Our very Merry Christmas!

Well I am hoping that everyone had a very merry Christmas this year! I know we sure did. Andy was off work for the weekend of Christmas, which was so nice!! We spent Christmas Eve relaxing and getting ready for Christmas day. We drove around and looked at Christmas lights, Garrett got to put out cookies and milk for Santa, and then both kids went to bed early. By Christmas morning Garrett and Emily were thrilled to see that Santa came!! The kids opened presents, we had breakfast and then started getting things ready for the day. Andy's parents came over from South Dakota and my parents were here for dinner as well. It was sooooo nice, and the food was delicious. The kids got lots of fun toys, but their 'big' gift wouldn't quite fit  under the tree. Santa will be making a special delivery this spring....he is bringing the kids a swing set!!!!! We are super excited, and I'm sure they will be too, once they see it. Andy's parents chipped in some for the swing set as part of the kids' present! The only thing that wasn't perfect was that we were missing my brother and his family. They traveled out of town this year for Christmas. So when they got home we were happy to have them stop over for the evening. Then it really felt like Christmas!! We all  had such a nice time visiting, playing with the kids, putting their stuff together!! After everyone went home, we had a nice, quiet evening. The kids were exhausted and so were we!! The next morning we headed to Gillette for some day after Christmas shopping and then home again to exchange gifts with Brian, Shanda, Cole, Tyler, Cody and Heidi, and my parents. It was another fabulous evening with good food and fun times, and even a little bit of wii!! I am posting a few pictures of our Christmas. Hoping that everyone had a fabulous Christmas and wishing everyone a Happy New Year!!

 

It's the most wonderful time of the year!!

Thought I'd share a few pics of our Christmas season so far!! I'm sure there'll be more to come!!!

Gingerbread train decorating!!

The best presents ever!!

The sweet smell of Christmas!

Hello everyone!! Hope you are all having a merry and bright holiday season so far!! I thought I'd share a few pictures of our weekend. Mom came over and we baked Christmas cookies ALLLLLLLL day long!! It was so much fun!! Once the cookies are baked, frosted and decorated we know that the season is finally here!! Wouldn't be Christmas without them!! Also, Garrett was able to help this year, which made it even more fun. Andy was home and helped watch the kids, but once Garrett got in the kitchen, we couldn't get him out!! He had fun rolling the dough, cutting the cookies, frosting them and making his very own masterpieces! How fun is that?! I find Christmas to be even more special now that I have kids of my own. And I hope that I can pass on some of the same wonderful memories and traditions that I have of my childhood to our kids, especially at Christmas time!! Well that is all I have for now. Please enjoy the pictures!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Well here we are....officially in the midst of the holiday season!! I just thought I'd share a few pics. I know this post is short. There isn't a whole lot of new news to share. We've been busy decorating for Christmas, but I have a feeling that we will have quite a few pictures within this next month or so! Enjoy!!

A year to be thankful for!

