Wordless Wednesday: Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Holiday Happenings

This week has been full of holiday cheer.  Not only did we go to decorate cookies with Mrs. Buist at the school, we also were VERY excited to go build a gingerbread house.  

We quickly realized just how seriously this event was taken in the candy isle at the local grocery.  Talk of trees, trunks, and roofing tiles made us a little wary of our building skills!  

We tried to get the kids to use patters and reason while decorating the house.  We failed.

Mia and Ben ate more candy that actually made it on the house.  Mia certainly was more into decorating, while Ben just enjoyed eating!  It was neat to see them interacting with their peers from school.  Ryan, just one table over, kept coming over for hugs, which in turn meant the twins had to run to his table too.  So cute!

While Ben wasn't really all that interested in decorating, he had opinions about how it should be done!

We'll see how this house survives at home!  The kids seem to think we're bringing home a candy lick!

Giving Thanks

Two sleepy babies are snuggled up in their beds, and their Momma isn't far behind them!  We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, happily serving our family in our home and welcoming Uncle Matt to stay for a few days.  Take a peek at some of the highlights:

Personally, I was never much of a Macy's Parade fan.  After the first couple of minutes, I always ambled away, bored and ready for more action.  Ben loved it this year, though maybe he was a bit lethargic from his cold.  

Of course, more than a little of our day was spent cooking.  I assure you that the PlayDoh was only for the kids. :) We did the turkey in the pizza oven for the first time, and it was wonderful!  While the cauliflower dish wasn't quite a hit, everything else was awesome.

Uncle Matt arrived with Christmas gifts, which we were allowed to open.  To anyone who knows Matt, this won't be a surprise.  The boy just can't wait to tell you what he got for you!  Ben and Mia were thrilled with Uncle Matt's impatience!  He did really well this year; Mia is sure that he knows everything about her.

 Nana made Mia the most adorable skirt will lots of layers of tulle for twirling.  Mia's more than happy to oblige Nana's requests, as you can plainly see.  Unfortunately, she's also sure this shirt matches exactly.

 And, lastly, here's our newest addition, Wooly.  Our Elf on the Shelf is an exciting development around here.  The kids can't wait to find him every morning!

Autumn Fun 2011

I have to say now that all the cliches are true. Time DOES fly. They DO grow up in a flash. I can't believe how quickly we've gone from babies to children. They're not even toddlers anymore! It seems like just yesterday we were taking our first trip down to the orchard to buy pumpkins! 

This year we brought Sunny along with us to the pumpkin patch.  We actually made two trips out there this year; once for apples and once for pumpkins.  The kids love the slide and the animals (goats and chickens and rabbits, oh my!).  We love picking apples right off the tree!  We've certainly been blessed with some beautiful weekends this fall.

Our Halloween weekend was packed with things to do too.  Mia as Rapunzel, in the dress my mother made, was adorable.  She loved swirling her satin dress around and pretending to "throw down" her hair.  Of course I forgot their costumes for their actual parties and had to have Gary run them in.  She didn't have her hair that day, though she wore it for "trunk-or-treating" and the Halloween party at Aunt Jenny and Uncle Doug's house.

 

Our "finished" trunk.



Gary with Jango Fett.








A little catching up to do...

We've had such a busy fall!  After a relaxing (though busy) summer, we jumped into fall.  New school for the kids, new grade level for me, new puppy in the house.  It's been a crazy time, but we're having a lot of fun.

At first, it was a little weird having Ben and Mia at my district.  However, it's really nice for them to be so close and to be in touch with what's going on in their district.  They're loving preschool and being a "star" and it seems like they're adjusting well.  This is the first time that they've been seperated, and while it's tough on them, I feel like it's the right decision too.  They're loving being little broncos!

The other big thing at home is Sunny.  I'm still a little surprised that Gary talked me into it, but we have adopted a little lab into our home.  Her name suits her well; she's bright and cheerful.  She pees in the house a little more than I'd like, leaving us to remove all our rugs, but is otherwise a pleasant pup.  And she's SO adorable!