Exterior Decorator

I have always wanted to put together a gingerbread house but never have had a good reason to do so. This year I figured Allison would be old enough the help decorate (rather...eat the decorations), so we bought a kit from Costco. We had lot of fun decorating it. We kept the final product on the kitchen counter until Christmas Eve when we put it on the table as a centerpiece. After that, every time I would walk in the dining room, I would catch Allison sneaking candy off of the house.

Allison helping put the room on the house.

"One M&M for the house, three for me."

Dad and Allison decorating the front of the house.

Allison proud of her house.

Movie Night

A few weeks ago we had our first "Movie Night" with the girls. We watched Christmas Eve on Sesame Street which is still one of my favorite Christmas movies. We made popcorn in our popcorn maker, which Allison had never seen before. She was fascinated with seeing the corn actually pop right before her eyes. After we made our snacks, we headed downstairs to watch the movie on the "big screen".

Apprentice

Allison and Amelia learning about cookie baking and frosting from the best.

Our beauties....

Now that Christmas cards have been sent out, I can share a link of the girl's pictures. My friend Amber with 87 Orange Photography took them a few weeks ago. Here is a link to a preview in her blog. She also took the picture that is in my blog header. Thanks Amber! They turned out great.

Snow Day

What we did to pass time - Allison painted and Amelia tried to eat the paint.

Messy Messy Messy

Good Night

What is amazing about these pictures is that a) Allison is sleeping and b) she has her PJs on. Allison went through a spell where she would take her PJs off at night. Hopefully we are past that stage. Isn't this a wonderful sight to end the night though? We are so blessed.

Only A Face Like This

Only a face like this could get away with wearing a Lion's outfit and still look so cute.

2 wins and 10 losses; I know Ozzie, another losing season. There is always next year.

Potty Training

This past weekend we started potty training with Allison. On Friday we set the timer for 30 minutes and had her try when the buzzer went off. She had a great day and had no accidents. On Saturday, we tried stretching the time out a little more and had several accidents. She is doing much better. When we went out to dinner the other day, she told me twice that she had to go. At daycare on Wednesday, she took Ms. Deb's hand and led her inside.

Every time Allison goes potty she gets a sticker for her chart. After five stickers she gets a treat from her treat bag that she helped decorate. It is filled with small pieces of candy and some toys and books that I picked up. She could care less about the toys; all she wants is the candy. Yummy! She was very proud of her M&Ms that she received. She brought them to the table and lined them up and played with them for a while before she ate them.

Ho Ho Ho - Merry Christmas

On Tuesday night we took the girls to see Santa. Despite the serious look on her face, Allison did very well with Santa. We had been telling her that when she meets Santa she had to introduce him to Amelia, since Mia was just a baby last year. Sure enough, as soon as we got the kids out of the stroller, she marched right up to him, all the while pointing to Amelia. She took her job very seriously.

We thought this might be our only chance of her not having a meltdown and crying when it came to sitting on his lap. Don't get me wrong - Allison loves Santa...from a safe distance. She just loves to wave to him whether he is at the mall, in books, or on cans of Coke in the fridge (yes, she waves to the can of pop).

Amelia did great with Santa; she was actually laughing. We got a cute picture of her from the photo people at the mall. After they sat on his lap, we tried to get Allison to talk to him. She just stared at him. However he did score brownie points when he let her pick out a candy cane. Amelia was fascinated by him.

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner at my sister Keri's house. Once again she outdid herself and provided a wonderful time for the family. She had activities for the kids and Allison kept busy coloring her apron and making a pilgrim girl. The girls had fun playing with their cousins. Allison kept up pretty good with the "big kids." They are very patient and enjoy playing with her.

Every year my Mom gets the kids a special Christmas ornament and hands them out at Thanksgiving dinner. This year Allison received a pair of pink tennis shoes (I'm guessing because Allison is always on the go) and Amelia received a cute little snowman with her name on it.

There is a Party in My Crib!

A few weeks ago, the girls and I went to my parents for the weekend. I put the girls down for a nap. I could hear Allison talking a bit, but I didn't think too much about it. She has been doing that lately at night time. I think it is her time to wind down. I didn't hear a peep out of Amelia so I figured Allison wasn't bothering her.

A half hour later, I could hear Allison giggling, so I walked over to the bedroom. As I got closer to the door, I could hear the TV on and Amelia giggling too. I called my Mom over to the door and we stood outside the bedroom cracking up. We then called my Dad over. I was trying to get my "game face" on so I could be stern with them, however I was laughing too hard. My Dad finally opened the door and we found Allison and Amelia in Amelia's pack-n-play having a ball. Allison must have crawled out of her pack-n-play and joined Amelia, not before making a pit stop at the TV.

Amelia was all excited when we walked in, thinking we were joining the party. Allison had this sly look on her face knowing she was busted but at the same time she was having too much fun to care. After many "shhhhsgotobedrightnow!" I was finally able to get them down for their naps; I was even able to get one in myself.

I See You....

Lately Amelia's sense of humor has really been coming out. She is discovering new things and finding great joy in them. The other day we were eating dinner and Brian started cracking up. He told me to look at Mia. She brought the plate to her face and was smushing her nose against it. She was looking all around with a big grin on her face. She was quite proud of herself at finding a new way to look at the world and making us laugh.

I'm Too Excited To Sleep!!!

Allison must have had such an exciting time visiting Santa that she was just a "tad bit" hyper when we got home. I don't think we gave her enough time to unwind before we put her to bed. We could hear her talking and playing around, so I snuck up to her room with the video camera.

Santa Claus is Coming...To Town

Last weekend, Brian and I took the girls to the mall to see the arrival of Santa Claus. Yes, I know it is early, but I figured it was free entertainment and a chance to get the girls out. While we waited for Santa to arrive on his horse and sleigh, different costumed characters such as a snow man, gingerbread man, and raccoon walked around and greeted the kids. It took a little warming up, but the girls liked them and would give them high fives.

Overall they did pretty good with waiting, but we had a few fussy moments here and there. Luckily we had plenty of snacks on hand and Allison enjoyed her candy cane that she received from the gingerbread man.

Can I just say, I love the person that created Puffs. We have survived many events because of them. Amelia was content sitting on the ground eating her puffs.

Finally the big moment came and Santa arrived. At first Allison didn't notice him when he pulled up on his sleigh, until I pointed him out to her. She got a big smile on her face and watched him greet the children on the other side of the ropes. When he came to our side, she got all excited and shouted out "DAD!! DAD!!! DAD!!" She even shook Santa's hand when he came over to see us. Even Amelia smiled at him.

After we greeted Santa, we waited inside for the parade to begin. Allison was so excited when she saw Santa walk past her. She couldn't believe her eyes. We followed Santa down to his chair and watched him greet the kids.

After the parade, we were able to get a picture with Ms. Mouse. Allison made sure that Ms. Mouse met her little sister Amelia. In fact, she introduced Amelia to Santa and all the characters. She is such a good big sister.