With Thanksgiving a little over a week away, I thought I'd post my "Thankful" blog now!! And boy do we have a lot to be thankful for this year!!
We started off our year 2010 with a beautiful new addition to our family, one day old, Emily Esther!! Weighing it at 7 pounds 1 ounce and 19 inches long on December 31,2009 she is such a wonderful blessing to our family!! And I can hardly believe she'll be 1 in 6 short weeks!! Shortly after Emily was born, we bought a camper and have loved using it already!! We went camping in it and have spent many afternoons eating lunch in it at our house!! One of our best investments yet!! And speaking of investments, we were able to sell our townhouse and buy a different house for our growing family!! We bought a 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom  home just south of Wright on about 5 acres!! Now that is the best investment yet!! Life can't get any better out here!! We absolutely love our new home and have enjoyed every minute of our life in it!! We spent the summer getting un-packed and enjoying our new space. We even had time for a camping trip with my parents this year!! We had the funnest time EVER!! While our summer was coming to an end, we got a phone call that we've been waiting for! A lady in Lander, Wyoming had a boy pug puppy for sale and Andy has been wanting to get one forever! The price was right, the color was right, the gender was right...so we took a road trip to Lander!! He was instantly a welcome addition to our family and fits right in!! Andy named him Ruger and the name fits well!! He is growing every day and finally (!!!!!!!!!) getting the hang of going potty outside!! Now I am super thankful for that!! Our fall began and so did our busy schedule!! Andy spent a lot of time in the Black Hills hunting for  his elk and he FINALLY got one!! We were all super excited for him. Also, Emily took her first steps and started walking this fall. She is getting really good at keeping up with her big brother now. She walks everywhere and enjoys it as well!! Then, on November 5 our little boy turned 3!! So excited to see him growing up, but a little sad at the same time. It is unbelievable how fast time flies by and we are so lucky to have Garrett as our own!! He is such a joy and SO MUCH FUN!! He has developed quite a personality and sense of humor. We can't imagine life without him!! He's perfect!! And now here we are, a week and a few days away from Thanksgiving!! This is my favorite time of year...and now we're finally getting some snow!! Garrett and Emily both love playing in it and when Garrett sees that it's snowing he can't wait to get bundled up and head outside!!
Well, that sums up just about our entire year!! We've had a great year filled with some incredible memories!! I would have to say, this is one of our best years yet...and I hear it only gets better and better!! We would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy the rest of 2010!! We know we will!!
Please enjoy the pictures of our year!!

Garrett turned 3!!!!

On November 5 our little boy turned 3 years old!! Hard to believe how fast time has flown by these past three years!! He is such a joy to have and he is the funnest, most entertaining little boy on the planet!! We love him so much and I thought I'd share some pictures of his party. We celebrated with friends and family on November 6 with chili, cake and ice-cream....and LOTS of fun presents!! Also, thank you to everyone who came and celebrated with us. This was one of his best parties yet!! Today we are relaxing and cleaning up the aftermath of his party. And Andy is putting together Garrett's train set and Car Garage!! (Click on the pictues to see them bigger).

Fabulous Fall!

I thought I'd post a few pictures of our fabulous fall that we've been having!! 

Zzzzz......





Snuggling up with Mickey Mouse




Making chili for Garrett's Birthday party




The Master Chef!!




Emily enjoying some Spaghetti....




Garrett sitting in his big boy seat!!!!!!!!!



A few for fun!!

I just thought that I'd put a few more pictures up here just for fun!! Enjoy!!

The kids, the pumpkins, and a hay bale!



GoOoOo Packers!!!!!!!




Me with one of my new Rachael Ray bubble and brown dishes!!! Everything tastes better out of these!!!!!
Thanks Mom and Dad!!!!! Dinner was YUM-O!!



Emily's BIG milestone!!

Emily has started walking!!!!! She took her first step September 19 and has slowing taking more at a time. This past week she has really taken off!! She can now walk about 10-12 steps or more at a time!! It is so exciting to watch her grow!! I thought I'd share a video of her. This was taken about a week ago and now she can walk even further on her own, but doesn't want to when I have the camera on her!! Enjoy!!

Andy's Hunt!!

I am writing to share the good news!! Andy got his elk on this last hunting trip he took!! I am so happy for him and he is very excited to have his first elk!! Just thought I'd share a few pictures!! You can click on the picture below for a larger image!!

The hunter and the hunted!!

Busy October!!

It's been a while since the last post!! We have been enjoying our fall to the fullest!! The weather has been BEAUTIFUL, so we've been spending a lot of time at the different parks in town!! Both kids LOVE the park. Garrett has a blast running off his energy and Emily loves going down the slides and playing in the grass!! This past week Andy was on his seven off and we managed to get quite a bit of work done. Andy and Garrett were outside doing guy stuff like changing the oil on the vehicles, getting the 4-wheeler ready, etc...and Emily and I were inside doing girl stuff like laundry, baking cookies and cleaning!! Although we still had plenty of time to play outside too!! Andy also got our master bathroom painted at the beginning of the week off, so we have been enjoying that as well!!

