A Year of Change

Wow, as we wrap up another year, I always find myself thinking..."where were we last year, how were we feeling and how has another year changed our life?" Our life at the end of 2011 couldn't be more different than it was when the year began.

We rung in 2011 with some of our great friends and had an amazing evening full of delicious food. We were hoping that our family would be expanding and Nate and I were both busy working and living in Minnesota.

After a wonderful trip to Ireland with my mom, dad and brother we found out the thing we had been hoping for most had finally happened....we were expecting!! It was the best way to kick off a new year.

As the first trimester came to a close, we went on a great vacation with my mom and dad, our friends; Chris and Eric and Jessie and Chad to Jamaica.

The rest of the year really was spent getting ready for our new addition. Once Nina arrived, we found out Nate was offered a job closer to our hometown, in Madison. He accepted and this lead to a big move back home.

As we welcome 2012, we have a beautiful daughter we couldn't adore more, we are living back in Wisconsin, Nate is settling into his new job and I am at home with Nina.

Tonight, as we celebrate the end of the year as a family we feel one thing: totally content! There isn't one more thing we could have asked for in 2011. We hope that all of our friends and family feel the same way tonight, and that 2012 brings many good things for all of us.

Bring it on 2012!!

A Very Merry Christmas

Another holiday season has come and gone. This year was super special because it was miss Nina's first Christmas! Our family enjoyed every moment and it was much less stressful, since we were already at home and did a lot less traveling! Here are some of the highlights:

• Nate and I took Nina to see Santa, the tree at the capitol and to drive through the light display in Madison.
• We went with Aunt Caitlin, Uncle David and Jayden to see the lights at Rotary Gardens. Jayden looooved the trains!
• We made cookies and peanut butter balls at our house with Gigi, Grandpa, and the great grandparents.
• Girls lunch with Genna and her mom.
• Kicking off the holidays weekend by celebrating Christmas at Nana and Papa's with Uncle Aaron (who has nicknamed Nina, Nina Bobina....it's so cute, I think it's gonna stick or quite sometime) and Aunt Caitlin, Uncle David and Jayden on Friday evening. 
• Going to our first ever church service as a family on Christmas eve with Papa and Nana. 
• Getting together with my family and our friends at my parents' annual Christmas eve party. 
• Santa came!!! Nina must have been a good girl during the first four months of her life!
• Christmas breakfast at our house with Gigi, Grandpa and Uncle Austin.
• Christmas lunch with my extended family at Great Grandpa and Grandma Stearns'. 
• Christmas dinner at Gma's with Nate's family. 
• A trip to Schaumburg with Gigi, Uncle Austin and Stephanie. 
• Making a second round of peanut butter balls and a sleepover with Nina's second cousins; Kristopher and Jessica. 

Whew....what a fun and tiring first Christmas as a family!!! I have to say it's been one of the BEST holidays we've ever had. We hope everyone out there also had a wonderful holiday season. 

Month 3

It's a little past our third month, but with the move I've gotten a bit behind. Here are some things we've done since my last post:

• Our first trip home to Wisconsin. We celebrated Halloween sconnie style. We took Nina "trick-or-treating" to: Grandpa & Gigi's, Great Grandma and Grandpa's, Gma's, The Furseth's and ended the evening at Papa & Nana's. In the morning Nina was a cow, a costume passed down to her from her cousin. Then at night for trick-or-treating, she was a pumpkin!
• During this trip home, Grandpa and Gigi hosted an open house in place of a baby shower, so our families could meet Nina. We had so much fun introducing her to all of her family and friends!
• To end our first trip home we visited Grandpa at work, too! 
• Soon after coming back from Wisconsin, we found out that Nate was offered a job in Madison. He accepted and we began preparing to move back home. 
• Nina and I spent an entire day with Auntie Tara and Tiny Dancer. Tara helped watched Nina while I packed us up to head back to Wisconsin to celebrate Thanksgiving. Nate had a daddy and daughter date night while Tara and I went to dinner and to a movie. It was a perfect day!
• Nina enjoyed spending her first Thanksgiving in Wisconsin. We had many great meals and visited with family. 
• After getting back from Thanksgiving we had ONE week to move! It was a fun, but busy week! We had a visit from my college room mate, Missy. My amazing co-workers got together to say good-bye. They got to meet Nina and got her some super cute outfits! Then, we had a going away happy hour with many of our MN friends. Between this, we packed up our entire house and got ready for a big move!
• To move, our dads came up and basically moved us out with the help of my brother on Friday. Saturday we finished up and took off for Wisconsin. Sunday, our families all showed up to help move us in to my grandma's house in Newville. We've spent the week unpacking and getting setteled in. It's really starting to feel like home now and we've already gotten to have a few fun visits with our family here!

Here are some new milestones Nina has reached:

• Big smiles!
• Finds things funny....lets out mini giggles
• Makes eye contact and recognizes people and their voices
• Grasps onto items
• Her favorite things to say is "oooooooooo"
• She LOVES her hands. She'll stick them in her mouth, giggle if you kiss them, and doesn't want them covered up at all!

Mommy's little pumpkin

Nina's first Halloween

Aunt Caitlin and cousin Jayden

Nina's Open House

Hangin' out with Grandpa Grandt

Nina loves when Daddy reads to her

Leaving our home in MN

Goodbye MN

Family pic at Thanksgiving....Nina was not amused.

At work with Grandpa

Dexter was there too!

It's been a busy time, and now we are gearing up for the holidays! The house is decorated and some of the gifts are wrapped, but we have more to do AND bake!! Until next time we hope all of you enjoy the holiday season!