Christmas Parties and Snow Days :-)

Caden had to come out and play! ;)

Shoveling...just like my daddy!
SO cute!!!
We attempted to build a snowman!


Amber and I with Ash, then again with my Aunt Carin!

This past weekend we had two Christmas parties to attend. The first one was my parent's annual party. They always host such a nice party. It is an adults only party, so it is nice to be kid free and able to actually sit and visit with people ;) Somehow that doesn't seem to happen anymore with an 18 month old around??? The second party was our good friends Adam and Laura's ugly Christmas sweater party. It is always hilarious to see everyone in their gear at their party. We had a great time hanging out with all of our friends there too.

Sunday I went to my parents and baked for the afternoon. Unfortunately I waited too long to drive home and got caught in the snow storm. I literally was praying that Crew and I made it home alive. It was one of the worst storms I have ever drove in. I couldn't even see in front of me. What normally takes me 15 minutes, took me over an hour to get home. Needless to say once we arrived home, we were home for good! I had Monday and Tuesday off and a two hour delay today. I got a lot done while I was at home which was nice. Yesterday I got out to the gym, went to lunch with Matt, and did some shopping. Overall, it was a nice restful couple of days. Now I am only back to work for two more days and then I have two weeks off! I am SO looking forward to that!

Attached are some pictures of the party and Crew's first time in the snow! How cute is he all bundled up in his snow gear?! Thanks to Grandma and Gpa Rosetti for the snow suit and hat/gloves! It made for an enjoyable afternoon out in the snow! We are off to another party this Saturday for our good friends Tracy and Yandt that are moving to CO. I also have my girls' Christmas party (my bffs from high school and our moms) next week. I can't believe Christmas is a week away! Ahh, I am going crazy just thinking of how busy it's going to be! I am hosting my first brunch too on Christmas Eve day with Matt's family! Hope everyone has a great weekend! XOXO

The holidays can be a little stressful...Merry Christmas from our family to yours! ;) Hope you get to relax this holiday season!

Ok, had I not already sent out our Christmas cards, I SO would have had this picture and caption as our card! Is this not too funny? I can't help but laugh! Crew DID NOT like Santa, to say the least. Maybe we will try again next year!

Winter Time Fun!

Playing outside in the snow

My adorable little man ;)

A little unsure about Frosty...

Kendra at my dad's work Christmas party

Crew and Gpa

Adorable kiddos!

Waiting in line to see Santa!

Some liked Santa, others not so much! ;)

Our family Christmas tree

This past weekend kicked off our busy month of Christmas festivities. Saturday my dad invited Amber, the kids, and I to his work Christmas party. They throw a GREAT, kid friendly Christmas party. There was so much to do! As soon as you walk in, the kids get to pick any present they want. There were SO many nice choices it was so hard to choose! Then we had lunch, balloons made, Kendra had her face painted, and we saw Santa. As you can see from the pictures Kendra LOVED Santa and was so sweet telling him what she wanted, however the boys were not quite so interested. Lincoln was great at first as he was persuaded by the candy canes, however it didn't take long for him to cry for my sister. Crew on the other hand was not into it at all! He was crying and shaking from the moment Rudolf came up to us, until we took him off Santa's lap. I must admit it was kind of funny to watch, bless his heart he was so scared though! We also went to Bass Pro to see Santa, but the line was too long. Instead we did some shopping and checked out Frosty. This weekend we are headed to my parent's annual Christmas party, along with our good friends Adam and Laura's Ugly Christmas Sweater party. They should both be fun!

Thanksgiving 2010

We had a great Thanksgiving and I hope you did too! We were able to spend the entire afternoon with family hanging out and relaxing. Matt's sister, Meredith, was home too, so we got to hangout with her a lot. She lives in Texas so she is rarely home.

Tuesday night I had her come over and we had a pampering party :) We dyed her hair, painted our nails, and both spray tanned ourselves. Wednesday I was fortunate enough to win a free photography session at a Marie Cross Studio in Chesterton. Since Matt and I just had family pictures done, I asked both of our parents if they would like to use the session to get pictures with the grand kids. They were so excited. Everyone did great and the session was really easy. After pictures, we all went for pizza at Gelsossomo's in Chesterton. It was so nice to have everyone from both sides of the family together.

