Crazy Christmas!

Merry belated Christmas to everyone! Despite a nasty cold, Brady took the hustle and bustle in stride and we all really enjoyed sharing the holiday with our family. The boy is one lucky kiddo to have such generous people around him, too; he is currently sporting a new pajama wardrobe, several musical instruments, countless books, and other odds and ends that will help him with big boy tasks like hammering nails with Dad. I think Dad will enjoy this just as much as Brady...

Hard at work

It was out with the old and in with the new in the space formerly known as our living room. We had to get rid of a lot of stuff to make room for the new goods, but Brady doesn't seem to mind. He received a large assortment of balls that require a bit more room for him to do his thing. Whatever his thing may be.

Amusing himself...

Because we did so much traveling and most of the time we spent with family was on a strict schedule, we've decided that things will have to change a bit next year. For one, Brady didn't get to open his gifts from Santa until 4 pm the day after Christmas! Next year, that needs to happen first thing in the morning--especially with his little brother or sister tagging along. And that brother or sister will be here before we know it; my belly feels heavier with every passing day!

21 weeks!

Brady was feeling better today, so we left him in good hands: Grandma Terri and Pap Rick hung out with him so Zach and I could have an adults-only date night. We did some amazing after-Christmas shopping (we are currently the owners of a new flat screen TV and stand!), ate a scrumptious dinner at Luna in Aspinwall and neither of us had to dive for a dropped sippy cup, and topped off the evening with a jaunt to Target where I finally invested in one of those fancy single-serve coffee/espresso/latte machines. I figure in a couple of months, I'm going to need the caffeine boost, so might as well brew my own rather than keep buying it!

His "chain" (AKA: train) Christmas sweater!

Even though we had a strict limit on gift-giving this year, Zach opted to ignore said limit and splurge for me: he got me a beautiful ruby and diamond ring. Because Brady's birthstone is a ruby and, I quote my darling husband, "I haven't given you jewelry since we got married," he thought it was time to "update" my collection. Ha! I'm not sure what collection he's referring to since I'm a very minimal jewelry gal, but hey--who am I to argue with the man?!

Dad's not nearly as interested in the books...

We don't really have too much planned for the rest of the break aside from a few dinners, and that's AWESOME! Once school starts again, the basketball season and baseball work-outs continue, and that means Zach will be working looooong days. We joke that this week may be the last that I see him until the baby comes. Here's hoping he keeps his cellphone with him in the event I go into labor in the middle of a big game!

Coaster anyone?

We've put our annual New Year's Eve par-tay on hold this year as we weren't sure who was available and if I was even up for hosting the extravaganza. Instead, we'll do the traditional dinner with our parents and then Zach and I will catch a movie. We're picking up our fabulous new TV that day, too, so we may ring in the new year setting up that bad boy. Regardless of what we do, I'm grateful to have the time with Zach and the rest of our family. We're more than fortunate to have such amazing people in our lives, but enough of that sappy stuff...I'll save it for the "Happy New Year" post :-)