home sweet home.

well, hello everyone! 

liam and i recently returned from a trip home to good ol' washington state, and i can't even begin to explain to you all how absolutely, positively wonderful it was to be there.

due to the polar vortexes that have hit chicago this winter, i was so beyond ready to get out of chicago. being cooped up in a basement apartment with hardly any natural light, having the freezing and negative temperatures day after day, and not having a car to get out with was causing this mama to go completely and utterly insane. there was a stretch of time where i was in our apartment for 10 DAYS STRAIGHT. it was awful. luckily, i had my sweet liam boy to keep me company...but still. there's only so much a woman can stand while staying inside at home for that long period of time. needless to say, it was time for a vacation out of the frozen tundra of chicago. 

back in october, i had a brilliant idea to book a ticket for our baby and i to take a long trip out to my home in washington so my entire family could meet our little one. it was a perfect birthday present idea that became a reality. my parents paid for half of my ticket as my birthday present, and we paid with rapid rewards points. little did i know that it was going to be the coldest chicago winter ever, so it was perfect. liam and i were getting out for an eleven-day vacation to my hometown of olympia, washington, and i could not wait!

a few days before flying out, i started to get really nervous about flying with a baby. many of you may not know this, but i am an EXTREMELY anxious traveler, especially when it comes to flying. I. HATE. FLYING. it is my biggest fear- the turbulence, the take-off, the recycled air filled with sickness, feeling claustrophobic, and just feeling uncomfortable...i loathe it. add a two-month old baby to that, and what do you get? a very emotional, and anxious mama. i asked for some tips on flying with a baby on facebook, and i had a wonderful response from many friends who have children that have had similar feelings as i was having. although all of the advice helped to calm my nerves, i still couldn't help but wonder how liam would react. i could only be prepared for every possible situation, and say a prayer.

and boy, my prayer was definitely answered that morning.

we got the first front row seat on the plane, the people sitting next to me were grandparents that were on their way to see their brand new granddaughter born just days earlier, and best of all...liam slept almost the ENTIRE WAY THERE. when he wasn't sleeping, he was smiling and as happy as a clam. i could've cried out of sheer joy. it was the best start to the most wonderful trip home. 

the best way to tell you about our trip is through pictures. my little sister hannah is learning and growing into an extremely talented photographer and wanted to take pictures to document our trip. besides a few iPhone pictures, all of the photos included are credited to Hannah Fine Photography. 

feast your eyes upon all the fun and cuteness!

as you can see, my child is extremely neglected and not loved at all...HA! that's a joke. the second my family met him, they loved him instantly and were giving him attention every second of the day. 

i was so impressed with how my siblings took care of liam. they were all so good with him, particularly my 10-year old brother caden. when liam woke up during the night and started to fuss, he would come in our room and ask if i needed any help...what 10-year old does that? caden read to him, played with him, and he even stayed home one day from school feeling "sick" just to spend a little extra time with his little nephew. the night before we left to come back to chicago, he asked me: "do you think i am going to be a good dad some day?" um, how adorable is that? i was so impressed and touched by how much he loved liam. i know he is going to be a great dad someday. 

from the fun photo shoots, making homemade seahawks shirts, our family super bowl party, getting my dairy queen fix, lots of baby snuggles, reading the book of mormon as a family every night, bear suits, diaper explosions at applebee's, babywearing, and catching up with beloved friends and family...all in all, our trip home was so much fun! but at the end, liam and i were excited to get back home to see john. liam missed his daddy, and i missed my hubby. not too excited to be back in frozen chicagoland, but there's no place like home, sweet home.

and look what welcomed me back?

love that husband of mine.

until next time, washington!