HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Ok, so I know I'm going to lose my three or so loyal readers if I don't get with the program and post more than one blog a month!!! So, I'll try to do better. :-) Hope everyone had a great holiday and a happy new year - we had lots of fun here and in Maine. Christmas was super cool this year because Oliver is starting to really enjoy all the traditions and silliness. He loved the Christmas trees, and especially the steam train that goes around the bottom of the tree at his grandparents' house in Maine! My dad was amazed that after watching people run the train just a few times, Oliver went right over and plugged all the things into the right places and pushed the right buttons to make the train go - as if anything could stop him from watching a train go round and round!! With steam!! And toots!!

He LOVED the snow, of course - we got nearly 2 feet of snow while we were up in Maine. It was gorgeous - everyone around town was saying they couldn't remember a snowfall as big as that in a long time. It was Oliver's first time sledding, and as you can see he just laughed and laughed. He loves to eat snow. :-) He's getting better about keeping his hat and mittens on.

Oh, there was a lovely baby shower for us on the Sunday before Christmas - lots of fun! And girly pink things! It was fun to see a lot of friends and neighbors, and mom organized it as a brunch so we had bagels and dad's home smoked salmon, YUM!! Nothing better. Super delicious carrot cake, too. We spent the rest of the days before xmas making cookies and wrapping presents and generally hanging around. Poor Andy brought his road bike up there with him - you never can tell!! But the only outdoorsy thing we did was a nice walk down to Mosquito Head... besides a lot of father/son treks in the snow right in the yard. Oliver's cousins Aidan and Eli were great with him, and Oliver's so funny now, he makes us all laugh. We had our traditional lobster feast on Christmas Eve, and Oliver really enjoyed his new toys from Santa, especially his toy drill and his dad's remote control helicopter!

Being back home in NJ has been lovely and relaxing - we've cooked some nice dinners (pork roast with chestnut stuffing, brocolli stilton soup, lamb chops and basil risottoa, mmm) and just had a dinner party with our good friends Kara and Arne, and Oliver's bff, Anja - he's so obsessed with her! Often, when he wakes up in the morning, his first word is, "Anja!" So cute. They played for hours, no fussing, and when she left he wouldn't say goodbye, he just sort of moaned. Then after she was gone he tried to put on his boots and follow her out. They're lovely together.

Our best Christmas find is our new favorite CD, called A Larum, by an English guy called Johnny Flynn - we can't get enough of it!! :-) We're also enjoying a framed photo I got for Andy in England by a photographer named Dave Butcher, of the exact spot where he proposed to me. Awwwwww! :-) So, 2009 sprawls ahead of us - upcoming plans include a quick trip back to Maine in early March, baby girl on her way in the beginning of April, and Andy's parents coming to visit for several weeks in June - and who knows what else! We're just happy, and send our love to all our friends out there. xoxoxo