Jingle Bells

Maryjane and Asa get ready for a sleigh ride.

The holiday season is in full swing. Maryjane is in awe of Santa and gets super excited whenever we see him. She was fortunate to be invited on a sleigh ride with some friends. She thought the horses and sleigh were great, but a surprise visit from Santa made the night. Christmas will be fun with her this year. Too bad for Brea, she slept through most of the excitement. Maybe next year.
On another note. Brea continues to follow in big sister's footsteps, rating exceptional in her development. Since she shows an enthusiastic interest in foods, we are starting solid foods this week. She is growing up fast!


We love our Christmas tree.


MJ gets a present from Santa. The first of many to come!

What a thoughtful big sister.....

Maryjane loves birthday parties. Its cake, ice cream, singing, presents, and fun all in one. So, when she found a gift still in the bag for Baby Brea, she decided it was her birthday. That is how things work in the thoughtful mind of a two year old big sister. She opened the gift and gave to her sister, then made her a birthday cake from scratch in her kitchen, then took her fork and tried to force the cake down the throat of her 3 and a half month old sister with a plastic fork. Needless to say that her good intentions were not received the way that she expected. She still sang the happy birthday song while Brea wailed and tried to wiggle away.

Family vacation

A view of Chicago from 103 stories up


Our first adventure as a foursome took us to visit our family in Illinois. The girls are excellent travelers and did awesome on the long airplane rides. We packed a lot of stuff into the few days that we spent in Chicago. We went into the city on the "L", spent an afternoon at the Lincoln Park zoo, went to the top of Willis tower (aka the Sears tower), and Navy Pier. On top of all the activity, we had a fun family dinner with our Pietrini family. Maryjane was the center of attention as she dove into a HUGE bowl of spaghetti. We spent the rest of our time in East Peoria where Great-Granny lives. We didn't do too much, but had a great time spending time relaxing with the family. The girls had fun getting to know their extended family of aunts, uncles, and lots of cousins. We sure miss them!


Great-Grandma, the girls, and cousin Cole


Maryjane and Cole in Grandma's backyard


Hanging out with Aunt Jan and Uncle Roger


Maryjane learning all about peppers from Uncle Roger

A new adventure

August 2010 has been the most eventful month of Maryjane's 2 years. Not only did she turn 2, she became a big sister. Brea Ann Baxter's arrival has changed and challenged Maryjane's world. Ah, sisters. The next 18 years will be filled with laughter, love, battles, and maybe a few bruises.



Meeting Brea



Sharing Daddy with a new baby