Playing with his new "puter"

Dave's dad got Isaac a V-tech reader for Christmas.  Isaac loves reading books and playing games on it!

Christmas at Griegel's

Dave's mom's family celebrated Christmas today at Beth and Chris's house.  It was a great day with lots of people, food, and presents.  Of course, it was not the same without Dave's mom, but it was nice to see everyone and hang out for a while.  Isaac had a lot of fun with Meredith!  We stayed late because we always hate leaving them. 

Decorating Christmas Cookies

We opted to stay in Chicago for the first time for Christmas this year.  Dave's dad and Melissa's mom came to stay with us for a few days.  It was so nice being in our own house, with our Christmas tree, on Christmas Eve and Day.  We made Christmas cookies, pies, and a wonderful dinner on Christmas Day.  We all went to Christmas Eve Mass at St. Giles Family Community Mass, which was amazing, and drove around to see the Christmas lights afterwards.  Isaac was very excited for Santa to come.  He left cookies and milk for him and went straight to bed.  He was so amazed to see all the presents under the tree in the morning!!  We all enjoyed dutch apple pancakes (from the Pancake House) for breakfast.  Isaac opened presents all day.  He loved to stop and play with each one, so we actually had to stop opening them around 4pm and make him take a nap!  It was a wonderful holiday.

Breakfast with Santa

Santa visited the Forest Park Park District near our house.  It was a great little breakfast, and Isaac was excited to see Santa.  He was a little shy and wouldn't sit on his lap, but was very happy with the candy!

Sarah and Emil's Christmas Party

Our friends, Sarah and Emil, invited us to their annual Christmas party.  It was a really great time!  The party was very kid-friendly.  Sarah even had a treasure hunt for the kids with lots of favors.  Isaac had a great time playing with their son, Max, and the other kids.  Dave and I enjoyed hanging out with some other adults and meeting some new friends. 

Making a gingerbread house

Our friend, Beth, invited us to come over and help decorate a gingerbread house with her daughter, Avery.  Isaac and Avery had a great time decorating and an even better time eating the candy!

Playing in the snow with Daddy

Isaac and Dave had a great time playing in the snow for the first time this winter!  Isaac took a long nap, so they didn't get out there til after dark, but it wasn't too cold, so they had so much fun.  They made 2 snowmen before Mommy dragged them both inside. 

Ready to play in the snow!

Playing at Monkey Island

Isaac and Mommy went to Monkey Island in Melrose Park with the Oak Park Mom's Meetup Group on Melissa's day off.  It's a huge place with lots of bounce-houses and things to climb on.  Isaac wanted Mommy to climb with him, which was a little challenging :)

Trying on his winter clothes

Cutting our Christmas tree

We were in Michigan, so we thought it would be fun to cut our own Christmas tree for the first time.  By the time we got there after Isaac's nap, it was starting to get dark.  So, we had to run around and pick a tree quickly, while Dave's dad took Isaac to see Santa and the reindeer.  We even made s'mores while waiting for the wagon ride back.  Dave and his dad did a great job tying the tree to the car, so it made it back to Chicago!  It was definitely fun and a beautiful tree.

Thanksgiving in Michigan

We had dinner with Dave's dad, Jeannie, Tom, Anna, and Jennie tonight for the holiday.  It was great to see them and a wonderful dinner. 

Ternet Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving Day at Karen's with Denny, Vivian, Andrew, and Grandma McNeal.  It was a day of great food and a wonderful time!

The Museum of Science and Industry

Denny, Vivian and Andrew came to visit for Thanksgiving.  They flew into Chicago and we spent the day at the Museum of Science and Industry before they drove to Fort Wayne.  Isaac and Andrew had a great time at the Museum!

New train set

Our basement is finally finished again, so we put together Isaac's new train table. He was so excited!

Just a-swingin'

Isaac and his friend, Avery, had fun on the tire swing at our park!

Movie night

We had our first family movie night with Isaac. He was so excited to watch Buzz and Woody! Unfortunately, we watched Toy Story 3 and Isaac got pretty scared.

Halloween 2010

Trick-or-treating at Concordia

Isaac learned to use the pedals!

McDonald's at Children's Memorial Hospital

Isaac had a cardiology appointment today. He was really great for the nurse, doctor, EKG, putting on the 24-hour monitor and the blood draw! We had McDonald's for lunch. This one serves hotcakes all day! He was really excited to say hi to the clown. The appointment went great and Isaac is doing really well!