Jack in his new clothes The afternoon we left Boise to drive to La Grande my cold started ramping up again, only this time it went full throttle.  By the time we arrived at my parents house I was incredible stuffy and the following morning I was miserable.  Not only was it uncomfortable and frustrating to still be sick, but it also limited the amount of interaction I could have with sweet baby Gus.  I definitely was not my energetic self and I didn't even come close to earning "super nanny" status.  All month I had looked forward to having a few days where I could help out Lani by spending time with Gus and Jack, and those plans were thwarted!  I wore a mask and I did what I could, but it wasn't enough.   I ultimately ended up going to Urgent Care and getting antibiotics for what was the worst sinus infection I have ever had.  Thankfully it made a difference, but not quickly enough. It was only the day before we left that I finally had enough energy to actually get out and do something fun with Jack.   Gus

Between the cold (temperature), my sinus infection and baby Gus, we really didn't get out much.  Our schedules revolved around Gus and Jack's needs. My rock star parents kept us well fed:  homemade turkey soup, our traditional Christmas perogies and my dad tested out Thomas Keller's Chicken Pot Pie recipe while we were there and it was to die for!  Abbie was at home in Montana, but the rest of us had a belated Christmas morning together.  I'm grateful we have managed to make that work as often as we have given kids, job and travel schedules.   I love our Christmas mornings.  

When I wasn't trying to help calm Gus on the fit ball, I was with adorable Jack.   He truly is as cute as they come.  The highlight of the time I got with Jack was getting to take him to the pool.  Boy does he love the water!  And the local pool has a water slide that even takes adults by surprise - and Jack loved going down that with me.  We had a blast.

As with our time in Idaho, it passed all too quickly.  After trips like these Lee and I always do a little rethinking about our commitment to the Bay Area....

Pictures of the cute Pfaff boys are here.