It's so hard to get Agnes to take a picture with us... so here we are enjoying family time (with Agnes running around somewhere).
Fall came and with it, brought fun activities for us. Like visiting the pumpkin patch:
We were invited over to a friend's house to Trick-or-Treat with their group. Agnes dressed as Supergirl and Vinny was Tigger!
We also visited Mimi and Pop's place some weekends and even got to see Aunt Kristi!
Then Thanksgiving came and we usually go to Ohio to visit Paul's grandparents. Unfortunately, Paul had to work Wednesday and Friday of that week so no Ohio trip :(
I got to cook my first ever Thanksgiving meal! I made the Pioneer Woman's Thanksgiving Turkey. That was a lot of work! It turned out amazingly (I still cannot believe I pulled it off) and I was rewarded with sparkling wine and a very satisfied family :)
Next up, we have Christmas! It's my favorite time of year because we go back to Colorado and spend it with my parents and my siblings (or whomever makes it back home that year). After many months of Paul saying, "You have to come to my work so my coworkers can meet you and the kids", we finally went. It was nice to meet the people he works with and we even got a nice family picture in front of the huge Christmas tree!
The next week, the kids and I flew out to Colorado (Dec. 13) and Paul drove out the week of Christmas and spent the whole week with us. It was fantastic!!
Both Agnes and Vinny went to sleep as soon as we got in the car after my Dad picked us up. Both kids were great on the plane!
The very next day, Grandma put Agnes to work on Christmas cookies!
And the next...
And the next! Agnes loved it and loved to spend time with Grandma, even if they just sat on Grandma's bed and played on their Kindles.
There was a lot to do at Grandma and Grandpa's house. It snowed quite a bit while we were there so we went sledding. My sister, Katy, came in 3 days after us and she was a huge help in keeping the kids entertained and helping our mom and dad out with everything.
These two celebrated their 43rd wedding anniversary... and took us out for brunch after mass :P
Even though Agnes' hands froze because she doesn't like gloves, she still had such a great time outside. The snow was beautiful and we even had a snow shoveling crew out with Grandpa!
When my sister, Erin, came with her two children, Agnes had a snow shoveling buddy.
They helped Grandpa cut the tree from the backyard.
It took a bit but Agnes warmed up to Grandpa.
It was a long day of tree cutting and decorating, but it got done and every evening after (while we were there), it was nice to just sit with a glass of wine in hand and admire the beauty.
We had a nice little family outing; just the four of us. Here we are at our favorite mexican restaurant where we try and go every time we visit.
Christmas Eve pictures.
Mom and two of her 5 daughters <3
On Christmas we Skyped many family members to wish them a blessed day. Agnes and Vinny got matching pajamas.
Auntie Katy with Vinny in his Christmas jammies!
On the 27th, we drove home. The visit, overall, was a success. There were tough moments that we had to get through. Both Agnes and Vincent got sick during the first part of the visit, while Paul had not yet come. Also, the night before the day we were scheduled to leave (we left a day late), both Paul and I got sick. He drove most of the way home but those next two weeks were brutal for us sickness wise. Mimi came and took Agnes back to their place for a total of about a week during the month of January (split into 2 visits). Thank goodness they live 2 hours away because I wasn't doing well. I had to go to Urgent Care New Year's day for sinusitis to get antibiotics. Throughout all of this, my sisters Katy and Erin, as well as both my parents, were in bed sick back in Colorado. Katy had to postpone her flight back to California a week and even after that she was sick. It just hit all of us like a bus. As soon as I got on antibiotics, I felt much better. However, It took a while for my family to get over it.
When we arrived home, Santa had dropped off a present for Agnes and Vinny at the apartment. A kitchen set with tons of food! Agnes has played with it every day since and looks forward to the day when Vincent is able to cook with her!
We also celebrated Christmas with Paul's parents after we arrived home. Here are Agnes and Vinny playing with new toys.
The start of the year 2016! Vincent turned 6 months January 17th!
Still co-sleeping, even though there had been a few nights where I was able to put him in his pack 'n play. Hopefully we will sleep train soon.
Agnes and Vinny started to interact with each other better. Vincent loves watching Agnes run around and play and Agnes likes to "take care" of Vinny and give and take away toys.
February came and went. One thing I am excited to report is that Paul and I frequent the gym now. Paul's parents and one of his brother's pitched in and got us a family membership to the local rec center here. It's been so nice to get at least an hour to myself and get exercise in... and a shower! Not only am I able to work out and put the kids in the child care center there, but I'm also able to take them to the pool for swim time and gym time. It's been great having more things to do during these winter months. Agnes is able to enjoy swimming still and I am able to introduce Vincent to swimming, as well.
Mimi and Pops invited us to attend an event for Mimi's school (where she teaches) a few weekends ago. It was a lovely night out. We brought Vincent because I'm still BFing but it was fun to get all gussied up for an event.
Now we are back home and I'm enjoying the times where we don't have to travel. We have a nice routine here (gym, library, pool, shopping, etc.) and after we get our morning activities done, I am sometimes able to cuddle my little guy and nap with him in the afternoons, which is definitely a huge deal.
