The Dynamic Dugans: Christmas and New Year's 2009

Christmas was a bit of a whirlwind this year, but so much fun. We started our travels a bit rough as Ethan decided it was a great time to get the stomach flu for the first time the night before we were to leave. We made it in the car a few hours behind schedule, but Colin and Mike were still able to spend time with Nana and Pop Pop and Aunt Elaine, Ryan and Jessie in Naperville. Ethan and I stayed in St. Charles and caught up on our rest. (Something about sleeping on a bathroom floor with a three year old that just plain makes you tired)! On the 23rd we drove to Cincinnati and despite driving through freezing rain had an ok trip. The boys simply could not wait to get there and loved checking out all of Grammie's decorations--and finding the pickle on the tree too of course! Plus, they got some good Nala cuddles too. The next day was amazing because that's when Jeff and Jenna arrived from Indy with GRANT DAVID ZARTMAN! That's right, we all finally met baby Grant. And I must say, my nephew is simply adorable. What was even better was watching Colin and Ethan with their cousin. They are smitten with him and spent the entire rest of the trip constantly talking about how cute he was. (And he is cute!) We got to hear Pop sing in the choir on Christmas Eve, had more than enough gifts and fun on Christmas morning, and were able to relax and spend time together. Mike and I were even able to sneak away for a few hours to visit with Jason & Amy Isadore, who were visiting Amy's family. We left Sunday and drove back to St. Charles to celebrate with the Smith's before Mandy and Steve had to get back to the grind on Monday. The next day, we capped off our trip with a lunch playdate in Geneva with Colleen and Kristen and the crew. Seeing all of our kids together is something special--and now that we're close, it happens more frequently! By the time we got back to Whitewater, we were exhausted and used those few days to just recoup. Mike had traveled so much in December it was great to spend time at home just playing games and taking naps and organizing. New Year's Eve found us eating a great meal, playing a few rounds of Winter Olympics on the Wii, watching the New York Philharmonic, and heading to bed early. Hello 2010!

Christmas Eve