A Visit With Santa

A few weeks we visited Santa at the mall.  Luckily there was only a short line since Allison and Amelia were so excited to see him. Once there, they barely could wait their turn to sit on Santa's lap. They both did an excellent job in visiting with him. Even though they liked Santa, they both had a "deer in the headlight" look on their faces when it came time to have their picture taken by the photographer. When the girls finally did smile, the photographer just stood there and patiently waited until after they were done smiling before deciding to take their picture. Luckily we ignored the sign that said "no personal cameras beyond this point" and took the pictures below.



Team Work

A week ago the girls put together a gingerbread house. I wasn't exactly sure how it was going to work out. Last year Amelia was young enough that she didn't realize Allison was working on it, however I knew this year Mia would want to help out. The question was how willing would  "big sis" be in accepting help. When we first started, I gave Amelia part of the tree that came along with the kit. I thought maybe that would distract her. It didn't take long for Amelia to help Allison, and much to our surprise, they made an excellent team.  Amelia was in charge of distribution of supplies and Allison was in charge of construction. As you can see they did a good job.

In this video you will notice that Amelia is calling Allison "dada." This started a few weeks ago - we thought it was cute how Allison would respond to her, even though we are not sure how or why Amelia decided to call Allison "dada."

Thanksgiving Weekend

I thought we would get the Thanksgiving weekend blog entry in before Christmas came around.

We kicked off the Thanksgiving weekend by watching the Macy's Day Parade. I had the girls all excited to watch the parade - we stayed in our PJs, put blankets and pillows down on the floor, and loaded up our bowls with good snacks only to watch cheesy dance numbers, commentators who talked too much, and commercials - lots of commercials.  I really think that Nick Jr. should air an edited version of the parade with the cool floats, featuring many appearances of the Dora float. However, the morning wasn't a complete waste since we did get to see the Dora float and the Sponge Bob balloon.

The weekend included a dance party.

And Tree Decorating

And last but not least -- movie night, complete with popcorn.

Fill'er Up

Watching Christmas Eve on Sesame Street - best Christmas movie ever.
Notice it didn't take long for Amelia to spill her popcorn. 



Family Photos Part Two

Our Trek to the Gardens

Last year we went to the Gardens for their Christmas exhibit. They are open late on Tuesday evenings, however I know they can get quite busy during the holiday season. We decided to go the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and found that it was a perfect night to go. They had their Christmas activities going on, however it wasn't too busy. We decided to make it our annual tradition.

This year it was a lot colder than it was last, so we didn't walk around outside, however we did stop on the way in so the girls could visit with Santa. They climbed right into the sleigh and sat on his lap. We then headed inside to see the trees and train exhibit.

This picture cracks me up - Allison looks freaked out and Amelia looks mad. Despite the looks of this picture, they really did have a good time. 

 They loved the train exhibit and we spent quite a bit of time there.

 After looking at the displays, the kids worked on a craft project.

 Allison was very proud of her work.

Amelia played blocks while Allison worked on her craft project.

Captured in Time

Earlier this fall, we had family photos taken by my friend Christina of  Closer to the Heart Photography.  We lucked out as the colors turned early this season. As you can see the background was gorgeous and the weather was perfect - well, maybe a little too perfect as the temps were in the high 70s, which was very warm for our outfits. 

Christina did an amazing job capturing our girls' personalities. I warned her ahead of time to be prepared to run and chase after them.  Luckily she has a fast shutter and small kids of her own, so she was ready to go.  Brian and I were exhausted by the end of the night and went to bed by 8:30 pm.

Here is a brief sampling of the pictures. I will post them in small batches over the next few days.  If you would like to see the vertical pictures better, you can click on the slide show to view it in full screen.

So Much to Be Thankful For

/www.closertotheheartphotography.com/

It was only two short years ago that I posted the first picture above on Thanksgiving Day.  We had so much to be thankful for as we had just welcomed Amelia into our family. A bond between the girls was quickly formed and has only grown deeper since that time. I am so blessed to have these girls in my life and a wonderful husband. We are also supported by a loving family. For this, I am thankful.

Operation Christmas Fun

The Christmas season kicked off last Friday for our family. We went to the mall to see the arrival of Santa Claus.  We were just in time to see Santa arrive in his new car and join in on the parade through the mall to Santa's spot.  I think because of the crowd, the girls really weren't all that aware of what was going on. Allison was more concerned that she received a candy cane than seeing Santa up close.  Amelia had fun giving high fives and hugs to Santa's helpers.

This is just the start of Christmas fun. This Saturday we hope to go to the Christmas parade downtown and then  do something Christmas-related each week. Stay tuned for more pictures.

A Precious Gift

A few weeks ago, my friend Amber from 87 Orange Photography came over to the house to take pictures of Ozzie and the girls.  I want to thank her for providing these mementos for us.

I put together a nice album for Brian as a way to say thank you for allowing me to be part of their lives eight years ago.

It has been a week now and we are doing ok. The carpets are no longr covered in dog hair and the other day there was spilt popcorn on the floor (popcorn was one of Ozzie's favorite treats and he would hound us for it). I think I have to say that clean floors are overrated.

Thank You For the Memories!

