Cute Stuff

Let's face it, Owen is a pretty cute kid. Here are some random pictures showing his cuteness. He had SO much fun in Arizona, I don't think he ever had a dull moment the whole time we were there!

Fun at the Park

We couldn't go to Arizona without taking advantage of the great weather!! We went to the park as often as we could. It's so nice to be outside, we just love it! It'll be a good 4 months or so before we're able to go to the park again.

This boy could go down slides all day.

 He loves the swings, but only for about 2 minutes then he's done.

He's such a big boy!

Owen took his first carousel ride

We love feeding the ducks!

Grandma Jean with her two great grandbabies

I just had to throw in an Arizona sunset because they are so pretty!

Temple Lights

One of my favorite things to do at Christmas time in Arizona is see the temple lights. They aren't much different from year to year, but there's just something magical walking around with your family and seeing all the trees and plants lit up and the nativity displays.

My SLR camera took awesome pictures in the dark, all without a flash!!

Christmas Day

Christmas morning was pretty leisurely. We ate yummy breakfast while we waited for the rest of Josh's family to arrive. We opened our stockings, then we attacked the pile of Christmas presents! Once again, the focus was on the grandkids and Owen was spoiled. I think he got a bit overwhelmed after a while because he started to get tired pretty fast!

Josh gave me my present in AZ. Unfortunately it wasn't much of a surprise because I helped pick it out. But, I was really really excited to get it......a Canon Rebel XSi SLR camera!!!!

I also got a 50mm lens to go with it as well. I've wanted a camera like this for a really long time, but didn't think I'd get one any time soon. Josh decided that I should have one now so I can enjoy the 6 months we have left in Chicago and perhaps take a photography class. I love it! I still don't really know how to use it well and I mostly shoot on auto mode, but I'm excited to learn! The difference in picture quality from cameras I'm used to is amazing. I tested it out by taking a sampling of pictures of people. Thank You Josh!!!

Christmas Eve

We spent Christmas Eve at my mom's house with two of my sisters. We had a nice dinner then opened our presents together. Owen really started getting the hang of opening presents and loved each new toy he received! He got a baby, because every time he saw one somewhere he'd immediately be drawn to it! He loves to give his baby hugs, it's super sweet.

My (and Josh's) gift was a new Canon Powershot camera! I love it! Our old point and shoot camera that we had to buy in Ecuador because I accidently lost our old camera really is no good and I was getting so frustrated using it. This camera takes nice clear pictures and easily fits in my pocket or diaper bag (or purse, if I happen to be wearing one! These days it seems to just be diaper bag.) We were spoiled with many fun things.

Why We Visit Arizona

Flying to Arizona this year was pretty expensive. For some reason we just couldn't find a good deal. We were asked why we went back to visit when we had recently spent over a month there in September, and the main reasons why is because we were in Ecuador last year so this was Owen's first Christmas with all the family, the first time our families had grandkids around, and because we don't know if Josh will get time off for Christmas during residency. Sure, we still could have stayed home and avoided the many stresses involved with traveling, esp. during the holidays, but we really enjoy being surrounded by family and friends. This is the main reason we visit Arizona! We love you guys!

Chicago Christmas

We had a great Christmas this year! We went to Arizona for 1 1/2 weeks so we could spend Christmas with our families. This was the first Christmas with grandkids present for both families! Needless to say it was fun and Owen was spoiled.

Before we went left for Arizona, we had our own Christmas celebration in Chicago. We didn't put up a tree, but we did have stockings and a few decorations. I originally had great plans to make lobster tail for our Christmas dinner, but then I chickened out. I couldn't bring myself to pay a high price for something that wasn't guaranteed to turn out. Maybe next year....

Santa brought Owen a few gifts including a table with chair and a Leap Frog music table. He also had to open a few gifts, which was good practice for all the things he opened in Arizona! I gave Josh his present early since it was too big to take to AZ...a guitar! And I actually pulled off surprising Josh! He had one while in Ecuador, but we had to leave it behind. It's definitely nicer than his old one, so hopefully he'll enjoy playing it.