Lucy's First Santa Visit

It's been a long time since I've updated the blog but I feel bad if I have no pictures to post, so we finally took some pictures and here we are.

This month has flown by since Halloween. Work is super crazy right now and going to be like that until the baby comes. I try to be thankful I have a job as many are getting laid off these days.

What is new? Let's see...Lucy had a 36-hour flu bug, vomiting many times on mommy, early this month. She is becoming more and more independent (read: she does not want to do what you ask her to do) and is a smarty pants. We are contemplating getting the "My Baby Can Read" software just to see what happens.

Troy has been hunting a lot (one 10-point buck at the MN opener, nothing in WI, yet.) and I've been getting Christmas shopping done. As well, winter-time brings a new craft season for me, scrapbooking. I have been working on a project for the in-law's and pictured below is what I discovered when Lucy was quiet one day...

Yesterday Lucy and I spent the afternoon/evening with Kellie and Matt Jones. Our first stop was to the Stillwater Court House for their Victorian Christmas, including a Santa visit. Santa was off in a side room and Lucy and I were walking through a crowd when she spotted him and immediately turned around trying to shove through my legs. Neither kid wanted anything to do with Santa! He tried bribing them with hi-fives (where are the suckers Santa? duh.) but nothing was working. So finally I just plopped her on his knee and took some pictures. Santa looks great, Lucy looks ticked.

We then took the kids to a craft bazaar and out to lunch at Lily's in Stillwater. I had been craving a real cherry Coke and finally got my wish. The kids were semi- well-behaved through lunch. We made a trip to Woodbury to get some Christmas shopping done and the kids zonked out in the truck, so Kellie and I took turns shopping while the other was in the truck with the kids. Went back to the Jones house were I had an urge to "nest" and clean out Kellie's craft room. The kids had a popcorn party and played together nicely before we headed home.

I am still in the midst of my Medical Transcriptionist program, trying to remember to work on a case every night so I can complete this before March. Trying to figure out what we're going to do when I go on maternity leave as far as daycare, when to go back to work, if I want to reduce my hours and all sorts of adult decisions.

This week is Thanksgiving and it's a busy week at that. Monday night I'm going with a girlfriend to the MN Wild game. Tuesday it's into the office. Wednesday friends and kids are going to the local hotel to go swimming. During all of this we need to get some grocery shopping done and house cleaning before Thursday hits. I am on call for work and hoping for no problems to arise that send me to the computer for hours. This weekend I'll get my holiday, I mean, CHRISTMAS, cookie baking done (my circle at church does an exchange). Then in a couple weeks Troy and I are off to Chicago for a weekend at the Christkindlmarket and hoping we can sleep in past 6 am for a few days.

I will try to post after Thanksgiving with photos from the big day!