I Saw Snow...

and I didn't like it! Well, at least mom and dad didn't like it! Evan's first Christmas was spent in Wisconsin. We spent over 30 hours in the truck the past week driving to see all our friends and family. Evan met for the first time YoYo (as Chad likes to call Grandpa Lee), Uncle Lee Lee, Aunt Katie, Great Grandpa and Grandma Schwemmer, Great Grandpa Schloerke, Great Grandma Kilcrece, Uncle Rick, Great Aunt Marie and Marty, and many more. We had a wonderful time, but there's no place like home :-)

Thanks to everyone for all the presents! The truck was packed to max capacity. E, you're one spoiled child.

Cookies!

This was the first Christmas in quite some time that I wasn't in Wisconsin for the Annual Schwemmer Christmas Cookie Extravaganza. However, I invited a few girls over to fill my cookie void and we baked like nobody's business!

What cookies did we make this year?

• Peanut Blossoms
• Mom's Toffee
• Turtle Pretzels
• Snowballs
• The ones with cherries and dates in them (what are the called Marci?)

Here are some shots from the day.

The result!

John 3:5

Jesus told us:
"I tell you the truth, no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless he born of the water and the Spirit."

Evan was baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit on December 13, 2009 at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Marietta, Georgia.

We barely made it on time to church, and as we pulled up Pastors Bondow and Guse were planning what to do if we were late! Not only were we almost late, but I forgot the camera! Thankfully, our friend Elizabeth had her camera and she was able to snap a few shots after the service. Thanks Elizabeth!

Old Faithful

Evan made quite the mess at the doctor's office today. You get a newborn boy naked and you can guess what happens. Chad put him on the scale and before we knew it the scale was soaked, as well as the wall, and the box of kleenex next to the scale. LOL! The good news is that he is a very good eater. At Friday's appointment he weighed 6# 15oz, and today he weighed in at 7# 8oz.

Now if we could only get him to sleep at night vs. during the day...

Seating for Six

Our new dinette table was delivered last week! I am so excited to have seating for six without having to use the dining room table. The new table fills the space so much better, and it perfect for dominos. Now we just need a larger light fixture. By the way, Crate and Barrel has amazing customer service. A hand written thank you note for the purchase AND a follow up call after delivery to make sure everything is okay. Who knew you could get such great service from a chain retailer?

I Met My Schloerke Grandparents, Auntie, and Cousins!

It was a whirlwind visit for the Schloerke gang. They drove 14 hours on Wednesday to meet Evan, and then turned right back around on Friday morning to head back to chilly Wisconsin. Evan was a little hot potato being passed around to Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie Dawn, and cousins Jacob and Nick.

Yaya made a big feast and we gorged ourselves with enchiladas, played a heated game of dominos, and of course took lots of pictures. Pictures to come on the Flickr feed.

Yawn. I need a nap!

My Grandma Loves Me, and So Does Palmer

Grandma Karen, aka γιαγιά (Greek for Grandma), has come to stay with us for the first week. Yaya has been very helpful and we don't know what we would do without her cooking, baking, and loving on her grandbaby Evan! Thanks mom for all your help.

By the way, if you like coconut you need to make these scones from the current issue of FoodNetwork Magazine. YUM! 

Palmer is handling the adjustment to Evan very well. At first Palmer would bark when Evan cried, but after a couple of days the barking has diminished. Now they like to sleep next to each other! 

Evan Lee Schloerke

Apparently the threat of an eviction notice prompted Evan to make his debut before the eviction process!

THANKSGIVING DAY
Chad and I went to the 10am Thanksgiving service at church. I was feeling kind of crampy, but thought nothing of it.

In the afternoon, we headed over to Uncle Mike's and Aunt Wendy's for a Thanksgiving feast. Around 4pm I noticed the cramping was coming more regularly, and Aunt Wendy suggested that I start timing them. You know there is an app for just about everything, and there is one for labor contractions too, LaborMate! Uncle Mike joked that we couldn't leave until we ate dinner. Little did we know that several hours later we would be on our way to the hospital.

Around 7pm I told Chad we had to head home because the cramping was becoming uncomfortable. As soon as we walked in the door, my water broke and we were on the way to the hospital within 30 minutes.

Evan was born the next day on November 27, 2009 at 11:07am. He weighed in at 7lb, 1oz and was 21" long. We appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers. Evan is a healthy little boy and we have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.