First Christmas X 4

1st Christmas - Our family awoke early on the morning of the 23rd to open gifts at our house before making our Christmas road trip. We wanted to start our own little family tradition. Eva gave Dad a new hat complete with ears...just like hers!

4th Christmas (the pictures got a little scrambled) - We celebrated the holiday with the Hollingsworths on Christmas day. Here Eva poses with Grandma and aunt Laura. 3rd Christmas- Christmas Eve was spent at the Weier's. We attended an early church service, ate Grandpa Ron's homemade chicken soup, opened gifts, and played board games. Here is a 3 generation picture: Janis Kay, Lindsay Kay, and Eva Kay.
2nd Christmas - Grandma and Grandpa Weier hosted the Butler family Christmas at their house. To add a little spice, we made it an "Ugly Sweater" night. Here we are sporting our lovely clothes. Even Eva took part in the fun.
And that is the story of Eva's first Christmas x 4.

First solids! (Kind of)

Eva had her first meal tonight...rice cereal soaked in breast milk. Yum! Mom and Dad both shared in the fun of feeding her. She didn't seem to mind the food, but she didn't show signs of loving it either.

5 months old!

December 17 marked Eva's 5th month of life. Her day was filled with highs and lows. First, she joined us for an omelette breakfast (made by dad). Then, she helped dad read the paper! The weather continued to unseasonably warm so we all went for a long walk in the afternoon.That evening, she got to stay with Jade and Hillary while mom and dad went to see The Nutcracker. A night with two teenagers...sounds fun doesn't it? Not for Eva, she cried the whole time and mom and dad came home early. We felt sorrier for the girls than the baby, who was smiling and laughing as soon as we got home.

Turkey Day!

Eva got to celebrate yet another holiday...Thanksgiving! With our busy schedules recently, our family decided to stay pretty close to home and enjoy some time together. Although, we did travel to Platteville for a smaller Thanksgiving with mom's family. This year we shared cooking responsibilities and tried out some new recipes! It was a wonderful dinner. Eva decided to take a nap right as we were sitting down to eat, so she missed out on most of the fun.

Her mom and dad also had a big milestone...their first official date since Eva's arrival! Grandma and Grandpa babysat while we stole away to Dubuque for a little Christmas shopping and a nice dinner. Unfortunately, Eva didn't have such a nice night. She decided to be a little fussy while we were gone. Her Grandma assured us it was no problem, she just decided to have two glasses of wine instead of her usual one. :)

Once we returned home, we spent some time decorating the house for Christmas and getting our tree. The weather was unbelievably beautiful so we also spent time outside going for walks, and Dad got to go golfing.

4 months!

We continue to be amazed at the changes in our little bug. Each day she gets stronger, more alert, and is a lot of fun. Eva has discovered her hands and likes to grab and touch everything near her (that is when they are not in her mouth!) She is a smiley, happy girl who loves to laugh. First day in the exersaucer
Relaxing in Grandpa's chair

Visit from Grandma & Grandpa H

Eva's grandparents came up for a visit this weekend...just in time to enjoy our first snow and watch the Badgers shut down the Hawkeyes. (One of her parents is happier about that than the other.) Eva enjoyed the extra attention and we all had a nice weekend.

Aunt Jenny

Eva's Aunt Jenny has been very busy. She is completing rotations as a part of her final year of optometry school. She just finished up her second rotation and spent the last three months living with her dog, Gus, in a cabin on a lake in Michigan. She used the quiet nights to take up crocheting. She just finished her first project...a blanket for Eva. Eva loves her new blanket and sleeps with it every night.

Happy Halloween!

