A Look Back at January

January 2010

Lillia Paige was Three Months old!  We had just celebrated our first Christmas as a family of three.

We were living in Huxley and I was working at Cornerstone Church in Ames, while Brandon was working for John Deere in West Des Moines.

January 2011

 Lillia was just over a year.  One of her favorite places to sit and read was on the rug in front of the stove.  She had just enough hair in the back to put into pig tails and she LOVED cell phones!  Brandon and I went with his parents to RiverDance (we gave them tickets that Christmas).  We still lived in Huxley, but by this time I was staying home and watching kiddos.

January 2012

Our Lawson Conry was just a few weeks old and Lillia had turned two just a few months before he was born.  Poor little guy had jaundice, you can even see the yellow in his eyes. We moved to Kansas about 6 months prior.  We got to spend lots of time with the grandparents last January!  :)  

And wow, Lillia sure has grown up since this time last year!

January 2013

And now here we are....with a One year old and a Three year old!  

Time FLIES when you're having fun!

One Year Comparison

Lawson and Lillia at One Year

Happy Birthday Lawson!

Just one year ago, I made a phone call to my mom on New Year's Eve.  She was just settling into a party with a drink in one hand and cards in the other.  Her party plans were about to change.

I was in labor.  And she was planning on driving to Kansas to stay with Lillia while we went to the hospital to have a baby.

So, last year, she rang in the new year in the car, on her way to Olathe!  And we rang in the new year one contraction at a time!  And just two hours into 2012 Lawson was born!

This year my mom once again was in the car on December 31, however this time it wasn't 9pm that she was starting her trip.  Instead at 9pm we were starting our party....once again with a drink in hand and cards in the other!

Lawson turned a year old on Tuesday and got to celebrate with his both sets of grandparents!  We started the day off right with Cinnamon Roll Pancakes!  And for lunch we treated him to one of his favorites, homemade pizza!  He had more fun opening his presents this time than he did at Christmas when he wasn't feeling well.  And finally he got to dive into his very own cupcake!

Brandon had hoped he could also celebrate with a Husker victory, but unfortunately neither the Huskers or the Cyclones could pull out a win this time around.  Either way, we did our best to have team spirit on their game days!

Happy Birthday Lawson!  What joy you bring to our lives daily!  We are so thankful God blessed us with you just one year ago!

New Hat, New Jammies, New One Year Old!

 New Years Eve with Grampa and Gramma

 Birthday Breakfast

 Opening presents with the help of Lillia

 Singing Happy Birthday!

Lawson driving his new firetruck while sporting some new clothes from Grammy and Papa

New Years Day with Grammy and Papa

Getting Crafty...

Once the cold weather hit, I've been in a put on the slippers and don't venture out into the cold -ever- kind of mood.  So when I do go out its for two things: groceries and project necessities.  Yes, that's right.  The crafting/projecting/redecorating/reorganizing part of me comes out in full force when it's cold outside and warm and cozy inside.  Brandon's thrilled about it.  (Not really.  But when I'm done with my projects, 9 times out of 10 he really likes them.)

Anyhow, here's what I've been up to:

Made our Christmas stockings...

 Made a burlap wreath and flower and hung it over the sheet music covered window above the piano...

Reorganized all our books and toys upstairs and downstairs...

Made coat hooks for the wall by the front door...

I also made a few Christmas gifts out of a picture and some wood to make it look like it was on canvas
(using this method), did touch-up painting throughout the house, reorganized the toy room, and organized/added some decor to the kitchen.

I love doing this!  It energizes and refreshes my soul! 

There are more projects/ideas swirling in my head, just waiting to come to life!  :)

Feeling Festive

I enjoy decorating for the holidays.  

Nothing too elaborate, just enough to make the house feel warm and cozy! 

 

Our little Charlie Brown Christmas Tree.

Our not so merry Christmas Vacation...

As the Friday before Christmas quickly approached, I was busy getting ready to leave our Kansas home for about 8 days to celebrate the holiday with our families in Nebraska and Iowa.  Little did I know our trip would not go quite like I planned.

Thursday Lawson started a runny nose and slight fever.  He was drooling like crazy....so of course I thought he was getting teeth as those tend to be his symptoms when a tooth is coming in.  He was very clingy to mom, didn't eat well, and didn't sleep well on Thursday night. 

Friday morning he still had a slight fever, but was eating breakfast like normal, so we decided we would go ahead and pack up and head to Omaha as planned.  Well, by the time we were in the car and half way into our journey, it was clear that Lawson had something else going on other than teething.  After arriving in Omaha and unpacking the van, Lawson's fever was no longer a low grade.  He was hot to the touch and clearly very miserable.  Long story short, for the next few days Lawson did not feel well....he didn't eat much....he didn't sleep well...he only wanted to be held and would only sleep if he was held....and that ol' fever hung around.

We made the decision to go ahead and head to Ames for a whirlwind Christmas before coming back home to Kansas.

The night we returned home, Lawson slept for 9 hours, which was more than he had slept in almost a week.  And the following night he slept for 13 hours!  It was good to be home and he was getting the rest he needed!  And guess what?  On top of his illness, he did get another tooth!

Turns out he had roseola, a common childhood illness.  I remember Lillia having it once, too.  Nothing you can do for it really, other than to keep your child as comfortable as possible, which is exactly what we did.

 Poor baby boy.

 On the morning of Christmas Eve.

Due to the little guy not feeling well, I did not take many pictures as most of my time was spent holding/tending to him....in the basement....away from all the action.  And after downloading all my pictures....turns out I didn't take ANY while we were in Ames.  Mom, Molly.....send me some!  :)