Ice and Chili

Daddy went Coyote hunting for the weekend, so Danika and I grabbed my friend Elizabeth and drove down to Franklin, PA for the annual Ice Carving Festival and Chili competition. It was SUCH a fun day!

Here's Danika and I with one of the ice sculptures.

Susan's Surgery

Doug's mom had surgery on Wednesday, February 6th. Doug, Danika and I were there for most of the day. While surgery is never fun, Susan did really well, there were no complications, and this went way easier than the major surgeries she has had in the past.

Susan was supposed to be able to go home that night, but they decided that she had to stay. They said if any complications developed, they wanted her already at the hospital, not 2+ hours away.

We had Danika with us, so we kind of "moved in" to the hospital room. :) You can see Danika and all her toys camped out on the oversized window ledge.

We are grateful to God for the way He has provided for our family and for the way He has protected Susan. Thank you to all who have prayed for us and for her....it is appreciated more than we could ever put into words. God has been so good to us over this four year journey...He has taught us so much, and He has continued to provide exactly what we need each step of the way. Thank you for your love and support!

Thanks Ian and Katherine!

Stop the presses! Write this down! My little girl FINALLY fit into her first outfit in the 9month category! (Never mind that she is 13 months old...) She weighs a whole 17.5 lbs and she is wearing 9mos clothing! It is worth celebrating. :)





This is a little dress & sweater we got as a gift from our friends Ian and Katherine. It fits PERFECT right now and it was just so much fun to see her in it! She likes wearing it too!





Thanks, guys!

Fuzzy Bunnies

Doug went hunting today and got two rabbits. Here is the proud hunter with his kill and his daughter. I'm not sure Danika knew what to think of the great catch, but it wouldn't be right if we missed out on the Bierer family tradition of photographing the kids with dead animals. :)

I don't know...maybe she's thinking "I wonder what they did wrong...maybe I should listen better when Daddy says no!"

Let's sweep!

As I have mentioned before, I am married to a wonderful man. He often helps me with stuff around the house, for which I am very, very grateful. Recently, we were preparing for company and Danika was NOT in the mood to be put down while we did what needed to be done. So, we decided to put a backpack that was given to us to good use. Doug strapped her on and went to work vacuuming the living room. It was so doggone cute I had to get a picture. :) Danika was happy...Daddy was able to sweep....Mommy was thrilled. It was a win-win-win for everybody!

First Trip to Chuck E. Cheese

Cousin Julie was still in town for a few days after Christmas and New Year's, so I thought it would be fun to get her together with Danika's buddy Trinity for some play-time at Chuck E Cheese. Danika went too, and I think all the kids had fun. Uncle Mike was GREAT with all the girls and Aunt Wendi and I took pictures and visited. What a great day!

Christmas in Erie

What a great Christmas this year. It is just so fun to share it through the eyes of a new little one. :) Danika was more into the paper and boxes than she was most of the gifts at first. But once things came out of the boxes, she got right into it.

After returning from our Christmas celebrations in Ohio, we have had a different Christmas party almost every night here in Erie.

We got back on the 26th, and on the 27th we celebrated Christmas with Doug's Dad's side of the family. All the Bierer Christmas parties always involve....oh.....well let's call them "interesting" and "unique" Christmas gifts that have been personalized for each one of us. :) Grandpa never ceases to entertain. You can see Kristen and Dave showing off thier custom-made lawn ornaments. What fun! :)

Then the 28th was the "Andrews" side Christmas celebration at Grandma Berniece's. It was lots of fun to see all the little ones toddling everywhere. Last Christmas this side was unable to get together because out of the 6 cousins on this side, four were either pregnant or had JUST given birth. That means this year for Christmas, there were FOUR ONE YEAR OLDS running around. :) It was great! And Julie was having a blast, too. It was a little insane, but the best kind of insanity.

Last but not least, we had our own Christmas with Doug's parents and Kristen's family on New Year's day. It was just a great time to be together with family.

I confess, I'm probably the worst Aunt in the world....I find myself irresistably drawn to gifts that I would have loved as a child...and my mother would have hated. I always try to ask Kristen's permission before I give them...but even with permission, some gifts turn out to be a little more than any of us expect. That would be the case with the "make-up" gift I got for Julie this year. It was a special bag of make-up for little girls...and I think we were all under the false assumption that it would be more user friendly for children...you know....easy to wash off, light colored, etc. Well....not so much. My 4-year-old niece Julie LOVED her gift....and her mother LOVED scrubbing her face to get it off. I'm sorry Kristen...I really do love you!

Dana and Susan were in all thier glory with a whole pack of little red-headed grandaughters surrounding them. It was great just to be together.

Doug and his sister Kristen.

My shorty and her mama.

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope it was a great season for everyone!