This year's Halloween was Eva's first holiday...ever! We really got into the spirit of the season. Our little caterpillar dressed up and entertained the trick-or-treaters that came to our house. I may have put her on the floor one too many times...it was just too much fun watching her wiggle in her costume...she looked like the real thing! Our little caterpillar

Eva's first pumpkin carving party

Memories and Meerkats

Dad says: Here is a pic of us at the Phoenix Zoo. When we were there in 2001, it was 900 degrees out so the animals were hiding. This time we saw nearly every exhibit. You'll notice the endangered John Deere tractor that was displayed by the petting zoo. Definitely awe-inspiring. A really cool picture would have been the meerkat with the three of us on the John Deere tractor.

Mom's Little Helper

Eva and I are enjoying our last week together at home. I am getting much better at getting things done around the house while keeping her entertained. Here she is helping me with the laundry!

Splish, Splash

Happy Baby Wet Dad

Eva's bathtub has a hammock that we have used to support her during bath time. Last night, Les decided to take it out and let her sit in the water. Little did he know the adventure he was in for.... Eva loved being immersed in water and had a blast kicking her legs and splashing the water everywhere! The floor, counters, and Dad were very wet by the end of bath time.

14 Weeks!

Eva is fourteen weeks today! She is getting stronger and developing so much. Here are some of her new tricks:

• lift her head while lying on her stomach
• laugh out loud
• follow objects with her eyes
• hold her head steady when sitting upright
• say "ah-goo" and make a "razzing" sound

Her mom and dad are very proud of our little bug!

Only in Wisconsin...

We returned from our trip to Arizona just in time for ... snow! This is a strange picture taken of our back yard. One tree still looks like summer, one is changing for fall, and surrounding them both on the ground is snow. It is hard to believe that just a week ago we were worrying that Eva was too warm in the hot Arizona weather.

Only in Wisconsin...

Family Vacation!

Mark and Jackie with their "boys"
Janet and Cade at Abuelo's
Carla with Prancer and Vixen (Dasher not shown)

Our family took advantage of my maternity leave and traveled to Phoenix for nearly a week. We had three priorities while we were there: visit the friends and family we miss so much, enjoy the BEAUTIFUL weather, and eat Mexican food. We managed to do it all, but the week went so fast.

It was wonderful having both Les and I free of any responsibilities. We took turns staying with Eva so that the other could go out and do things they enjoy. Les spent some time on the golf courses. I took advantage of time with my girlfriends: lunch with the Brinton 3rd grade team, a spa night with Janet, shopping with Jackie, and lunch with Carla.

Our trip sparked a lot of memories of the wonderful life we had there. We both hope to keep in touch with friends and visit when we can.

Welcome Fall!

Our family has been enjoying the change of seasons. Eva enjoys being a Wisconsin baby and bundles up for our walks. Mom and Eva baked an apple crisp using apples from Grandpa Ron's orchard.

Field Trip!

Eva and I joined her daycare group for a field trip to a pumpkin patch. We visited the animals at the petting zoo and picked out her second pumpkin ever! (Her first one was grown for her at Grandpa Ron's farm.

Here are her new friends from daycare: Molly, Kate, and Jack. Liz is pictured with baby Max. Although I would love to stay home with her, Eva is very lucky to get to spend her days with such a great bunch!

Eva's World

Eva has met many people and seen many new places in her 12 weeks. But, these are the people and places she knows best: our family, our home, and her room.

Buddies

Frank is a very proud dog. He really likes the new baby. He spends his days following me around while I care for Eva.

Eva is now waking only once at night to eat. Frank and I are enjoying a more "regular" sleep schedule. For her first few weeks, the three of us were up every few hours at night. Frank was not afraid to express his displeasure. But, he never failed to keep me company, no matter how tired he was.

Natalie and Eva

On our way back home, we stopped at Dave and Meg's to say hi. Natalie was very excited to meet Eva! She liked holding the baby and playing with her. She even offered Eva juice and invited her to watch a movie. She will make a great big sister to the new baby in their family coming in March.

Birthday Party

This past weekend our little family headed to Iowa to help Great-grandma Sheckler celebrate her 80th birthday. Her entire family was able to get together to share her special day with her. She is pictured here with her great-grandchildren.