Holidays 2012 Wrap Up Part II and a BIG announcement

Here are a few additional pictures/stories from the days around Christmas. 

Puzzles were a HUGE hit with Jack this year.  Here he is with two of his new favorites.  

 Hope and Granddad checking out the holiday train exhibit at a local museum.

 Our happy girl on Christmas morning

 YUM!

Jack must have wanted to get to the presents under the tree and that is why he is not sharing in our holiday joy in this shot. 

Here's Jack watching the Grinch.  We didn't do such a good job with selling Santa Claus and all the presents he'd be brining, but we were all about the Christmas music, movies, and books.  Jack's favorite songs were Frosty the Snowman, The Twelve Days of Christmas, a version of Sleigh Ride sung by Sesame Street characters, and the Little Drummer Boy.  I can't count the number of mornings he wanted to watch the Christmas Thomas the Train and Mickey Mouse Club House episodes, as well as the above mentioned Grinch movie and book.  I've packed away the books so he's stopped asking to read them, but I can't seem to get him over the music.  Most nights while I am making dinner, he begs me to pull out the laptop so he can hear "Ernie" (Sleigh Ride) and the "First Day of Christmas" (12 days).  We have a book from my childhood called "The Christmas Tree that Stayed Up All Year."  Well, I think we may be the family who listens to Christmas music all year.  :-)

 

 I think I took this picture of Hope the day after Christmas.  She's become a bit of a climber and I found her sitting in the blocks. Getting out wasn't as easy for her as getting in, but I was impressed.

 

 One of Hope's gifts was balls to turn a laundry basket into a ball pit.  Jack is also a huge fan though we learned quickly that it only takes him seconds before all of the balls are out of the basket and spread across our entire down stairs.

 Jack also got a rolly Thomas backpack from my brother which he loves pulling around.  We tried it out on his back, but it made him look like too much of a big boy for me! Such a sweet photo with his dad though.

Here he is snuggling with said back pack in the car on our way home from my brother's.

Unfortunately for Kevin and the rest of ND nation, cute photos in ND t-shirts did not help the Irish on game night!  Sorry Daddy, but we did our part.  :(

Last Thursday was a big day for Hope and the rest of us.  Here is a video with her physical therapist taking some of her first few steps on her own! 

As if all of that wasn't enough, now . . . on to the big announcement!  Change is coming to our family.  Here's how Hope and Jack reacted to the news . .

Actually I don't think they have a clue that they are going to have a baby sister or brother arriving by the end of June.  It will be enough of an adjustment for both of them at that point, there is no need to start the panic just yet.  :-)  For now, they can just look cute in their t-shirts.

 So, yup, our family is expanding by one.  Kevin and I are pretty excited and things are so far so good.  I am in the midst of my 2nd trimester and happily feeling great.  The beginning was rather rough, in part, I think because I wasn't able to sleep away all hours not at work.  Hope and Jack still wake up the same time every morning and are waiting at the door when I get home from work ready for puzzle building, mommy hugs and of course, dinner.  It's taken us awhile to spread the news and I apologize for not having the time, energy, and motivation to call everyone personally.   I wanted to make sure my few loyal blog readers got the news as early as most.