Friday my dad and I did our annual Black Friday shopping. For years, I have spent the night at my parent's house on Thanksgiving and then my dad and I get up really early and shop. I think this year was one of our earliest years. We got up at 3a.m. and made our way over to Carson's. From there we hit up several other stores and also went to Valpo. My dad is SUCH a trooper with me on Black Friday. He makes me hot chocolate in the morning, drops me off at the door at every store, and carries my bags for me when I buy. Speaking of buying, this year I did some MAJOR damage! I don't know why?!?! Maybe it's because Crew and the other kids are now at an age where I can buy them fun things, or if I was more behind in shopping than I normally am...but I definitely got a ton! Now comes the fun part...wrapping it all! :/

Last weekend I really wanted to put up the Christmas decorations but I had a huge migraine from Friday -Sunday. It was one of my worst spells yet so moving around and whatnot was not appealing whatsoever. To my surprise however, when I got out of the bath Saturday afternoon, Matt had put up our Christmas tree and was getting all the decor out. He is such a good hubby. When Crew woke up we started to decorate the tree. Crew helped hang a few ornaments, but he was more interested in jumping on Cade's new, huge pet bed I had bought him the day before. Oh well, maybe next year?! ;)

Speaking of my migraine, yesterday Matt and I traveled down to Indianapolis for me to see a neurologist for my headaches. I have been battling headaches for years, but recently they become chronic. I can't seem to fight them off with any meds. So, my wonderful aunt who is the COO/CNO of St. Vincent Hospital in Indy, referred me to the best neurologist they had. The doctor was nice enough to squeeze me in within just two days notice and check me out. We are going to start me on a new prescription and see how that works for now. I am also going to have some blood work done at the hospital tomorrow and we'll see what those results show. Hopefully they can find something to cure the pain. It makes it so hard to function when your head is beating like a drum!

Tonight I am headed to dinner with my sister and two of our good friends from college, Lindsey and Kristin. They both just got engaged so we can't wait to see them and hear all about their fun!

This weekend we are taking Crew to Bass Pro Shop on Saturday to see Santa and do a little shopping. Sunday we have my dad's work Christmas party for the kids. It's going to be a very, very busy month for us! We have two holiday parties next weekend, I have another one the next week, and then it's Christmas! Matt and I are going to Boyne Mountain with 16 other people over Christmas. We are sooooo looking forward to skiing, snowmobiling, and relaxing! We have lots to look forward to!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Finale of 25 Days of Thankfulness

Day 19: My extended family. I have so many wonderful aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins. They are all such great people and do so much for us. Matt and I always look forward to spending time with them.

Day 20: Today I am thankful for the opportunities that I am given and how each of those opportunities leads to something else.

Day 21: Today I am grateful for giving. I was able to shop for an "angel tree" child at our school and buy them lots of nice presents that they would not be able to receive otherwise. I am glad that someone created this process for people to give to the less fortunate.

Day 22: Today I am thankful for God and our church. I thank God everyday for all that he has blessed not only me with, but my family, friends, and our country. I appreciate having a church that we attend and I am thankful for all of the wonderful people there.

Day 23: Today I am thankful for great coworkers. I really enjoy all of the people I work with. I don't feel that a lot of people can say that, but I truly work with a very supportive group of people that make it enjoyable to come to work everyday.

Day 24: Today I am thankful for the fact that I won a photography session and was able to gather both sides of my family for the shoot. I will cherish the pictures of my parents with the three grandchildren and Matt's parents, sister, brother, and great grandma with Crew. I look forward to hanging these pictures throughout our house to remind us of the special people in our lives.

Day 25: A great day with family filled with love, laughter, and the fact that we could all be together.

Lisa came to visit!

