Maternity Leave is Over

Six weeks flew by after Everett was born and before I knew it, it was back to Arizona and back to work. It was hard to leave Nels and our Wisconsin home, but it was reassuring to me that the next 10 days I would be hanging out with my mom and sister until Nels returned to Phoenix. Mom took a flight from Fargo through Minneapolis and met us at security. It was her first time meeting Everett! After a quick lunch with Nels, mom, Everett, Bristol and I made our way to the gate. My good friend, Melissa, kindly picked us up in Phoenix. We had the next day to get settled and then I hit the ground running. Going back to work was difficult for me. I really wanted to be back at home hanging out with Everett. It made me feel a lot better to know that my mom was taking care of Everett, though. He was good for mom and I think they both enjoyed the Grandma time!

Lenor also came to help out with the baby. She flew in the night before mom's birthday as a surprise. It was so much fun to have both mom and Lenor staying with us and helping out. I was exhausted both working and getting up at night to take care of Everett but they made things much easier with all the help they gave me!

We managed to take in some fun events during their visit. We all went to the Desert Botanical Gardens on 12.10 for mom's birthday. It featured an exibit by Allan Houser, an Apache Indian sculptor. Mom and I also went to Candlelight Capers, a big black tie fundraiser for the hospital (this year supporting the Breast Cancer Center.) Lenor and mom took Everett to the Heard Museum as well for some culture.

It was so sad for me to see them go. They enjoyed snuggling Everett and I know he loved being with Auntie Nor and Grandma Janice! Thank you, mom and Lenor for coming!!!

Everett's First Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving was extra special this year. A brand new baby has blessed our lives, Nels has a great job that he is enjoying, Margaret passed her boards and we are all healthy. We have so much to be thankful for! We spent the holiday weekend at Nels's parents. Everett was excited to meet his Great-Grandma Dorothy, his cousins Mikkel, Abby, Annie and Ella and Uncle Doug, Aunt Cindy, Uncle Peter and Aunt Kristi and also Great-Great Uncle Marvin. Of course he enjoyed hanging out with Grandma Patti and Grandpa Craig. We enjoyed a little break as everyone was really excited to change Everett's diapers, hold him and rock him to sleep. It was nice to have the help! The day after Thanksgiving, we opted out of the Black Friday shopping crowds for a family portrait. It was amazing to see the four generations all together. We were also lucky enough to have a quick visit with the Johnson's - Scott, Holly, Mackenzie and Riley. All in all, it was a lovely Thanksgiving holiday and we are definitely excited about the next get together.