Ohio Week 1: Getting in the Christmas Spirit

We can't believe it but we have officially left DC and are in Ohio on home leave now. Less than a month until we arrive in Trinidad--time is really flying!

Meanwhile, we have been very busy getting ready for Christmas. Here are some snapshots of our first week in Ohio, in no particular order:



Advent calendar time with Nicholas

it might have been a little bit past his bedtime, so he was snoozing

our little eskimo

Nicholas with Grandpa Machak right before we cut down his first Christmas tree. It was COLD out so after we picked out the tree, Mommy and Nicholas waited in the car while Grandpa and Daddy cut it down.

our little family

Nicholas experienced his first snow! He would have experienced it a day earlier had we been in DC or California--how ironic is that?

We went to this really cool Christmas store in Sharon, PA called Kraynak's. They have a huge display of Christmas trees and settings. Being so close to Pittsburgh, they even had a Steeler's tree!

also at Kraynak's, next to the angel

and the nativity scene

and Rudolph!

Mommy's little reindeer next to the reindeer

The first Sunday back David got to go to a Brown's game, with all day tailgating beforehand.

We also went to go see a local Christmas musical. The music was very loud electric guitar, but a small someone managed to sleep right through!

all bundled up, we have to squeeze Nicholas into his carseat. He's not a huge fan of coats or hats or gloves, so we think he'll like Trinidad....

with Grandma and Grandpa in the living room

too cute

Our family in front of the Christmas tree. This was at the end of a long photo session, and someone was pooped out.

Don't we make a nice Christmas card?

As you can see we had a very busy first week in Ohio. David also took me to go out to a nice dinner and to see the Nutcracker in Youngstown. It was a really nice performance and we really enjoyed our date night. The craziness won't stop here-- this weekend we will decorate the tree that we cut down yesterday, and hopefully get our Christmas cards out soon. David's friend Grant is coming to visit on Saturday and we are looking forward to spending time with him. On Sunday, Nicholas is getting baptized! Then next week we have Christmas shopping and eye doctor appointments, and we need to work on getting all our stuff organized and putting together the baby book. Lots of projects!