NEW YEARS EVE

The Boys played cards

Everyone Played Wii

Jay and Addison

NEW YEARS EVE IN CHINA !

 Corrina made her new specialty....Chinese buffet!

Kevin flashed fried the spring rolls, crab meat rangoons, and egg rolls...this is the first time I've seen my brother in-law cook.  
  Dad and Brad Gator managed the grill for the chicken .
 Roasted Duck !

On New Year's Eve our family was invited to a special dinner made by my sister.  Corrina has a neighbor in Peterbourough, named Min, who has taught her to make authentic chinese food. During my trip to England I was lucky enough to attend a dinner party at Min and her husband Danny's home where I was able to taste it first hand.  

Corrina spent two days preparing the menu and buying all the right ingredients.  This is what my sister does best!  Planning and preparing dinner parties is one of her several talents.  We were in the greatest company too! Brad, Jay and Colin came from Des Moines.  Casey wasn't far behind them on the road.  Uncle Kris and cousin Kaanan were able to bring in the new year with us as well!  What a fun night in the cozy cabin!  

Christmas Night

Jack, Hogan, Carly Jo, and Ella

Crystal's First Roasted Turkey

Sadly, the ONLY photo of my first roasted turkey ever made is of it being carved already.  I wasn't thinking clear enough at the time to take a pic of how beautiful it was as it came out of the oven.  But for those who couldn't be there it was a yummy golden brown and had a taste out of this world...if I do say so myself.  Uncle Julian was appointed to this year's carving of the bird.  He carved Mr. Bird perfectly of course.  Thanks Uncle Julian!  He also, did a good job of keeping our little secret that the wings of Mr. Bird were completely undercooked and required more cooking time...sorry everyone.  We also had Cure 81 Ham with a honey glaze.  Our first Christmas dinner in our home was so fun to do.  I was a little stressed just because I wanted it perfect.  But, I am convinced that I went to the right sources for my food preparation research.  So, a big THANKS to : the food network website, Grandma Lynn Schafbuch, Mama Brandt, Mama Sue, and my big sis!  But, the meal wouldn't have been complete without everyone who brought the delicious side dishes. Yum, yum, yum!

Happy Heath!

Heath was so happy to get his IZOD underwear from his Mama.  This blog entry may embarrass Heath a bit, but he posed for the picture and he knows all photos are fair game for the family blog.  Heath wore his Santa hat all Christmas Day.  Love you Babe!

Ella-Girl

Our beautiful niece Ella looked so cute in her Christmas dress. She has sure grown and developed a personality that just makes you giggle.  She was a big fan of my summer sausage and cheddar cheese plate too!  Love you sweetie!

Helping Daddy!

Our niece Ella was very good at opening gifts.  She even helped her Daddy open his gifts.  Clint was fighting a horrible cold over the holidays.  Thanks for being a trooper Clint!    

Opening Gifts With Oma!

Oma had to share the love as both grand kiddies needed arms for hugging or lap for snuggling.  Not to mention her daughter in-law needing her culinary advice with the big Christmas dinner.  Thanks for all your help Ma!  

Christmas Morning!

Santa stopped at the Brandt home!  Our stockings were full and the tree was hidden with stacks of gifts.  Bo woke up to see many colorful packages all for him!  With each gift we sat in front of him he would flap his arms so hard you thought he'd take off  like a bird.  Then, he got the hang of it.  He began to rip the paper to see what was waiting inside each box.  Santa brought Bo a Leap Frog music table.  It has lots of bells and whistles for learning while standing. We also met Mr. Punkins, which is  Bo's first Boyds Bear.  Daddy got Mommy a Flip mino HD.  Now we can add video to our blog!  Mommy got Daddy a level.  Now we will be able to fill our empty walls with pictures frames that are straight.  We opened gifts for a couple of hours when Bo-Boy began to poop out.  He fell asleep all cuddled up in his new St. Louis Cardinal's fleece blanket made by Oma Brandt.  

Christmas Eve

Our family attended the Christmas Eve service at St. John XXXIII in Cedar Rapids. We arrived ten minutes early and it turned out that it was not early enough. There was no parking available and standing room only in the church. The service was about an hour and a half. Bo dressed his best for mass. Once we got home, our plans of driving to Marengo for soup at Grandma Lynn's didn't look very possible. So, we stayed home as a family and watched It's A Wonderful Life on the TV. We also did some finishing touches on the house before the family arrives on Christmas Day.

Mama Alicia To The Rescue!

Heath and I are hosting this years Christmas Dinner.  This is the first for both of us.  We of course want the house to look perfect for our guests.  So, who better to help us with the decorating details but our crafty little mother!  It was a team effort to trim the tree and make all the finishing touches. Thanks Mama Brandt!  

I made my big trip to the grocery store for our holiday dinner items.  Heath wasn't impressed with how much I spent.  The hams are in the refrigerator and tomorrow I will begin to defrost our turkey.   

The Christmas Flu

Bo and I go to Grandma & Grandpa Schafbuch's this evening to spend some time with the family.  Right before supper time Bo began to cry a high pitched loud cry.  I couldn't calm him no matter what I did.  Then, he had a dirty stinky diaper right in my arms.  He must have had a horrible belly ache.  Well, what I thought was an isolated incident wasn't that at all.  He dirtied diaper after diaper every hour or so the whole night.  Then, he threw up once and I began to really worry about his hydration.   Heath called the doctor for a little advice.  The doctor told us that it sounds like Bo has a virus.  The vomiting and diarrhea are not related to receiving the immunizations.  He suggested pedialyte for hydrating Bo and to keep a close eye on him.  