This past weekend my best friend, Lisa, came to visit. We went to Ball State together and have kept in touch ever since. She lives in Indianapolis, so we don't get to always see each other as much as we would like to. We had a GREAT WEEKEND though! We hung out Friday night and visited, Saturday we literally shopped till we dropped (seven hours straight at Lighthouse Mall!), and we also we to Hacienda..one of our favorites with my sister and her friend, Jill. I always have the BEST time when she is around! Nothing every changes from where we left off. She just ate Crew up too! She is a total natural when it comes to kids (she is a first grade teacher, so I am sure that helps!) Lisa and her husband, Justin, just bought a new house we will be traveling there to stay in the next few months!

Family Pictures 2010

SICK :(

The flu bug has hit our home once again :( It started out Tuesday night with Crew vomiting, then hit me later that night. I never throw up, so I knew I had something bad! We were both home sick yesterday. Matt started to feel a little nauseous yesterday, but seemed to kick it by late last night. I am feeling much better today, although I still haven't been able to eat a ton. Nothing sounds good (maybe it'll help the diet?!...I could only hope! :) Crew was up and ready to go at 3:40 a.m. this morning though, so needless to say Matt and I are a little tired.

My sister and I have our first festival this evening in Crown Point. We sell handmade tutus, hats, bows, headbands, legwarmers, shirts, and more. We also have the St. Pat's festival in Chesterton this weekend. We are really anxious and excited to start selling! We have lots of new items that are to die for! I also got us business cards and adorable aprons made for when we are working! Pics to come soon!

Also, my bff Lisa is coming this weekend! I have an entire weekend of fun things planned for us so I cannot wait! She is so excited to see Crew, as is he excited to see her! We love Lisa so much and miss her since she lives so far away. She is such a great friend to come up here and see us so often!

Tomorrow is Crew's 18 month check up too. I will update you with his new stats next week. I am anxious to see how he has developed!

Hope everyone has a great weekend! XOXO

Day #18

Day #18-My LaPorte girlfriends. Since moving to LaPorte, I have met so many amazing people. At first I was unsure of it because I only really knew one other person that lived in the area, but since then I've met a ton of genuinely awesome people. It is so great to have such fun people to hangout with all the time. We all do get togethers like have boat parties in the summer, watch football games in the fall, family dinners throughout the winter, vacation together, and I often do walks and "girls" night dinners with a few of them. In January, several of us are going to a mountain/ ski lodge in Michigan we rented out for a few days. Matt and I are so looking forward to getting away!

Day #17

Day #17-Today I am thankful for my best friends from college, Lisa and Kara. These two girls have been such great friends to me. They were always there for me in college and still are to this day. We have all three kept in great contact with one another over the years. It's so nice to have such sincere, genuine friends that truly care about me and my family. I know I can always go to them with anything and they are such great listeners/advice givers. I am SO grateful to have them as my best friends. Lisa is actually coming up this weekend to stay with me! I have lots planned to do while she is here! I can't wait to see her!

Day #16

Day #16: Today I am thankful for Crew's babysitter, Alicia. Alicia is such a HUGE part of our life. We LOVE her so so so much! She is amazing with Crew, and all the other kiddos that go to daycare. I never think twice about leaving him there because I know how much he loves it (he cries every time we have to leave). I am SO blessed to have found someone that I admire as much as Alicia. It obviously takes a lot to leave your child everyday, but knowing that he is in such good hands makes it that much easier. She emails me everyday at the same time to fill me in on how he is doing. I am so thankful God sent us such an amazing person to care for our child.

Day #15

Day #15-Today I am thankful for my iphone :) I don't know how I ever lived without it before?!?! Is that bad to say? I do everything on it...it is literally a part of me. I hate to say that, but it's true! I check all emails from personal to work on it, I capture tons of memories on it with the camera phone, I use the calendar and datebook on it 24/7 to plan all appointments, etc., it has games on there to entertain me when bored, and it has games and youtube on there to entertain Crew. I would be lost without it, seriously. I am so glad that the hubby bought it for me...it was been put to great use!

