Olivia's First Visit With Santa:)

Can you believe she is smiling? I feel like every child i have ever seen with Santa is crying. Olivia loved it:) We are very excited for Christmas because my dad is dressing up as Santa, it will be so cute:) Hope everyone is having a wonderful Holiday so far:)

Olivia's First Christmas Tree & House Decorating

Christmas decorating was so much fun this year because it was Olivias first. We got out Starbucks Apple Cider, put on Christmas music and go all of our new and old christmas decorations out! Olivia was in awe when Brad brought in this big tree. She immediately went to the tree and just stared at it. We have collected a lot of Christmas things in the last 5 years. Everything from ornaments to Christmas decorations. Some from family, some from trips and some from our wedding. Below are the pictures of our tree, decorations & the house once it was done. We are so excited for Christmas! Its the greatest time of year:)

               

These are from Grammy & Grandad!

From Aunt Barb My Favorite Part of Christmas!

Grammy Made This!

I think it looks cooler in person!

Thanksgiving Weekend

 We had such a wonderful Thanksgiving this year! We celebrated in the morning with Liv and watched the Macy's Day parade. She loved all the floats & music. We let her eat her breakfast while watching.

While getting dressed we decided to have a little photo shoot. Olivia is now 10 months:) She is just a doll and very feisty!

Next we were off to Aunt Barb & Uncle Scotts. It was so much fun and the food was outstanding like always. It was fun seeing all the cousins and just being able to hang out.

After our yummy Gierke Turkey dinner we headed back to Northbrook to Mimi & Papas house. It was so much fun and was also amazing food.

We had such a fun Thanksgiving! We are so thankful for our wonder family. Hanging with everyone all day was a lot of fun & i can't wait for Christmas:)

Two Quotes I Like

So much of what is best in us is bound up in our love of family, that it remains the measure of our stability because it measures our sense of loyalty. (Haniel Long, 1888–1956)

The family you come from isn't as important as the family you're going to have. (Ring Lardner, 1885–1933) 

Family

I have been thinking about the meaning of family lately with the holiday season approaching. WIth the economy the way it is it almost seems like people are going back to there roots and connecting with family. Just being together seems to be more important these days then actual "things". Isn't that the way it should always be? Don't get me wrong it is always nice to have nice things, but i think people are realizing through these hard economic times that your health and your family is much more important then your wealth. I feel thankful to have such an amazing husband, daughter and baby on the way. To have our amazing family support us through it all and to support them is what it is all about. 

This Christmas will be a sadder one for us because Grandad (Brads Grandfather)  passed away and he wont be with us this year. I wish everyone could have known him. He made the world a better place for anyone who knew him. He was an all American kind of man, he respected and loved his wife, kids & grandkids unconditionally, he was Brads roll model growing up and still is today. He was a hard worker and more generous then most people ever would be. Brad says he is the man he is today because of him. I'm so thankful for Grandad and all the happiness he brought into our lives, he will be missed by us here on earth, but i know he is looking out for us and he will always be with us. 

I am so excited for this holiday season! It will be the first Christmas with Olivia and i cant wait to see her face on Christmas morning. After we open presents we go down to my parents house to open more and eat breakfast, then its off to Aunt Kathryn & Uncle Todds for Brads side of the family Christmas. Its a full day, but its full of the most important people in our lives. Family is what life is all about. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and an even better Christmas, full of family, love & joy! 

YEAH Baby Gierke #2

So our life feels like it is on a very exciting roller coaster ride right now. We are expecting baby #2 on       6-26-2010! We were not planning on having them this close together, but i am sure excited that it worked out this way:) At this rate by the time i'm 33 we should have our whole family of 4 or 5:) Who knows, we will take it one baby at a time.
We went in for the ultra sound a few weeks ago and the baby has a strong heart beat and everything looked perfect. This week the baby has finished making the placenta so that means that it is no longer draining me of all my life. The baby is already a 1.5 inches long. I know that doesn't seem like a lot but i feel like it is going by a lot faster then Olivia did. Maybe because i am busy with Olivia.
I am finally starting to feel a lot better. I am starting to regain my energy and my hormones seems to be settling down a little bit, thank the Lord! I can feel a little baby bump, it defiantly popped out faster then Olivia did. I wasn't even showing till 16 weeks last time. I wonder how weird it will be to hold Olivia with a huge belly:) I cant wait!
I can't really describe how i feel right now, i guess all i can say is BLESSED.

