Santa 2010

On Wednesday November 24th, Mema and Papa Alberts and I took the little man to see Santa. He did so well this year and even waited in line as patiently as he could. He sat on Santa's lap cheesing for his pictures and then told Santa what he wanted for Christmas. He is getting way to big way to fast (and I know that I've said that a thousand times but I can't help it.... the time is going by way to fast).

We arrived to the mall a little early so I decided it would be a good idea for my little man to build his first bear! He made a bee line to, yep, the brightest blue bear (THE PEACE BEAR). He was a little unsure about making the bear, especially when it was time to stuff the bear. The noise from the stuffing machine scared him a bit, but he quickly got over the scared and went back to making his bear. He even gave his bear a bath. And then after bath we made his bear a birth certificate and named his bear BLUE!

Here they are together with Santa:
Here is our little man making his bear:

The Very Sad of Fall 2010

On October 30, 2010, My aunt Denise Marie Afanador die at the age of 52. Loving wife to my Uncle Louie, mother to my cousins Greg and Steven, grandmother to Izabella and Alejandro, and sister to (my mom) Renee Schilling Mueller and Dave Schilling. It is so hard to believe that almost a month has past by without her here. I'm sitting here looking forward to a Thanksgiving Feast with my family but yet am not feeling as happy as I should. And it's because my Aunt Denise will not be there with us tomorrow enjoying her husband, children, grandchildren, sister and brother, niece and nephew. And enjoying the great food and drinks that we always have. Her presence will be missed greatly and so will her sense of humor and her love. We will all be thinking of you tomorrow Aunt Denise, we love you.

Our family has gone through so much in the last year and a half. My grandfather past in August of 09, my grandmother in December of 09, and now my aunt. Hopefully, 2011 will bring more joy to our family than sadness.

On another sad note, but not nearly as sad as losing family. I made the decision to put down my dog of ten years. Her name was "KOA." She was loyal and protective and probably the best dog I will ever have in my entire adult life. She was one of those dogs you could just let outside with you and she wouldn't go anywhere. She was a porch dog. She was the best. I took her everywhere with me before I got married. She loved the beach. She absolutely loved swimming. And she loved to go running with me. But then when my son was born, I made some bad decisions. I separated all of our dogs from our child, which of course we all know that is exactly what your not supposed to do. I couldn't help it. At the time, we had three dogs. I was so afraid of coming home with a new born baby and three dogs running around my ankles. I kept thinking.... I'm going to fall and trip with the baby.... One of the dogs is going to bite the baby when I'm not looking.....I am going to step on one of the dogs etc.... So anyway.... turns out, out of three dogs she was the last one standing. And after a while she became lonely. And then she started limping. And then she stop going outside to the bathroom. And then I made a very tough decision. And now she is not here. And I miss her. And I think about her all the time. But I know I made the right decision. I know you are at peace and happy now KOA. I love you.

Halloween & Such 2010

Halloween was a bit of a challenge this year. Our little man would not wear a costume. He liked all three of the costumes I bought and would carry them around the house like dolls but just wouldn't wear them. I finally, after seeing his little buddy Anthony dressed up as a farmer, decided that he would be a hunter! My husband and Papa Ed both hunt so I figured since they both have all the hunting gear and our little man has seen all of it, there would be no problem. I was wrong. The first time I put the camouflage overalls on my little man he rolled on the floor screaming, "take these off of me." Eventually, with enough distractions, he got over wearing the hunting overalls and went with the flow!
A week or so prior to Halloween we painted "baby pumpkins" together, participated in the Halloween story time at the library, went to Boo at the Zoo with Nana Dresp, and did some trick or treating in the downtown area of were we live! And although wearing a costume was a bit of a challenge, Halloween turned out to be a great night. We went to Papa and Mema Alberts house for dinner and trick or treating. Our little man was pooped after 15 or so houses so daddy took him back to Papa and mema's to pass out candy to the kids! He had a blast. And we all had a blast watching him.

Fall 2010

Fall of 2010 has been filled with yet more great memories made together and with family and friends. Our little man is not so little anymore. And he is developing the best personality. He is smart, strong, kind, caring, and at times a little stinker! He is learning at a mile a minute and does not forget a thing. He is loved by many people and has had some great experiences thus far in his life. We to have had great experiences since he has come into our lives. It is hard to image life without him. We laugh, play, run, jump, climb, sing, watch movies together, and my favorite- cuddle. We go to the parks, festivals, the zoo,fairs,story time and holiday activities to make sure he is well rounded and learns about everything and anything. Fall of 2010 has been filled with fun and love.

Here is a slide show of our times together and with friends and family:

P.S. Slide show of Halloween to come!!!!