Day #14

Day #14-Matt's grandma, Great Grandma Morris. Great Grandma Morris is the only living grandparent on Matt's side of the family. She is so special to us and we love her so much. She always makes a point to see Crew several times throughout the year. She is so sweet with him too. He loves her very much and we are very grateful to have hear live close by. She is very special to us.

Day #13

Day #13-My niece and nephew: Kendra and Lincoln. These two kids mean everything to me. I love them as if they were my own. I think they are the most precious kids ever and so sweet and so adorable. I love spending time with them and hearing them say "Lala," when calling my name. I love having them around for Crew to play with and grow up with. They are the most special children in the world and I love them with all my heart. I am so grateful God blessed Amber and Justin with these two amazing children.

25 Days of Thankfulness

So, I know I am a little behind on my goal of writing something I am thankful for each day in November, but I didn't think it was too late to begin...so here, it is starting with November 1-until present. I hope to update this daily (or every few days, knowing me) with what I am thankful for.

Day #1-Matt, my wonderful husband. Matt is such an amazing guy. He goes above and beyond to provide for our family. He is also a phenomenal father. It melts my heart daily when I see him with Crew. God could not have blessed me with a better man to spend the rest of my life with.

Day #2-Crew, our beautiful son. I still remember everything from the second (literally) I found out I was pregnant, to going to the ultrasound with Matt and finding out it was a boy, to the minute I gave birth to him. Crew is the BIGGEST blessing in our life. I never knew I could love someone as much as I love my little guy. He is the BEST gift God has ever granted me. I wonder everyday how Matt and I created such a cute, smart little boy ;) He is the BEST thing that has ever happened to us.

Day #3-My career. I can honestly say that I love my job. There has never been a day that I thought to myself "I hate my job." Yes, working with high school kids 8 hours a day (sometimes more with coaching), 5 days a week can be stressful...but, at the end of the day I can honestly say I love my students and the people I work with.

Day #4-My sister, Amber. Amber is my BEST friend in the whole world. I LOVE her to death. We do everything together. We talk, text, and email five-ten times a day. Our husbands often ask how we could possibly have so much to talk about. Sometimes, I think the same thing ;) We have really always gotten along, but especially since getting married and having kids...we've grown closer. I am SO SO SO GRATEFUL that my parents had only us two and that we have been able to grow up together. She is such a blessing in my life.

Day #5-Matt's parents: Belinda and Marshall. I am so grateful to have such wonderful in-laws. Matt and I are very blessed to have them live nearby so that we get to see them often. They are so good to us and are amazing grandparents to Crew. We love them very dearly.

Day #6-Our health. Matt, Crew, and I are very lucky to be healthy people. We are a very active family. We enjoy doing things constantly and love being active. I am so grateful that we are able to partake in fun activities because of our good health.

Day #7-My parents. I am a very family oriented person. I love my parents so much. They have been so good to our family. We enjoy spending time with them on the weekends and they just adore Crew. I am so grateful for everything that have done for me.

Day #8-My girlfriends from high school. I have three best friends from high school that I still talk to all the time and meet up with once a month. Chrissy, Allison, and Vanessa are a huge part of my life. They definitely know me very well since they have known me for such a long time. I get along so well with them and it's like nothing changes every time I hang out with them. They are all such good people and I am so grateful I have been able to keep in touch with them.

Day #8-Our dog. Even though I am not a huge pet person, I must say our little Caden is very cute ;) Having a dog was not an option once I married Matt. He insisted we get one right away. Cade has been a great pet. We have grown to love him like a member of our family. We take him with us on our boat, for walks, and chase him out in the yard. Crew just loves him too. His favorite thing to do recently is ride Cade like a horse. Poor little Cade just deals with it too ;)

Day #9-Our home. As most of you know Matt and I had some difficulties with the selling of our home this past summer. We had bought another house and moved everything out of our current one, only to have the people back out of the contract the week before closing. This was a very disappointing situation for us. But, we managed to get through it after awhile. Despite the fact that we still want to move, I must say that I am grateful for the house we have. Matt and I have worked hard to make that house what we want. We work hard to pay the bills to keep up with that house. There isn't anything wrong with it~we are just ready for something else. Even though I am anxious to find a new home, I do appreciate the fact that we at least have a place we can call home.

