Kelly and I decided not to have a large party and keep it just the us for Mc-family members this year. I was traveling in Chicago and booked an early flight to get home a little early to help Kelly with party prep, but O’Hare Airport didn’t take this into account. I was delayed three times leaving the airport and got home just before bed time. As I walked in the door Ellie ran up to me and said, “Da Da, cup cakes and presents!” Even though I was late we had a great time.

Be sure to look at the photos and video we made. Her Big present was a brand new Cozy Coupe. Now She and Mommy both have a “New Ca-i” (That’s Ellie’s pronunciation of Car). Ellie also got nice gifts from Grandma McIntosh and Grandma/Grandpa Tschohl. (thank you)

We had a nice Christmas and holiday season. For the most part we just stayed home and took it easy. We did had a fun Holiday party earlier in December and Kelly’s parents came to visit us before Christmas for a few days. As of the last couple years the McIntosh’s have a new rule about not trying to travel during the holidays with the two little girls. Additionally, since I work in online retail, it’s my busiest time at work.

The girls did a great job in their schools holiday pageant. Mia had been practicing her routine at home over and over in the weeks leading up to the show and we didn’t see anything out of Ellie. However Mia got a little stage fright in front of the 300 plus parents and family members and didn’t quite pull off all the moves. She tried her best though. But, Ellie stole the show. She did such a good job that all the parents around us were commenting on how cute she was and how well she stayed upfront and focused on the dance routine. When she came out from back stage and sat with us in the audience all the other parents were telling her how well she did. Kelly and I were beaming with pride. It’s the first time I’d ever seen something like that out of Ellie. She is typically very shy around strangers.

We also visited with a lot of friends at both the Karcher’s holiday party and Hager’s new years party. Always fun to see all the friends. Over the past few years the parties have sure changed though. We now spend more time taking care of kids than playing drinking games. Almost everyone has young children or has one on the way. There are now seven kidos under the age of four in the group.

Kelly and I will be celebrating our wedding anniversary in a couple days on January 3. This year will be our 10th anniversary too and I surprised Kelly with an early gift this week. I got her a new Nissan Altima. (see the photos page) It was pretty exciting and it made me happy to see her so suprised. Her old Altima was such a POS. She deserved this very much.

I hope to have my blog in order soon and keep the updates coming on a more regular basis. The next big event for us will be Ellie’s second birthday. I can’t believe how fast these kids are growing up. Though it’s overwhelming at times, it’s so much fun for Kelly and I watching Mia and Ellie turn in to little girls.