2009 - And so it begins

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year - from Me and Grandma!

Well everyone, I was so caught up in the hoopla of the holidays that I neglected to keep you all posted on the events of the last few weeks.

The folks and I left on December 22nd to make the long jaunt to Iowa. We had great travel conditions the whole way and I was a saint. However, the trip was a little tainted due to a little bug or something that Mom and Dad picked up. Dad was nauseous the whole way and Mom actually tossed her cookies twice on the way. In spite of all this we still managed to make the trip in less than 10.5 hours.

Once we arrived I was showered with hugs and kisses and it continued that way until we left two weeks later. Grandpa, Grandma and all the aunts and cousins refused to let me lie flat... I was always held - which I absolutely loved. We spent Christmas day in a pretty low key fashion because we would be celebrating with the whole family on Sunday in Okoboji.

On Saturday after Christmas we packed up again and headed to Clarion, IA where we met with Grandpa's mom and brother and sister and their families at Dad's favorite place - the Pizza Ranch! I met most of these people for the first time and they were really nice and liked to hold me a lot also. Following that party we headed to Okoboji to begin our week of fun there.

In Okoboji we stayed at the Village West Resort complex and had an apartment for each family - except Julie was with Grandpa and Grandma... so we had four units (one for Andrew and Jenness & kids, one for Barry and Joni & kids, one for Mom and Dad & me & cousin Maggie, and one for Grandpa and Grandma & Julie). It was really fun... I got to swim for the first and only time so far - I really enjoyed the water.

On Sunday (Christmas for us) we went to church and then to the pool and opened our gifts after everyone finished swimming. I liked the gifts part, but how exhausting, I ended up falling asleep and Mom opened my gifts for me...she told me all about it later!

Guess what, I ended 2008 in grand style... On December 31st, I was in the emergency room in Spencer, IA! That's right, with all the excitement of the holidays, I ended up picking up not only some great new gifts, but also an upper respiratory virus. Mom and Dad were worried that I had contracted RSV, but much to our relief, that test turned up negative. However, the following three or four days were pretty scary for Mom and Dad since I sounded pretty sick (a lot of wheezing and congestion). I was as charming as always though. Through the wheezing and sneezing I was still able to smile at and entertain the Dr's and nurses in the ER - I think they purposefully took a little longer to get the test results so that they could hang out with me a little longer!

Following the fun in Okoboji, we headed back to Orange City and took it easy for the rest of the weekend until it was time to leave on Monday. The trip back to Colorado was another good one... this time we were all in good health and the only hiccup is that Nebraska is too boring!

So we're back at home. Since our return we've found that high winds have damaged the shingles on the roof of the house well as blown down several portions of our fence around our yard. We have to watch Boscoe very closely now when we let him out to go potty so that he doesn't make a break for it!

Yesterday we also watched intently as the news kept us abreast on the details of a brush fire near Boulder... pretty scary stuff... fortunately no one was hurt and the property damage was smaller than first anticipated.

Pictures from our vacation to Iowa:

Here I am flyin' high at Grandpa and Grandma's house

This is Mom and me with Great Grandma at the Pizza Ranch in Clarion

My cousin Erin loves babies - Erin will be two on January 19th
I get all of my clothes from Erin - it works out to my advantage
There was a king size bed in our room... I took up the whole thing, there was no room for Mom or Dad - the Pack 'n' Play just wouldn't cut it for me.
This is Grandma and me just before we ventured into the water... Grandma was confident, but I was unsure.
I think I got the hang of it - I was on the verge of enjoyment - I ended up falling asleep in my floaty toy later in the afternoon - the water is very relaxing!
Aunt Jenness, Julie and Grandpa are so silly - they can't fit through there!
Here's Mommy opening my Christmas gifts while Dad held me as I slept.
Grandpa's pretty comfy.
Here's a picture of Mommy and her sisters and mom after an evening at the pool and hanging out together.
(left to right): Aunt Jenness, Mom, Grandma, Aunt Julie, Aunt Joni

Those were just a sampling of the 286 pictures taken during my holiday break in Iowa.
We had such a good time... I hope we'll do it again next year!

Happy New Year everyone!
Love, Lydia