Happy New Year

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We had a very busy December, so I'm sorry for not getting an update until now. Over the holidays we made the trip up to South Bend to see Meg's family for the annual Sullivan Family Christmas gathering, where Patrick met Santa!. After that, we traveled to my parents in Nekoosa for a relaxing Christmas with my family where Patrick got to go sledding for the first time and play with his great big toy from Grandma and Grandpa.

Rebecca is getting bigger and more social by the day. She goes in for her two-month check-up later this week, along with her brother's two-year check, so we'll have updated measurables for all you recruiting gurus. She has started smiling and making fun ooo's and aaa's, especially when big brother Patrick is in bed or otherwise quiet (which isn't very often).

Patrick's vocabulary is growing exponentially. On Sunday during the homily at mass, Patrick entertained the choir by confidently repeating "LIGHT" and "STAR" after Fr. Donton over and over. At home he's doing what two-year-olds do best, get into everything. He's learned how to defeat the baby gate as well as the lock on the dishwasher. The biggest news for Patrick is that on the day before his birthday, he used the potty not once, but twice! Unfortunately we have not been able to coax a repeat performance, but along with transitioning to the toddler bed is something Meg and I (I'll admit mostly Meg) are still working on. For his second birthday, I made an attempt at playing pastry chef making his cake and the frosting from scratch. It may not have been an artistic success, but it tasted good. At the very least, as you will see, Patrick enjoyed it.

Well I've typed enough for now, and with a lovely January thunderstorm rolling through Central Illinois this evening, I should wrap this up in case we lose power. Now on to the pictures.