Olivia Update!

Olivia just went for her 9 month check up. She is 29.5 in long (95%) and 18.8 lbs (50%)! She is healthy and eating real food with us all the time. She basically told me she wasnt going to eat baby food, by reaching for mine all the time and eating none of her own. We are eating noodles, chicken, bananas and anything else soft that she can get her little hands on:) She is cruising on all the furniture and i think she will walk by her 10th month. She balances on her own now and its so cute. I just can't believe how fast she is growing, its truly amazing:)

                        Mimi bought me my first snow suite!  A very fun date night, Dinner out & Couples Retreat (so funny) 

Halloween at the Y

Brad, Olivia and i went to the Y last Sunday to celebrate Halloween. It was so much fun and Olivia loved decorating pumpkins with daddy and watching all the big kids with their costumes. We are so excited for Halloween this Saturday here are some pictures from the Y.

New Quote

Stay refined stay elegant and stay the sweet person that you are. Keep strong people around you and the others will fall to the wayside.....

Surprisingly i got this quote off the show "The City" last Tuesday night. Just thought it was a great thing for all us women out their to live by:)

Cha Cha Baby

OK so since this is Olivia's first Halloween i wanted to be sure it would be perfect. I knew i wanted her to be a ballerina, for a few reasons, one it is so cute and the pictures are adorable and two because i wanted her to wear it for her first birthday. So i went online and searched and searched and searched. I found a couple places that had beautiful fluffy, but very expensive ($70) tuts and i just couldn't imagine spending that kind of money on it. Also most places didn't have any sort of head pieces to complete the look. After looking for 3 weeks i finally came across a store online called Cha Cha Baby,http://www.babychacha.com/. They have the cutest items i have every seen and the price point is perfect! Along with all the items you see on the site, you are also able to personalize you own tutu & head pieces. So i called the Lanie the owner, who is so nice and talked to her about what my image of Olivia would be in her tutu. She gave me some great ideas and then custom designed her tutu & head piece to match. They have sizes starting at new born. So anyone who is looking for something like this, whether is be for a costume, dress up or beautiful pictures, make sure to visit her site. Also the head pieces make amazing gifts for any occasion.

So in the end the product was amazing, the price point was perfect and the customer service was outstanding.

YEAH CHA CHA BABY

Cha Cha Baby

2009 Andrew's Allstars JDRF Walk

Our Super Allstar Andrew

Andrew continues to amaze all of us with his continued strength and positive attitude! Andrew raised over $10,000 this year and the checks are still coming in. Andrew is a Freshman in high school now and if becoming quite the attractive young man. We love you Andrew. I have posted a few pictures from the walk.

Olivias first of many many JDRF walks! It was a perfect day!

The very cool shirt that one of Ashley's friends made! 

         Aunt Barb & Olivia

 Part of the Family

 

                                                                                                    Uncle Bill & Brad

Mimi & Liv

After a long and exciting first walk we are ready to go home:)

There were so many people there, we think it was the biggest group walking for Andrew ever. So nice to see people come and show how much they care. Can't wait till next year:)

Happy Birthday Grandad

Richard Broeski

10/14

Happy Birthday to one of the great men we have ever known. We miss you everyday Grandad:)

Olivia

I can not believe that i have a 9 month old, almost:) Not only has she mastered crawling but notw she is standing and pulling herself up on everything:) She is walking around tables and everything. Tonight while we were at our Sunday family dinner we all ate chicken, guess who else ate chicken for the first time? Olivia, she LOVED it. She couldn't get enough.

Everyone in our family gets there chicken from Harrisons, it is free range hormone free organic chicken. It is amazing, probably the freshest chicken out their. It is also not very expensive. It is located on Waukegan Road in Glenview, if you get a chance to get out that way, it is worth it.

Happy 50th Patrick!!!

Patrick's 50th

This last weekend we went to a 50th birthday party for Patrick Hannigan. Him and his family are some of the closest friends we have. I have known the Hannigans since i was 8 years old. I babysat for there first born when i was 10 and this year he is graduating from college.

PJ the first born:)  He is taller then me now:)

His second son Peter is in one of the most outstanding bands you have ever heard!