Day #9-Hot chocolate. Ok, this might sound weird...but for those of you that know me really well...you know I MUST have my hot chocolate daily. Every morning I drink it on my way to work. I do not think I can function without it. Even on warm days, I drink it. Growing up my dad would always get us hot chocolate on the way to family trips at the gas station. My mom would also always make it for us on the stove (and still does Christmas morning). Therefore, I am blaming my addiction on them ;) LOL. Seriously though, I need it and I love it!

Day #10-My grandparents: Papa and Gigi. My grandpa Wiseman (my mom's dad) is my only living grandpa. My dad's dad passed away a few years ago. He is the only great grandpa , on my side, that Crew has ever met too. Gigi, aka Jane, is Crew's step great grandma. She is the only living grandma on my side. My mom's mother passed away when I was very young to Ovarian cancer. My dad's mom passed away a few years ago as well. My grandpa married Jane and she has been a part of our lives ever since. They are such wonderful grandparents. They have always supported me and been there for me. To this day, they still get season passes for volleyball and come and watch me coach my team. They are such wonderful great grandparents to Crew too. Matt and I appreciate all that they do for us and are thankful to have them nearby so we can spend time with them.

Day #11-Matt's sister and brother: Meredith and Craig. Meredith and Craig have been a great sister and brother in law to me. I enjoy spending time with them especially during special occasions and the holidays. It's always a good time when they're around. They both adore Crew too and love spending time with him.

Day #12-Shopping. I. LOVE. SHOPPING. I am so grateful for this. If it weren't for the mall, I may not get through certain days. I totally turn to retail therapy when needed (usually at least once a week if not more). Matt often asks me how I can go to the same place every week and still buy stuff. It's possible. It is definitely one of my favorite things to do.

October festivities!

Crew and Mommy

LOVE this picture!

Cutest little cowboy around!

Big boy!

LOVE HIM SO MUCH!!!

Gma and Gpa Schnick with the cowboy

Pumpkin and ghost pancakes on Halloween morning!

Homemade sugar cookies for daycare

Helping mommy make the cookies (mainly just eating the M&M's)

Celebrating Uncle Craig's birthday~helping blow out the candles!

At the pumpkin patch with Gma Schnick

All the kiddos at my aunt's house

Opening presents from Gma and Gpa Schnick on Halloween

Matching cowboys: Lincoln and Crew

This year was a great Halloween for our family! We started the weekend off by going to my Aunt Lori's house for her annual cookout/get together. She had a ton of food and Crew got to visit with all of his cousins and family. It is always so fun to go there and see all the kids in their costumes and visit with everyone. My dad's side of the family totally gets into the holiday...we all love it! Saturday night was Chesterton's trick or treat (my hometown), so my sister and I, along with our husbands and kids, all went trick or treating in a subdivision across from my aunt's house. Crew did great at about the first 10 houses..he would say "tick teet," but always managed to say thank you at every house we went to. Kendra however ate it up! She was a hoot running from house to house. My dad was like a drill sargent when it came to trick or treating, so I think us Rosetti's have it in our blood to go all out ;) Sunday we had Gma and Gpa Schnick over for lunch and visited before trick or treating. Of course they spoiled Crew and bought him way too much! He loved all of it though, especially his new talking Elmo phone. Sunday night was La Porte's Halloween so we took Crew to our good friends Laura and Ak's house. They always love to see Crew all dressed up. Again, of course they spoiled him with lots of candy and a treat for his piggy bank. Laura is always amazed at how much he grows every time she sees him! I also took him to two of my work friend's houses. They just loved him in his little outfit. Jaime is due in six weeks with a little boy, so seeing Crew prepares her for what's to come! The costumes were a great hit this year! Crew seemed to love his, he even wore the hat the entire time! All of the kids looked so adorable! Halloween is such a fun holiday!