First snow

We had our first real snowfall yesterday so we woke up to snow on the ground this morning.  Kira could not wait to get outside and play!  They both were dressed and out the door before 9 a.m. and back in by about 9:30. ;)  We had some yummy hot cocoa and just hung out all day playing with the new stuff and relaxing.  I didn't even get out of my PJ's all day.  Yippee!

Christmas 2009

We had such a wonderful Christmas this year. We went to Kyle's mom's house on Christmas Eve for dinner and opening presents there. The girls were so blessed again this year. We had asked Kay for a Wii as a family gift so that's what we got. It's been fun trying that out but I have to admit, I'm sore in strange places from playing it.

Christmas morning the kids got up about 7:30 a.m. We made them wait while we took pictures. They were so excited to see if Santa came! They walked in and it was so fun to see the look on their faces. They got a Cinderella castle that we had seen in Disneyworld. Kira told someone later that we couldn't get it in Disneyworld because it was too expensive but that Santa knew she wanted it so he went there to get it for her. They wanted to sit and play with the castle for awhile before even opening any other gifts. They got some fun stuff but both of them loved the new baby dolls they got.

That afternoon we went to Kyle's dad's house for lunch and more presents. It was such a wonderful, magical day. The next morning I went out shopping. That evening we went back to Kay's house to spend time with more family that was in town. The kids had a great time playing with their cousins. Merry Christmas!

Sugar cookies for Santa

Every year we make a bunch of sugar cookies for Santa. That's what I say anyway, I know that I am the one who really likes eating them. The kids love to help and decorate them. I sure hope Santa likes frosting and sprinkles.






Frankie is our Elf that came to visit us this year. We had met his cousin Freddy in Wisconsin and kira asked if he had a friend who could come to our house. Frankie watched the girls all the time. It was so cute when Kira said goodbye to him on Christmas Eve. She got a little teary saying she would miss him till next year.

Preschool party

Kira had a birthday party for Jesus at her preschool that all the family was invited to. They had cake and sang a couple songs. It was so cute.


Kira is quite a performer. Some of the other kids were just looking around but she was singing her heart out.

Getting ready for Christmas

We finally got our Christmas tree this year. We waited until we got back from Wisconsin. I had an artificial tree for years but Kyle likes live ones so we've gotten live ones the last few years. Since it was so close to Christmas, I told Kyle just to get a decent, smaller one but he came home with this beauty. It's huge! It smells so good and looks so pretty. The kids helped decorate a little but they had already done their little ones in their room so weren't too interested.



Every year we do a gingerbread house. Let me just say that I will never be a cake or cookie decorator. I do such a poor job but it doesn't really matter because the kids just love putting all the candy on (and eating the majority of it). It turned out ok and they really had fun doing it.


This was Kira most of the time. Her fingers were either in the frosting bowl or the candy bowl eating it.
Such fun stuff getting ready. Most of the kids' shopping is done but I still have a little left to do for the grown-ups. Then the wrapping begins! I like to try and get it done before the week of Christmas so I can just enjoy the fun of it. We'll see...

Kids are growing up

Kaylee finally got her "big girl bed"! She has never once tried to climb out of her crib so she's been in there for a long time. We finally decided to order bunk beds for the kids but only put up the bottom one in Kaylee's room for now. I took her to pick out her new bedding and she was so excited! She went to sleep just fine the first night but didn't want to take her nap the next day (she's asleep for a nap now though - whew!). She loves her new bed and now I just need to find some decorations and window coverings to match and make her room like a big girl room. My little baby is getting so big!


And speaking of big... The other day Kira said her tooth hurt while she was eating her lunch. I was afraid maybe she had a cavity or something so I asked her to show me where. She took a bite of her chip and pointed to her front tooth. I pushed on it and couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it move just a little. It was barely moving so I'm sure it will be some time before it gets really loose but it was definitely wiggling. I just can't believe she's ready for that milestone already. I think it's early. I told Kyle he's the tooth guy because it makes me way too squeamish. She thinks it's pretty cool and was excited to hear all about how the tooth fairy will come to get her tooth when it comes out.

Family Fun in Wisconsin

We had a wonderful visit with my family Dec. 4-8th. We stayed at Ryan and Michelle's house in Wisconsin. My mom and dad and Mitch and Kimberly all flew in from Utah. The main reason for the get together is that Ryan had tickets for the Green Bay Packers game for Monday night football and invited Kyle, Mitch and my dad to come. Well, I just informed them that the kids and I were coming for the weekend too and then my mom and Kimberly decided to come too. It was great!

The first day we went to a Children's Museum and it was so cool. The kids could have spent all day there. They were so excited to get back and see Grandma and Grandpa though.



That evening we went to a drive-through light show. At the end, we got out and saw Santa and his reindeer. My girls wouldn't go near Santa this year either. Maybe next year... it was still so fun seeing it all.

Kira and Olivia had a ball playing together all weekend. Actually, they all played together so nicely. We celebrated Christmas together on Sunday. Nice dinner, games, cookies, presents. What could be better?


Modeling some of the white elephant gifts.


Then it was time to decorate cookies. Yummy!


They had so much fun opening gifts from Grandma and Grandpa.

On Monday the ladies took the kids to Monkey Joes while the guys went to the game. I had never been to anything like that before but it was great! They had tons of inflatable slides, bouncy houses, etc. I wish they had something like that around where we live. The kids played for hours and had a blast!

During our visit, the kids got to meet "Freddy". The Elf that was living at their cousin's house. (it's the Elf on a Shelf) Kira decided to ask Freddy if he could ask Santa if an elf could come to our house too. Well, the day after we got home Freddy's cousin, "Frankie", appeared on the kitchen table. Kira was so amazed! She kept saying "I can't believe he's really here. It sure it good I asked Freddy to have a friend come to our house." Each morning first thing she has wanted to come downstairs to find Frankie. She had to call her cousins and tell them that Frankie is now visiting our house. It's so cute to see the magic of the season through a child's eyes. I love it!!!

Thanks again to Ryan and Michelle for hosting us all in their lovely home. We had such a good time seeing the family for a quick weekend. Love you all!