Christmas 2007

Another Christmas flown by... We decided not to deal with the airlines for this trip and made the drive to Dayton in about 10 hours. Maggie hardly napped in the car, I guess there was just too much to excitement and things to see for her to drift into dreamland. Beth, Jay, Xanthe and Beatrix were all in town for the holiday. It was wonderful to be together, especially since it was the first time we spent the actual holiday together since 2003. Maggie and Beatrix enjoyed "sharing" toys and running around together. Peg's dad seemed to be feeling well, despite the chemo and was happy to mark the "half-way" point where that is concerned. Paul and Mary Farwig came from St. Louis for a short visit bearing even more gifts. We missed seeing the Farwig siblings and cousins though. There was an abundance of food, treats and presents, as usual, and we are thankful to be so blessed.

The girls all dressed up for Christmas Eve Mass

Opening gifts at Aunt Mick's on Christmas Eve

Pure Joy!

Christmas morning

Winter Wonderland

The biggest snowfall of the season so far arrived yesterday. We had steady snow showers all day and got about 8-9 inches. Jim came home from work early but couldn't get the car up the driveway so he promptly put the snowblower into action. We bundled up Maggie and took her outside. She wasn't a fan of the cold and her restricted range of motion. I don't even think she left the garage. She was much happier once we returned to the warm safety of the indoors.

What are you guys doing to me?

Relief! They finally came to their senses and brought me inside!

I would much rather play inside and rearrnage the furniture.

Deck the Halls

A cozy, tranquil Sunday afternoon spent decorating the tree and listening to Christmas music, the perfect vision of family togetherness...ahh the naiveté of first time parents. We thought it would be fun to have Maggie "help" us decorate the tree. It only took a couple minutes for us to remember that she's a curious 14 month old who loves to touch everything. Finally, we came to terms with reality and decided to decorate the bottom half of the tree after she went to bed. It sure made for some cute pictures though.

Half Way There

Peg hit the 20 week mark in her pregnancy this week. We got a peek inside at Baby Farwig #2 who was active and healthy. We didn't want to know the gender. Bo Baby (as we call him/her) helped us out by sitting indian style and making sure we couldn't see a thing!

First belly shot this pregnancy

Bo Baby's fist and arm were near the face so it's not the best profile shot

Pictures with Santa

Maggie experienced her first ever torture, I mean, picture with Santa this Saturday. We took her to the local elementary school which was having a holiday breakfast and show. The Polaroid was a throw back to 1978, complete with orange tile walls as backdrop. Hopefully, she's not scarred for life.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Over the river and through the arch to grandmother's house we went. Our Thanksgiving with the Farwigs was filled with family, fun and games, and of course, great food. Maggie enjoyed her first piece of pumpkin pie, much to the delight of everyone watching. During our flights, Maggie was very interested in looking out the window. While this new experience was fun for her, Mom and Dad sure miss the days when she napped on the plane.

Crazy Aunt Julie getting ready for her big ski trip.

PawPaw showed Maggie how fun it is to snack right out of the bag.

Building a ginger bread house with Lia


Family portrait

November pictures

We've had some techincal difficulties which prevented us from getting our pictures off the camera. So finally here are a few must see pics from earlier this month. Poor Maggie baby was sick with a bad stomach bug at the beginning of the month. One day all she did was sleep and snuggle with Mom. A few days later she was back to her normal antics of chasing the cat.

Not feeling so well...

Watch out kitty, I'm back!


Luckily Maggie's fever broke in time for mom and dad to celebrate Peg's birthday with night at the movies. Jim put his culinary skills to the test and made his first cake. It wasn't very pretty, but it sure tasted good!

Presentation is overrated...

Roller coaster weekend

We visited Ohio last weekend and it sure was a full four days. The original purpose of our trip was to attend the wedding of our friends Maureen and Aaron. The timing of the visited ended up being perfect as Peg's Dad was hospitalized and diagnosed with bladder cancer. He will undergo chemotherapy initially, to be followed by surgery. He certainly has a fight ahead of him, but we are confident he will make a full recovery.

Maureen and Aaron's wedding was a beautiful celebration of their love and family. One of the highlights was watching Mo and three of her siblings perform their Irish dances. The weekend contained every color on the spectrum of emotion, and we are truly grateful for our friends and family.

Pumkin Fest Weekend

We enjoyed the gorgeous fall weather and had a pumpkin-filled weekend. Saturday we visited the Robas Family Farm for the best agritainment the area has to offer. We fueled up with a picnic lunch before we got started. After getting lost in the corn maze, we visited the pumpkin patch and hay fort. We had to cut the day short when it started to get cold and rainy. Sunday we checked out Pumkin Fest at the Endless Mtn. Nature Center. Maggie was too young to paint the pumpkins, but she loved to pick up the leaves and walnuts from the ground. Mom and Dad enjoyed the free apple cider!

Party of Four

We are thrilled to announce that we'll be a family of four come this April! We are very excited to be adding to our family. Like last time, we're going to be suprised and not find out the gender until the little one makes his/her debut. Peg has been feeling well, a little tired, but otherwise no complaints. Maggie loves other children and will no doubt, be a great big sister.

Watch out new little one, I'm the Big Sister!

Weekend Away

Jim and I enjoyed a long weekend away in Vermont to celebrate the wedding of our friends Mike and Jill. The drive north through the Adirondack mountains was gorgeous and the fall foliage at it's peak. We stayed at a lovely B&B on the Grand Isle in Lake Champlain. A highlight was exploring the quaint Burlington, VT. Mike and Jill had a beautiful setting for their very personal wedding ceremony, complete with VT maple syrup as favors. It was nice to get away for a few days. We were so grateful that MawMaw and PawPaw Farwig could stay the week in PA to care for Maggie. They taught her lots of new tricks while we were gone and spoiled her rotten for sure!

Lunch on Church St.


Wedding Bliss

Maggie's 1st Birthday

What a year! Our little girl has grown and accomplished so much in this first year. She even started walking just in time for the big day. Maggie celebrated her first birthday with visits from Grandma and Grandpa Flynn and MawMaw and PawPaw Farwig. We had a fun party with a few neighbors and friends. Maggie wasn't so sure about her cake at first, but once she had a few bites she realized that chocolate was pretty yummy!

Mom's cake decorating class paid off

Party fun!


Yummy cake!

Visits to OH and MO

We had a great time last week visiting friends and family in Cincinnati, Dayton, and St. Louis. We stayed with our friends the Ehlerdings in Cincinnati while Jim had training. Maggie had a great time playing with the twins. Next we headed to Dayton for a few days to visit Grandma and Grandpa. Maggie really liked exploring their big back yard. Aunt Beth was in town from California so we got to see her too. Then it was off to St. Louis to visit the Farwigs. The boys enjoyed watching the Cardinals pound on the Reds, while the girls had loads of fun playing Nertz. Sunday we celebrated Maw Maw's birthday and Maggie's too. Maggie really liked her cousins Zane and Lia and was trying to chase after them, but they were definitely faster. We were exhausted when we got home, but it was a great trip and so wonderful to see our friends and family!

Triple the fun at meal time!


Enjoying a snack at Grandma and Grandpa's.

Fun in St. Louis

11 months!

It's hard to believe Maggie is 11 months old! She is growing and learning more every day. Maggie melts our hearts with "Mama" and "Dada" and knows objects such as the kitty, the ball, the fan, and her milk. She is always on the move, crawling, standing and creeping. She loves to explore in the kitchen and is definitely keeping Mommy on her toes!