October 14th marked my 25th birthday!! We had a busy day in Gillette but it was so much fun!! We went to Gillette and all 4 of us got our flu shots (ouch!!). Then we picked up some chicken and headed to the park for a picnic. We had so much fun eating under a huge tree and playing in the park afterwards!! Then we packed up and went to Emily's 9 month well baby check up. She weighed in at 18 pounds 4 ounces and was 29 inches tall. That put her in the 75% for weight and 95% for height!! The doctor told us she was perfect!!!! But we already knew that!! Emily has also been taking steps on her own here and there, so it won't be long before she's running around keeping up with her big brother!! After Emily's appointment I had an appointment with the eye doctor and was lucky enough to get new glasses for my birthday!! We enjoyed a nice dinner at Applebee's before coming home!!

Not much else is happening right now. We are getting ready to celebrate Garrett's 3rd birthday in a few weeks and Andy is getting ready to head out hunting again. So far he has filled his antelope tag and will be going for elk and deer. We wish him lots of luck Sunday!!

Well, that is all I have for now. I will be posting again SOON!! Enjoy your October, everyone!!!!

Happy Autumn!!

Happy Autumn everyone!! This is my favorite time of year and we are having a great "Fall" day here!! The air is crisp and a bit rainy!! To welcome the season I am making a pot of chili and bread bowls for dinner!! Mmmm!! I can't think of a better way to celebrate the official beginning of Fall!! We hope that everyone is enjoying their Fall as much as we are!!

Just for Fun!

Here are a few pics of the kids....just for fun!!

Vietnam Memorial

September 8-12 the traveling Vietnam Wall Memorial was in Gillette. My mom went with me and the kids on Sunday so we could see it. I am so glad we made it!! It sure helps to put things into prospective and certainly makes you thankful for all those serving our country...past, present and future!! I did get a few pictures so I will let you all see some of them. Other than that I don't have much to say in this post...it was an emotional experience that leaves one rather speechless.

If you click the photo I believe it will enlarge for you!

Our very first blog!!

So here it goes! We have been hearing a lot lately about Blogspots. Since I am fairly new to the Facebook world, it has taken me some time to decide whether or not we wanted to venture into the world of Blogging or not. Well, we have taken the plunge!! We will see  how it goes and decide later if we want to continue or if it is simply unnecessary. We will see!!

So, in further news.....
Hunting is in full swing for Andy. Opening day for him was September 1. He went up to the Black Hills last weekend and didn't have much luck. He will be going again on his 7 off and we are wishing him lots of hunter's luck!! Garrett keeps telling him to "get the big one, Daddy!!" Too cute!!

Garrett is coming along very well in his potty training expedition!! He pretty much has no accidents during the day. We still use diapers during nap time and bed time. He is usally dry after his nap and it is hit or miss after bed time. We are so proud of him and how well he is doing!! And he is also quite the helper for me around the house. He loves to help and he is the best big brother to Emily!! They are becoming quite the pair together!!

Emily is growing and learning every day!! She can crawl, pull herself up into the standing position and she even "cruises"!! It won't be long before she is walking all on her own. It is so exciting to see her grow and develop every day!! She is such a sweetheart!!

And for me. I am trying to keep up with everything that is going on around here!! It sure is crazy sometimes, but it is the BEST!! I love staying home and taking care of the kids, Andy, the pets, and doing every day things!! Life doesn't get any better than this!!!

We have also added a new member to our family. A few weeks ago we traveled to Lander to pick up our new Pug puppy!! He is adorable and fits right into our little family!! He is getting along great here at home and Sugar seems to have 'adopted' him as her own!! One of their favorites things to do is play tug-o-war!! It sure is funny to watch!

                                    

That is all that I have to post for now. Hopefully I'll be back soon to update everyone on more of the going-on's in the Plaggemeyer household!! Enjoy!!