With much hesitation I headed to work the following night while Gma & Gpa Schafbuch watched Bo.  By an hour into my shift at the hospital I was doing the same thing Bo was the night before.  I tolerated it for 9 hours of my 12 shift and finally couldn't take it.  I drove home in the middle of a night shift.  This was the night there was White Out Winter Storm Warnings.  There I was at 3:30am driving back to Mom and Dad's house.  I called the house to let someone know that I was going to be on the road and on my way home.  That is when I learned that my mom had been vomiting since midnight.  

This trend continued to my dad the following evening.  I was unable to return to work for the whole weekend.  Mom wasn't able to go to work Monday.  It was the worst bug ever!  

I Look In the Mirror and Who Do I See? A Big Boy!

Bo turned 6 months old today.  We had a big day planned.  We started at the photographers in Cedar Rapids right away that morning.  Bo didn't smile as much as he normally does.  We missed our morning nap which was all Mama's fault for scheduling the appointment for 10am.  Then we were off to Dr. Momany's office for a 6 month check up.  He weighed 15 pounds, 8 ounces.  He measured 26 inches long.  He is now in the 25th percentile for growth.  He has caught up to the little ones his age.  He received 5 different immunizations.  That is 3 shots in the legs that the nurses give.  After a day of the shots we know that the next 48 hours is going to be hard.  As nurses, we keep him well medicated with Tylenol.  

While Bo slept the late afternoon away I was able to wrap a few gifts and iron the tablecloth and napkins for our upcoming Christmas Dinner.  

The Boys

Together Here.

The Boys

Together Here.

The Three Cousins!

The three cousin finally in the same country.  Harrison Micheal, Addison Marie, and Bo Preston are the three amigos in house this month.  Grandma Sue and Grandpa Jeff couldn't be happier to celebrate this holiday season with two new members!  

Big Sis Is Home!

We all met at the airport last night to greet the Dea family on their arrival from England! After being awake for more than twenty hours the whole crew looked great. Addison Marie has grown into such a big girl. She is taking quite good care of her little brother Harrison. We all headed to the cabin for some much deserved rest and relaxation. Uncle Casey was there waiting with anticipation. He hasn't seen Addison for over a year. The cabin turned into a mad house the moment everyone arrived. I don't think that place has seen such excitement. Addison was making friends with every toy in the house. Before too long Grandma Sue had Addison in the bathtub for scrubbing after the long flights. Cousin Bo was sure overwhelmed by all the loud voices and commotion as he had a high pitched cry that couldn't be quieted for about an hour. Great-Grandma Lynn dropped by to see if everyone landed in Cedar Rapids okay. We are so glad to have our whole family close by. Welcome Home Guys! Another piece of good news is Casey's dog Red has been found!! We thought for sure that he was gone for good. Casey found him at the Des Moines animal shelter. Red had been there for 17 days. Casey was called last week by a woman who saw one of his 'Lost Dog' fliers. What a happy ending to that story! Welcome Home Red!

The Little Guy

Today, I woke up and went power shopping in Cedar Rapids.  I got so much accomplished while Bo was at home with Daddy.  When I got home I looked at Bo's face and it was all red like he had been crying.  Turns out he was having a good day until all of the sudden while Heath was rocking him he began to cry really hard.  Heath said that he had been crying for about 30 minutes before I got home.  I thought that it was going to be one of those times where he just missed him mommy.  But, it is now 8:00PM and after using all the tricks I've got Bo is just now starting to relax and fall asleep.  I think that he is teething.  The neonatologist said that premies will teeth for a long, long time  before an actual tooth pops through.  But, I tell you what...Tylenol, ora-gel, filling his belly, and a warm bath is what finally helped the little guy.  All he wanted was to be held too.  The second I'd lay him down he would just whale!  My heart just hurts when he doesn't feel good.  

Corrina and her family will be getting off the plane in Cedar Rapids in less than 48 hours.  I can't wait to see her!  It will be neat to see Harrison for the first time!  Corrina will be meeting her first nephew for the first time as well.  

The planning for the Brandt Christmas at our home is coming along.  I bought my sixty dollar roasting pan today.  I will be cooking my first turkey on Christmas Day.  Everyone pray for me! We have sent out most of everyones Christmas cards for this year.  So, be sure to keep an eye out in the mail.  We ran out of the picture cards so we've had to re-order.  So some people will be getting them a few weeks later.  

Well, those are the updates!  

Christmas time is Coming!

I think Santa ate too many cookies!
Heath and I went up into the attic and got all the Christmas decorations.  On Thanksgiving Day Heath ran and got our 9 foot Christmas tree from Kmart.  He was in line at 7:00am along with 200 other people. 

Corrina, Kevin, and the kids will be here in a week and a half.  We can't wait to see the new addition to the family.  When Addison left she had to be carried to the plane.  When she returns she will be running off the plane.  What a big girl!  

I will start mixing up cookies next week!  Heath and I don't have to work on Christmas Day this year. What a treat!  We are getting the house ready for the Brandt gathering on Christmas Day! 

We will be sending out our Christmas cards next week, as we had them made two days ago!