Go, Go, Goers!

The most wonderful time of the year has arrived!  And passed, actually.  All of the stress that leads up to this holiday season is finally done.  The presents were wrapped (well, those that made it to our house before Christmas Eve, that is), the cookies were baked (albeit, a little burned and undercooked...all at the same time), and Santa made it to South St Paul without any issues (little does he know that his cookies were all dropped on the floor by sweet little Ava...hope they were good, jolly man!) The next big thing is to ring in 2011.  A new year and a fresh start...at least that's what we're hoping for! But, back to the chaos of Christmas.  We spent Christmas Eve with Scott's mom's side of the family, and had a great time watching all of the kids open their gifts.  Ava was so very patient.  We didn't bring any of her gifts with us, as we wanted to open them at home on Christmas day - so as her cousins were all ripping into th...

Not being organized this holiday season is stressing me out just a bit. Last night I looked at Scott and freaked out just a little that there weren't going to be any cookies to leave for Santa on Friday night.  Well, thank goodness he's level-headed.  With a patient look on his face, he reminded me that we do have access to a grocery store.  So, little Ava and I will be baking some pre-made snowman cookies later this week.  Check that off the list! Last night, we debated going to the Hollidazzle parade in Minneapolis.  It's so much fun and Ava would absolutely love it!  However, it was a little chilly, and neither of us were keen on standing outside with a shivering toddler for an hour.  So, instead, we decided to drive around and look at Christmas lights in the area.  I'll be honest - people aren't doing up the decor like they used to.  We drove for 2.5 hours, went to 5 different cities, and saw only a few displays that were worth men...

Our tree is up. Some presents are bought (but not wrapped, of course), the Christmas cards are ordered, and I have decided not to bake any of my Christmas goodies this year.  Oh yeah, the holidays are definitely in full swing! We had a Goers' family Christmas party last night...and it was, by far, the best Goers' party we have had so far. Minnesota got hit with a serious blizzard this weekend, yet the party was still on...and once people got there, they didn't want to leave!  It was a wonderful way to start to celebrate the season with the people we care about. The following are just some random shots over the last few weeks... Snuggling with Daddy before bed...watching Scooby Do, I believe. Ava loves getting piggy-back rides.  I didn't realize how exhausting it was! Love her big belly hanging out here. She gets so tired of me taking pictures of her... This doesn't even look like her...her hair looks so long!  And even when Ava looked at the pi...

Wow, am I behind on blogging!  The holidays just seemed to sneak up this year, and I am feeling so far behind on everything that I need to do...and not just the holiday specials, but everyday things, too! We went to Colorado to visit my parents for Thanksgiving.  This was Ava's first plane ride, and I was more than a little concerned on how it was going to go.  The three of us had an EARLY flight out together on Wednesday morning, and then Scott flew home on Sunday, while Ava and I flew home on Monday afternoon.  All I will say is that it is a bit more tricky flying with a child than without.  Especially one who decides that she wants to be carried everywhere, regardless of the fact that there are 4 other bags to carry, a carseat to haul around, and all of the undressing that happens while going through airport security. All that aside - it was great!  She talked non-stop on both flights, and then fell asleep 10 minutes before landing each time.  S...