Team Schuurman: Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone! Did you stay awake? Here at the Schuurman household, we were peacefully sleeping when 2011 came. Yeah, I know it sounds lame, but it was actually nice, especially since Marcus slept in a little late this morning. It's been a whirlwind of a week, so it's good to stay home and rest (not to mention clean up...this place is a wreck!). On Christmas Eve, we drove to Mt. Airy and ate supper with my mom's side of the family, then spent the night at her house. We had breakfast with her the next morning, then went to see my grandmother in Virginia. We had lunch and supper with my dad before going back to stay the night at my mom's house since it was closer to the airport. It started snowing Christmas Day and there were probably 4 inches on the ground on Sunday morning as we ventured out to the airport in Greensboro. Our first flight left on time but we had a few hours of delays in D.C. before we arrived in Buffalo. We ate and exchanged gifts with Mark's parents and Greg, Lisa, and the kids. On Monday, we visited Mark's grandma, called Beppe (pronounced Bep-Uh), and hung out with family. Tuesday was great because Mark and I took advantage of our gifts from Greg and Lisa. Lisa watched Marcus while Mark dropped me off to use my giftcard and get my nails done in Waterdown and he shopped with his giftcard in a store called Rona (it's like Lowe's Hardware). After that, they also gave us a gift card to eat lunch together. It was such a nice and creative gift. Tuesday night was the big Schuurman family get together with all of Mark's dad's siblings and their families. He's one of 8 children, so it's usually quite the big crowd (especially since all the kids are having KIDS of our own!). Wednesday went by too fast as we made last minute trips to the greenhouses to see anyone we hadn't yet visited, then we had to head to the airport. We made it through the border in record time and actually arrived at our gate TWO HOURS before departure time. It was awesome. We had time to feed Marcus and get a meal of our own. Mark even played chess on the laptop before we borded our plane to Philly. Once there, something was wrong with our plane so it took 2 hours longer than anticipated. Luckily, they fixed the problem and we were back in North Carolina by midnight. I drove home so Mark could sleep since he would have to get up as soon as we got home. We got back here around 2:30, he slept for MAYBE an hour in our bed, then had to get up and work. Needless to say, it was a rough day, but we made it to the weekend and they are for resting, right? Speaking of rest, that's what Marcus is doing right now. He's so cute when he sleeps. He just started cuddling the blanket that he sleeps with and it's adorable. I measured him last night and he's unofficially 29 inches long and 16 pounds. Our sweet little man was a great traveler but I think that like us, he's glad to be back home, too. It was good to see family, but there's no place like home.

Papa was in a good mood and wanted to hold Marcus a lot. He was saying how heavy Marcus was in this picture.

Papa John was showing Marcus the bright lights. His eyes got big when he saw them.

My mom got Marcus a book that recorded her voice reading it. It's a really sweet idea and I've already "read" it to Marcus once (all I have to do is open the pages and it turns on).

Here's my dad and Marcus on Christmas Day.

Here's Sonya and Marcus in front of the festive background. Who needs stocking hangers when you have all these antlers to hang them on?

Mark got a rifle for Christmas, but not just any rifle, the one he's used the past 3 years to go hunting with. His name is even engraved on it. Can you imagine taking that big ol' gun into the jewelry shop for an engraving? Only in the South. :)

Our first family plane ride! Marcus did so well on all the planes.

Here's Uncle Greg and Emma taking good care of Marcus.

Can you tell which one is the real baby and which one is just a doll? Well, Marcus is both.

Emma got a fancy new winter cap.

Marcus loves his Aunt Lisa. She definitely knows how to hold and deal with babies. He was always content when she held him.

Marcus was like the kid in, "A Christmas Story" because when we put him in this snow suit, he couldn't hardly move his arms OR legs.

Beppe squealed with delight as we brought in her newest great-grandchild.

4 generations in this picture.

Sam was so great with Marcus that he shared his favorite "Cars" blanket and other various toys. Here, he's just kissing his head.

Like father, like son.

Getting ready for the big picture is a lot of work! Notice Lori Ann in the front. She's cutting freezy pops for the children. She obviously knows what would keep them still for a minute or two.