CHRISTMAS 2010

Christmas was the best ever!  I can't believe that last year I was exactly 10 weeks pregnant on Christmas day.  We woke up early and did the "IntelliGender" test and it said we were having a boy.  We were so excited, but that was nothing compared to the joy and excitement we experienced this year having our little boy here with us.  We started our celebration on Christmas Eve with the annual Christmas party at the cabin.  Sledding, gift exchange, yummy food, grandma's turtles, grandpa's ornaments and a nativity made it such a great day.  I love Christmas Eve at the cabin and I'm thankful for what a fun tradition it has been my entire life.  Later that afternoon we went to Gary and Leesa's house for a Christmas party with Zac's family.  We started a new tradition this year called the "Namaste Christmas Gift Exchange".  We all drew names and rather than buying a present we gave gifts of service and talent.  I think it was such a fun idea and it made us put a lot more thought into what we were giving.  The highlight of the night was definitely the Dance Central on the Xbox Kinect.  SO MUCH FUN!!!  We ended the night at my parents house for a slumber party.  My mom gave us all new jammies and we spent time drinking hot chocolate, snacking on cheese and crackers, wrapping presents and lots and lots of talking.  Santa found us and Christmas morning we woke up around 7:30 to open presents.  Zion was spoiled, of course, and me and Zac made out pretty dang good, too!  Zion's favorite gift was his jumperoo.  He jumped and laughed and jumped and laughed all day long.  He was so dang funny.  After a breakfast of Shirley's cinnamon rolls, eggs, sausage, and banana pancakes with buttermilk syrup, we stopped by Gary and Leesa's for a minute.  Then we went back to my parents house and spent the rest of the day playing with Zion's toys and watching movies with my family.  This really was the best Christmas ever.  Even though people always say kids make everything better, I never really understood, but now I do and I couldn't agree more!  Zion, thanks for making this the best Christmas ever.  I love you little buddy!

Here's our little family Christmas morning at Nana and Papa Houtz's house

In front of the Christmas stash

Zion loved the wrapping paper

SPOILED little guy!  At home in his jumperoo with his mountain of toys.  He got some really cute clothes too, but they were already in the laundry when I took this picture.

Catch up Nov-Dec

I have been such a horrible blogger, so I'm going to do a couple posts to try to catch up.

We split Thanksgiving... the first half of the day we spent at my parent's house with all of the extended Houtz family, and the second half of the day we spent at Gary & Leesa's with Zac's brothers and all of Leesa's kids and their families.  It was a great day!

Thanksgiving night the "Elf on the Shelf" brought special Christmas jammies to get Zion in the Christmas spirit.  He loved them and the Elf!

Zion has really been packing on the pounds.  He had acid reflux so bad when he was a newborn, but now that he is eating baby food his milk stays down.  He has gained 3-4ish pounds since his 4 month check up.  He LOVES food.  So far there is nothing he hasn't liked, even my homemade split pea and ham soup.  I pretty much make all of his baby food.  I just throw whatever fruit or veggies we are eating in my VitaMix and then freeze it in little snack size Ziplocks.  He absolutely loves clementines.  When he sees me peeling one he gets all excited.  I bite the end off and then let him gum it a little and suck the juice out and he goes crazy!  It's adorable.  The next picture is of Zion eating his bananas at CPK.

I turned 24 this month and had the best birthday ever!  My family spoiled me with gifts and then we all went to Happy Sumo for some delicious sushi and then to my parent's house for my mom's amazing homemade key lime pie!  YUMMY!  Here are some family pictures we took walking around Riverwoods after sushi.

Zion got to play baby Jesus in the Larsen family Christmas nativity.  I think he did a pretty good job!

I think that quickly raps up the last month.  Christmas post to come!!