really? I just can't believe it. I have been quite busy - making holiday cards, getting a tree, addressing the cards, trimming the tree, attending holiday parties, etc. This time of year always seems stressful. I am trying to not focus on that piece of it though. I have all my gifts bought, unfortunately the motivation to wrap them and get them shipped is not as easy as the swipe of a credit card! I decided to take tomorrow off from work so I could have a day to myself. I really need that right now. I am considering it a gift to myself:) Perhaps I will find motivation tomorrow...

December 4th was my holiday party at work. Maggie was my partner in crime for planning it. It was great and we got several compliments. We are pretty sure this is the best one yet! Our co-worker, Dan, has a band named Flashback. They performed at the party and did a fabulous job. They are a classic rock band, but did play "Material Girl"...which got me on the dance floor. We held the party at Rembrandt Yard in downtown Boulder (http://www.rembrandtyard.com/) - it is a fabulous venue. Savory Cuisines catered (http://www.savorycuisinescatering.com/) the party and as usual, the food was delish. If you ever need catering in the Boulder area - I highly recommend them!

Ian is doing great. He is getting 2 more top teeth. We noticed it last Saturday - which explained his general fussiness. The return of his cough and runny nose didn't help either. He was a trooper for the most part, except when it was time to nap. Ha! He is moving all about these days. I am amazed by his speed! I am thankful he can crawl - Apesen, not so much. I am finally able to get more things accomplished around the house because he can just follow me. Apesen has been freaking out, however. She does her fair share of taunting him, especially at dinner time. We used to be able to run upstairs to brush our teeth or change an outfit quickly, but he has since mastered the stairs and in a matter of seconds can be at the bathroom door checking out the upstairs scene. We can't believe that we will soon be celebrating his first birthday. The photo session with Moses went well last weekend. Mostly because Moses & Amanda did a great job getting him to smile. We can't wait to see what great shots Moses was able to get. Casey takes most of the pictures in our house, but I was able to capture a cute picture of Ian with Daddy last weekend!

Last Saturday, we got our tree. I think we are finally getting over the sticker shock of Christmas trees in Colorado. It helps that we found a local place that is affordable. If you can consider $50 for a tree affordable. I will always long for the days of cutting down your own. We will have to take Ian to Wisconsin for at least one Christmas in his life so he can have that same experience. We bought our tree at The Flower Bin - one of my favorite places in Longmont (http://www.theflowerbin.net/). I am pretty sure I have mentioned them in a previous post. They are wonderful year-round! We got our tree there last year and were pleased, so knew we had to check them out again. We got another great tree this year! What do you think?

This weekend we have a cookie party at Le Casa de Awesome and learned this morning that Grandpa Conkright will be here for a brief visit. He is on his way to Wyoming now and will stop by to say "hi" on his way back. Rumor has it he has some Christmas gifts to drop off. Maybe that will motivate me to wrap my gifts? Probably not.