What a week. sigh.

Christmas is always that time of year that makes you realize how blessed you really are, and this year was no different. My children were spoiled beyond belief, as usual, having six different houses to open gifts at! Brandon finally started to understand the whole idea of getting presents and opening gifts and could barely contain himself towards the end of our celebrations, opening gift that didn't even belong to him! Jack is still so young, so naturally he doesn't get what is going on, but he's sure been excited to play with all the new things that both he and Brandon got from everyone. We spent Christmas Eve at my dad's mother's house. Christmas morning we had our little family gift exchange, then headed to my parents' house and after that went to my aunt, Bev's. Finally, on Saturday, we went to Jason's grandparents' house and then to Jason's brother Nick's house (and Bliss too ;). As you can see we are very blessed to have all our family nearby. We got to see all our grandparents, parents, siblings and most of our cousins, aunts and uncles! I feel so fortunate.


Sadly, on Friday morning, we had Abbie, our cat, put to sleep. Since about mid-Novemeber she's been very sick, throwing up nearly every day and hasn't been able to keep any kind of food down. Jason took her to see two different vets and, after all the tests they did, they couldn't find a reason for her sickness. This last week we really noticed a change in her. Normally, even through most of this illness, she's had so much energy and strength, but we started to see her losing that spirit. We knew it was time and Jason finally took her back to the vet on Friday morning and the vet said he felt like there was nothing to do, that her body was shutting down. Poor Jason had to be with her when she passed on.

It's been hard to explain to a three year old what has happened. We were so sad and I was crying when Jason left for the vet with Abbie. Brandon was visibly concerned. When Jason got back Brandon asked where she was and I told him that she went to heaven. He asked if we could get her in the morning, or if we could get a new cat, did a little fake crying even. I told him she was in the clouds, jumping around and he told me he couldn't see her. "No, mommy, she's on an airplane". Gotta love the innocence. It's been harder for me than I realized to lose our pet. I hate that she had to be put down, she was only about 5 or 6 years old. I really think that she ate a piece of string or ribbon, as she's been known to do. We're just glad she's not suffering anymore. Even poor Sophie seems sad to have lost her best friend.

Our Christmas Lights!!!

This is our Christmas light display for 2008! Happy Birthday Me! :) - Jason

Catching Up With Old Friends

Last night the four of us went to have dinner with some of my old college friends. I've been trying hard to remember how exactly I met Kim and Art but I know for sure it was because we had classes together. Nearly 10 years (yikes!) after our college graduation it's hard to remember exactly how it happened. Art is pretty sure that him and I met first, and I'm sure he's right, and then I ended up having a class with Kim the following year. After college graduation me and Kim and about 10 other girls went to Puerta Vallarta on vacation. It was so much fun! We've been in and out of contact over the years and have recently found each other again. They have two daughters, ages 2 and 4, so we have a lot in common with them!

We went to their beautiful home last night and got to finally meet the kids. Brandon was pretty shy at first but he had fallen asleep in the car and we had to wake him when we got there. It only took him about 10 minutes and then he was really enjoying himself. Elena, the 4 year old, was so cute and really played well with him. Jack felt right at home, too, and wanted to be all over the place with the kids. I was shocked that Jack even ate an entire piece of pizza!

It was fun to remember our old college days and talk about our infamous trip to Mexico. This was Jason's first time meeting them, but in typical Jason style, you couldn't tell. Jason easily adapts to any situation and he really seemed to hit it off with Art.

We can't wait to see them again! Makes me so mad that we lost contact with them to begin with, but I don't plan on letting that happen again!

Jack's 12 month well check

Jack had his appointment for his 12 month well baby check-up today. He weighed 19lbs 10oz and was 30 inches long. I believe he is in the 10% for weight and 50% for length. Dr. Wilke wasn't too worried about his weight since Brandon and cousins Carter and Brooke were all on the smaller side at this age. He got three shots (MMR, Hep A, and chicken pox) and a toe prick to test for iron levels and lead. Jack was so adorable when Dr. Wilke used her light to test his eyes, he gave her a big, cheesy smile like she was taking his picture. It was pretty funny.

IT'S JACK'S FIRST BIRTHDAY!!

One year ago today, at 12:40pm, an 8 pound 4 ounce, 20.5 inch long baby was born. We named him Jack Griffin Norred and he is one of the lights of my life. How has the time gone by so fast?

Jack likes pizza, french fries, ice cream and baby food macaroni and cheese. He loves toys that talk or sing/make music. He loves banging toys together or on tables. He just switched over from formula to whole milk and is a LOVER of chocolate milk! Jack has the craziest curly red hair and we still get lots of comments and compliments about it. He's still not walking on his own, but he can cruise furniture pretty fast. He can crawl up the stairs pretty good, too.

We went today to get Jack's one year portraits done. Igot a pretty cute Christmas card picture, too. For lunch we met up with Aunt Bliss and cousins Carter and Brooke at Chick Fil A. Brandon and Carter had a great time together. In the evening we decided to go out to dinner for Jack's birthday and got a call from my mother-in-law, Donna, saying that some of the Norred clan was in town. We ended up meeting Donna, Courtney, Natalie, Emily, Bliss, Carter and Brooke for dinner. The kids had a blast. It was fun seeing Bliss and the kids so much in one day.

All in all, Jack had a great birthday today! Thanks for coming to his party, thanks for the phone calls and emails. It means so much to have so many people remember my baby on his special day. This has been a hard birthday on mommy, and a tough week for us in general for us as a family.

Also, Abbie is not out of the woods just yet, so say a little prayer for her that she gets better soon. Brandon would be crushed if something were to happen to her. Thanks.