We had a "Welcome Back to Wisconsin" party for Aunt Anne & Uncle Mike. After over 25 years of living out of state, they are back and living on the west side of Madison. We are excited to have them home! Steve hosted a pizza party Saturday night, where Grace received a few presents from her Godmother, Aunt Mary.

Evan has been home sick the past few days with a fever and nasty cough. But it's given us some nice family time and he is such a trooper, that it's not too difficult on all of us. I snuck this photo as they were watching TV, and I have to note that Gracie, while she is getting more and more independent, loves to be near Evan and doing what he is doing. It's adorable.

More bath pics, because the kiddos were having so much fun the other night. Among the many gifts Grandma Margie gave them was a bath toy that lights up and shoots water. They both LOVE it. Again, it's an example that sometimes the least expensive and non-fancy toy is a favorite.

Every night, as I'm getting Grace dressed after bath time, Eric gets Evan out of the tub and puts him "in a bag", as the picture suggests. Eric proceeds to swing Evan around the room, bounce him on the bed, and have him "fly" directly at Grace which they both find hysterical.

Evan and I were lucky to get invited to my Dad's office Christmas party at the Kohl Center for a UW Women's Hockey game. It was in the nice, large suite with great food, plush seats, and TV monitors to watch the game. Also, a nice encounter with Bucky himself. We had a great time; it's rare when Evan and I get to do something just one-on-one. Having Grandma and Grandpa there was nice, too.

Don't worry, Evan is just having fun with Grandpa:

Bath time!

It's adorable when Gracie is nearing bedtime and she stops to take a break:

A few photos from our amazing family trip to the Rose Bowl. It was so much fun, and a HUGE thanks to my parents for a great trip!

Looks comfortable, huh?

On the way home from school:

ME: How was your day?
EVAN: Good. Ms. Jessie was home sick with a frog in her throat.
ME: Oh yeah, sometimes when we don't feel good we need to stay home and rest.
EVAN: Yeah, if you have a frog or a duckie in your throat you should definitely stay home.

Oh boy :)

Grandma Margie, Aunt Kelly, and cousins Andrew & Emmett came to visit us over the weekend. From the second they stepped in the door I don't think the boys once weren't laughing or telling each other stories. Evan adores them. And Grandma Margie loved seeing Gracie while she is still in the "baby stage". We exchanged Christmas gifts and got caught up on all the news from La Crosse. Fun was had by all.