They will go places!

Min is in her first year of college and since she was a little girl she thought i was her big sister. In nursery school they asked her to draw a picture of her family. She did what she was asked and she drew, Mom, Dad, Tatie (me) Pj, Peter and herself. The teachers called her mom in to ask what was with the fourth child since they knew she only had three. Oh thats Katie, our neighbor. Since then i have been known as there oldest child:) Patrick even had to meet Brad before i said YES. They have become close friends and Patrick is one of Brads confidants. Like i said these are special people.

Mat is the youngest and definatly one of the funniest girls i know. She is the baby and is one of the best shopping partners i know. You can probably be in the worst situation and she will make you laugh and find the good in it. She is amazing.

Cousin Keddy, Min & Mat 

Mommy Hannigan also known as Julie

 

has been one of my confidants (along with my real mama)  for a very long time. She is so amazing and so much fun to be with. We love love love all the Hannigans and we're so honored to be with them celebrating Patricks 50th birthday!!!!

Liv made a very quick apperance:)

My Hubby & Me

New Baby & Mommy Class

Olivia and i started a new class last Thursday called, Wee Play at the library. The ages of the children in this class are 0-24 months. Olivia was just in awe of the teacher and the other kids in the class. I was excited to see her reactions and it was amazing to watch her little brain working as we sang songs, read books and danced. Olivia is a social baby and likes to play with other children. We are in the class with two of my girlfriends and there sons. It is fun for us because we can hang out and meet other moms with kids out age. I love these classes and look forward to our swim class this winter.

My New Favorite Quote

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...
It's about learning to dance in the rain.

AND WE'RE LIVE

I have been meaning to start this blog for about 7 months now, i feel like i finally have some time. I have been inspired:) In the last 8 months we have watched our Olivia go from a tiny baby to a beautiful toddler. It is just amazing how they grow and develop. I still look at her sometimes and can not believe that we made her. God's grace is beyond amazing. We feel so blessed to have her and hope for many more just like her.

This summer has been filled with lot of fun milestones and firsts. We had our first adventure at the pool. Olivia loves the water, whether its the bath or the pool, she is mesmerized by it. She has already placed her little toes in the Atlantic Ocean and played in the waves that rush up on shore. She has flown in a plane and somehow got her name announced over the planes loud speaker, they gave her, her first set of wings. Olivia has been to the Umbrella Factory:) She has ridden in a golf cart, she met her Aunty Belle and cant wait to see her again, She has eaten cheerios and loves them. Olivia is now waving, clapping, pulling herself up, pointing, she says mama, dada and doggie. She loves to sing and dances (bops up and down) when music is on or when i am singing to her. Olivia has 6 teeth right now and her hair is growing in white blonde. I wish i had that color hair:) She is sitting up and pulling herself to her feet and of course she is on all fours and taking her first crawling steps. She laughs often and hardley ever cries. She is the biggest joy in our lives!

This summer we went on our big family trip out east to Charelstown, Rhode Island. The greatest place on earth i might add. Let me tell you taking a baby on vacation is a lot of work. The pre trip and plane ride are the most exhausting. Brad and i had our suitcases and Olivias stuff was shoved in both of them. We had the car seat, stroller, pack and play we both had a carry on and a diaper bag! That was an adventure in itself. We almost missed out flight on the way out. When i say almost i mean the door was closed, but i think that looked at our huge group of people and A) felt bad for us and B) knew there was no way they would be able to fit all of us on another flight. Once we got on the plane it was easy and luckly little Liv enjoyed the whole flight. She talked with people, slept and ate. No crying! It was wonderful. The trip itself was so much fun. Going to the beach and showing Olivia the ocean for the first time was so cool. I know she won't remeber it, but i will. Can you imagine seeing the ocean for the first time and remebering it? She road all over our golf coarse in the golf carts. Wherever we were so was she! It was a wonderful vacation and we had a great time.

Rhode Island is very special place for our family. Arnolda has been in our family for over 100 years. People have built there houses there and we have been going since i was an infant. It was pretty special and very cool to think i brought my daughter, the next generation there. I mean i grew up every summer out there and so will Olivia. Its a pretty neat feeling.

This was such a wonderful summer, i am looking forward to fall, the cooler weather, leaves changing color, halloween, Thanksgiving & Christmas!