Borchert Family Christmas

Mom and Dad Borchert with the Grandkids at the farm. Addie, Caleb, Lane (Scrooge) and Colin.

Great Grandma Borchert and Lane.

Bath-time fun for Lane and Caleb.

Ho, ho, ho.

Cousins :)

Phelps Family Christmas

K.J., David and Karissa with our little Laney Lou.

Lane and her cousins, Brooklyn, K.J., and little miss sunshine, Paige :)

K.J. and a couple of his new toys.

Lane (wearing a basketball jersey given to her by her Auntie Karissa) opening the coveted new babies. To say she likes dolls may be the understatement of the year. Note her cousin, Brooklyn, loitering...just waiting to attack.

College Friends!

During the Christmas break my college friends and I squeezed in a little get-together. Annie, Amber and Kate and I were able to catch up even during a blizzard. Unfortunately, Marie wasn't able to join us because of the weather but we plan to see her soon! We always have a lot of fun and a lot of laughs when we reconnect. Can't wait for the annual August gathering!

Our Little Family Christmas

We celebrated Christmas with just our family the Sunday before Christmas. We only bought Lane one present, and as you can see, it was a big hit. It was such a great, cozy day.

The Critter Barn

Last Friday we ventured out in the cold to visit the Critter Barn with Katie and Justin and their kids. They have a live nativity and a lot of fun animals to get up close and personal with. Chris and I are a little bewildered at how timid Lane is with the animals because it doesn't match her personality at all. She clung to Chris or I any time she got close to an animal...including the baby chicks. She relaxed a bit by the end of our visit but I guess this is something we will have to keep working on :)

Shoveling

I sent Chris and Lane out to shovel the driveway and this is what came of it. Notice at the end of the clip how she ends up. :)

Elf Yourself

Check out our dancing family at this link below:

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/9hXjApooC8W6l9bT

Hot Stuff

Whenever we put these sunglasses on Laney, she tends to think she is pretty special. And, she throws a major temper tantrum if we take them off before she is ready for them to come off. I'm not sure, but we may have a diva in the making.

We have been super busy lately. About a month ago I started babysitting my niece and nephews three days as week (4 kids under the age of 4..yikes) so haven't had the time like I used to to post or even check out other peoples blogs. Our Thanksgiving was great, we were with my parents this year (we do the every other year thing) and were able to spend a lot of quality time with the fam. We got to meet my sister's new boyfriend, David, who was great and we also got some surprising but very exciting news from Kyle and Jenn..they are expecting again! This will be their 4th..God bless em. We have a lot to be Thankful for this year, as always, but family, health, good friends and jobs are at the top of my list!

BFF

Lane and Rob. BFF.

Birthday Surprise

Last weekend we surprised our good friend Matt in Elmhurst for his 29th birthday. We had such a fun time hanging out with all of our Chicago friends and the look on Matt's face when he saw us was priceless. We enjoyed a nice weekend with Chris's parents and grandparents as well. It's always nice to spend some fun, quality time with family and friends..we hope to see you again soon!

Halloween

My two busy little bees

Chris, Lane and Colin

Lane's cousins: Colin as Buzz Lightyear, Addie the indian princess and Caleb the froggie..too cute!

Lane loved walking up and down the sidewalk but wanted little to do with actually going up to people's doors. After a few temper tantrums from making her try to trick or treat, we called it a night.

Ryan got in on the Halloween fun too!

This is what I emptied out of Lane's pumpkin...leaf and all. And as a side note, the 3 candy bars were from one home. Maybe next year she'll take home more than a handful!

The Flu

I apologize for the lack of posts lately but our family has been bitten by the flu bug. Lane got it first Halloween night and unfortunately spread it to her cousins and then Chris and I. During this whole process I have learned two interesting and gross things. One, my daughter does not thoroughly chew her food and two, the backseat of the car and car seat have a MILLION nooks and crannies which make cleaning up vomit quite a challenge. And the kicker on the last one..we were 5 minutes from home!
I plan to post a few picture of Halloween when I have more time and more energy! Hope everyone else is feeling okay!

She's A Girl

Okay, so I need to vent a bit here. I realize my daughter has little to no hair and I do dream of the day when I can run a brush through it, put it in a pony-tail and most of all clip a bow in it. But, just because a child doesn't have luscious, flowing locks doesn't mean they look like a boy. Every single time we are out and about (and I am not exaggerating here) Laney gets referred to as a boy. My new mantra is "she's a girl" because I find myself repeating these words to the strangers who have enough audacity to assume she is a boy even though she is dressed in head-to-toe pink. Does anyone else feel my pain on this issue?

Oh and a fun side note...Laney threw up on herself and me today and as I was getting her into the bathtub, she peed on me. Needless to say I am headed to the kitchen to enjoy a nice glass of wine!

Dance, Dance, Dance

I took this video of Lane this morning. I guess I am most proud that she got her Dad's dance moves and my ability to follow directions. If you listen closely, she claps her hands, stomps her feet when the cartoon tells her too and then barks like a dog when she hears the dog on the TV. Priceless.

A Few Pictures

Here are a few pictures of our anniversary weekend sent to me by my friend Kate. Thanks Kate!

Happy Anniversary to Us!

This past Saturday, Chris and I celebrated our 5-year wedding anniversary. We stayed at my parent's cottage in Onekama while they took care of Lane for us (fair trade, don't you think?). The weather was perfect and actually reminded us of our wedding day..a sunny, crisp fall day. We met a few of our friend's in Traverse City for some wine tasting on Saturday afternoon, which was a lot of fun. We took our time heading back to the cottage by checking out a few second-hand shops looking for the finishing touches for our Halloween costumes and ate a fabulous dinner at a small town restaurant near the cottage.
We of course forgot our camera so there are no pictures of our great weekend...you'll just have to take my word on it!

Fun at the Pumpkin Farm

My sister-in-laws Katie and Maribeth and myself
We went for a fun but bumpy ride on the farm's cow train.
Laney's cousins, Addie, Caleb and Colin.
Lane was definitely not too sure about this pumpkin picking process, she didn't want a whole lot to do with it!

Nor did she love the goats...
But, she was a-ok with the bunnies!

This past weekend we went to a pumpkin farm with Chris's family. We usually go every year and it is something I look forward to all year long. I'm convinced you can't get much better than a Fall afternoon spent picking out the perfect pumpkin and eating fresh donuts and cider. It was Lane's first pumpkin patch experience and I think she has more fun hanging out with her cousins than actually picking out a pumpkin :)

Great Grandma

Lane and I had a fun visit with Grandma Phelps on Friday. Lane was a busy little body chasing my Grandma's cat around so this picture was a short lived moment where she actually gave the real kitty a break...only of course to pet the stuffed one.

Toys

Lane's newest hobby is climbing in her toy box or laundry basket and surrounding herself with her toys. On a several occasions she has spent over a half-hour entertaining herself in and amongst her toys and she tends to get a little feisty with me if I try and take her out. I guess I should look at this as a blessing because she actually is taking time to sit still!!! Gotta love that little stinker!

Welcome William Nicholas!

My dear friend, Abbie and her husband Matt, welcomed their second son, William Nicholas, this past Wednesday. He weighed in at 7lbs. 7oz. We were able to meet the new little man last night ...he is so adorable! Everyone is doing well and we couldn't be happier for their family. Congratulations!!!!

Little Miss Independent