I'm thankful for...

... so many things, way too many to try to sit here and name/type them all. So for 2010, I'll just stick with the most obvious thing I'm thankful for, and that is my son. I'm thankful that God has given Nick and I the chance to raise this precious little boy, thankful that we have so many loving family and friends to help us with the task, and thankful just to be Ben's mom.

He looks pretty mischievous...

Thanks Great-Grandma Gutwein for my

very first set of Lego's!!

Grandma Braun

Grandpa Vollmer

Who is having more fun building the train set,

Ben or Uncle Aaron?

The 5 cousins (L-R), Violet Gutwein (2 weeks), Grace Gutwein (2),

Alexa Starr (1), Ben Vollmer (8mos), and Anna Starr (5).

Aunt Carrie keep the kiddos occupied with

The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Great Grandma Gutwein with Ben,

one of her 18 great-grandchildren...

Footie PJ's and time for breakfast-

does life get much better than this?

My little man

Welcome Violet Yvonne

Today, we truly have something to be thankful for. My brother Anthony and his wife Jennifer welcomed their 2nd child into the world, a perfect little girl named Violet Yvonne (after Grandma Gutwein, of course). She was born shortly after noon and weighed in at 8lbs and 5oz. I really do forget sometimes how much of a miracle little babies are until I hold one just like Violet... only 7 hours old and so very dependent.

I can't believe I have 4 nieces now!!! What in the world- I guess we'll either have to have another little boy or hope for a nephew sometime in the near future so Ben has a cousin to play with. He'll just have to stick with his friend Owen for now:)

Enjoy a few snapshots of Violet! She has the best little chubby cheeks!!

Proud Papa