Christmas/Joy to the World!

Christmas Eve-Eve

Lots happened in the last week before Christmas. Benjamin and his preschool classmates treated us to a sweet production of "The First Christmas." Ben was a shepard......complete with camel. Nothing put me in the spirit more than a room full of little kids belting out Jingle Bells and Silent Night.

Then Santa visited his school and even remembered Sidney.

On Friday we held our annual Christmas party at Paula and Greg's house. This is the 3rd year that our friends and kids gather to celebrate together.
Do Steve and Sid hear jingle bells and reindeer hooves?
Yes! Santa came to the party, too.

With that present in her hand, looks like Paula has been nice this year :) Now that 4 out of 5 people in our house (stay healthy Steve!) have had and recovered from a 24-hour flu, we're ready for Christmas. Bring it!

One holiday at a time

Before Santa rolls into town, here's a peek at our November trip to Chicago and Thanksgiving feast(s). First was the "Smackdown" in Naperville: a delicious gathering of the Baleiko family from all corners of the U.S.

Then we braved the cold to burn some calories...

...in preparation for Thanksgiving II, the Saturday after, with the Friedmans in Elmhurst.

Chex Mix was Sidney's favorite treat by far.

The guys entertained themselves (and us) for hours playing T-ball.

We returned to Florida Dec. 3 for the tree lighting at the park across the street. Note Sidney (back in a tank top) at the bottom of the frame, glow-stick in hand.

Thinking thoughts of loved ones near and far for the next holiday.

The Chicago/Halloween Nutshell

So the last 8 weeks have gone like this: Before I took the kids to Chicago, Steve and I got a luxurious night away in Ft. Lauderdale while Grama Karen watched the kids. When it's 90 degrees in September, it's easy to play tourist in your own town.

A few weeks later, 1500 miles away in IL, we got a good taste of Fall at a pumpkin patch. Here, with our friend Tommy Schultz (left). And Grammy Mary.
And later had a family outing at Brookfield Zoo. The dinosaur exhibit was a big hit.

Fun Auntie Manders always thinks safety, too. Sid caught a ride with Uncle Matt, wearing a vest and jeans that were his back in the day. Later that trip Poppy and P'la took treated us to a day at the Field Museum. Mission: Pirate Exhibit was accomplished with a smile... and an Arrrrgh.We also did a bit of chillin'. Here, in Grama Karen's backyard.

Pictures and words can't express how much I love these trips to my hometown. Spending time there with my kids, our family and my dearest friends, in some of my favorite places in the world... well, not much beats that. As always, a heartfelt thanks to everyone who makes time in their busy schedules to share time with us. Big love!



Back in Florida, in October, Ben wore one of Uncle Matt's old skeleton getups for a friend's Monster Birthday party.

And a couple of weeks later Sidney was a ladybug for Halloween.

Doctor Steve gave out H1N1 flu "shots."

And I channeled Betty Suarez while Ben loved every minute of his evening as a Transformer. Optimus Prime.

He wore this shirt to school several times. Grandpa Marc and Grammy Mary's score from this year's Sandwich Fair.

Watch as Ben sees his Halloween costume for the first time.

We've had our bouts of lingering colds but are all doing well. Looking forward to the upcoming holidays, and the news and visits they bring from friends and family near and far.

Peace!

Painting and Dress-Up

It started innocently enough...

...but quickly went down hill......(depending on which side of the clean-up team you were on).

Later, a little clean fun with dress-up, using outfits rescued from the Naperville basement, that once fueled the young imaginations of Uncle Matt, Antie Amanda, and even Momma Kris!

A pirate and his "sword."An Indian Princess tries on her pheasant-feather headdress.

And watch out for the fierce purple disosaur roaring into the room!
Time to refuel with a red ice pop.

July 4th

Welcome to the video edition -- footage of the Friedmans beating the summer heat in the water. July 4th started when Ben and Steve went with a group of friends on a two-hour float down some channels out into the ocean.

The Float:

Little Fish -- Ben and his best buddies, snorkel and mask:

Later, Sidney and I joined the group at the Ocean View for some grub and poolside fun.

Red, White and Blueberries:

The Windup -- Ben has his own little system to get it all just so before taking the plunge:

And a few stills from the day's events:

After a brief rest at home, we reconveined across the street at Founders Park for a fab fireworks display. Ah, America the Beautiful!

May in a Nut Shell

Better than a basket of flowers at our door on May Day, we got a long visit with Uncle Randy and Teresa. They liberated Steve's new car to us from it's former home in southern Illinois. Their 1,400 mile road trip ended at the local sandbar. Cayson and Ben in the bird cage at the OV. Haven't seen one of those at Toys R Us, but we may be on to something...Then Steve guided Sam Kaufman to the Largest Tarpon and overall Third Runner Up in the Golden Fly Invitational Championship. They've put a lot of time in together on the water over a few years, and their efforts nicely rewarded in this tournament. Congratulations!Before we knew it, May 28 was here marking Sidney's first year. Here, she models a frock worn 34 years ago by momma, on her 1st birthday (made by Sid's Grama Karen). Also Jim Friedman's birthday (Sid's Great-Uncle), we celebrated the happy occasion with dinner, cake and a table full of family. Ben elected himself official present opener.

The bow. Oh, the bow!

Enough of this belly crawling! The day after her birthday Sidney figured out the knee component of getting around on all fours.
As per her Uncle Jim, "This is probably the best meal of her life -- it doesn't get any better than cake on the first birthday!" Well said.