Today we had to say goodbye to our gentle giant, Osgood a/k/a Ozzie. Rather than focusing on his death, we wish to celebrate his impact on our lives.

We will miss his incredible bulk leaping up on his hind legs and into our out-stretched arms for a “group hug” or seeing him bound through the kitchen with his huge stuffed bone in his mouth when he heard us come home.

We will miss his persistence in getting as many belly-rubs and butt-scratches as possible, and his displays of unbelievable gentleness and patience as Allison or Mia would crawl over him, or more often than not, attempt to ride him like the horsey at Meijer.

We will miss his frantic nature when he would be outside in the backyard and yet would somehow sense that we were slicing up bell peppers in the kitchen, or his excitement when we would announce that it was Sunday, which denoted that he would receive his weekly “special treat.”

Finally, we will miss watching the unsuspecting guest sitting on the living floor as they would watch in amazement (or possibly horror) as Ozzie would back up like a semi-truck and place his incredible bulk squarely in their lap.

Despite the fact that he lived to be 12 years old and for most of his life tipped the scales between 120 and 140 pounds, Ozzie was and will always be our “puppy.” His official AKC name was actually “Cripple Creeks Golden Osgood” and his paternal grandfather was an award winning golden retriever. We will miss you big guy – thanks for being such a big part of our lives – you too will always be a winning golden retriever in our hearts. Here’s hoping that there are endless parks to frolic about and an everlasting supply of treats (and green beer) in doggy heaven.

Nothing Gold Can Stay

by Robert Frost (1874-1963)

Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf's a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

Movie Night

A couple of weeks ago, we took the girls to their first movie at the theater. We saw Toy Story 3.  All things considered the girls did pretty well with sitting still and watching the movie. We had a few antsy moments and a quick bathroom break towards the end of the movie. I never thought I would say that a bag of $5 movie popcorn was a good deal, but in this case it was. The girls loved eating the popcorn out of the bag and it kept them still during most of the movie.

At the end of the movie, both girls ended up in my lap and were snuggling with me. Anyone who has seen Toy Story 3 knows that the ending is a weepy part of the movie and combined with the fact the girls were snuggling with me, I have to admit the tears were flowing. 

The End!

A Love Affair..

I have a love affair -  with PJs - Carters PJs that is - the cozy footed pajamas to be specific. I always love when I can pull out the new pajamas for the season.

Tickle Monster

What Fall is Made For

We took our annual trek out to the Pumpkin Patch this past Saturday. Last fall we discovered the Country Basket. This place is great as they offer a lot of children's activities, but yet they don't nickle and dime the families. Almost all the activities are free. It was much more fun this year, since Amelia can run around and keep up with Allison. Last year she was relegated to the stroller. After playing for a while and enjoying cider and donuts, we headed over to Steffen's Market where we took the girls' annual apple picture. We hope we can keep up with this tradition so we can track their growth in front of the apple cutout.

It was a perfect day - the weather was gorgeous and despite the leaves turning color early this year, there were still enough leaves on the trees to make it a picturesque setting. I really couldn't have asked for anything more.

A Late Night Chat

A few weeks ago, Amelia was goofing around at bedtime. She was carrying on a conversation with herself, so I grabbed the video camera and tried to discreetly tape her, however she caught me. I figured I would take advantage of it and try to get her to talk with me. She was in a stage at the time where she would get all excited when we asked her a question and would answer "YEAAHH!!!" Needless to say, she was not tired at all and very willing to talk to Brian and I.

A Birthday Celebration!

Amelia was one lucky girl and had a "birthday week." The Saturday prior to her birthday, we went to my parents' house and my sisters and their families came over for birthday cake. Amelia had a blast playing with her cousins and received many wonderful presents. On her actual birthday, she got to bring cupcakes to daycare. Later that afternoon I picked her and Allison up and we met Brian at Red Robin. After dinner, the servers brought an ice cream sundae and sang to Amelia. Both she and Allison got a kick out of that.

The next day, Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Lynn came over for dinner. After presents, we all dug into a Bill Knapps chocolate cake.

Happy 2nd Birthday Amelia

Dear Amelia,

You came into our lives feisty as can be - making your way into this world 10 days before your scheduled arrival and screaming mad when you came out.  You have continued to show this independence and feisty attitude over the past year as you entered into toddlerhood.  You want to do everything that your older sister does and if you have your mind made up, there is no changing it.  "I do dat" is a favorite expression of yours.

Your Dad and I get such a kick out of watching your grow up. Your round face, button nose, curly hair, and the sparkly eyes makes us smile everytime we look at you.  Thanks for being who you are and don't ever change.

Love,

Mom and Dad!

Home Run



A Visit from Nana and Papa

A few weeks ago, my parents came to town for a visit. We headed to Millenium Park for a picnic and some play time. The girls had a blast showing off for Nana and Papa. Allison had to show them how well she could climb. She even had to help push Papa on the swing.



Allison's 1st Hair Cut

Believe or not, Allison finally had her first hair cut at age 3 years and 2 months. My friend Erin comes over to our house to cut my hair and was scheduled to come over one night a few weeks ago. Brian mentioned to Allison that "Miss Erin" was going to come over to cut Mommy's hair. Allison got all excited because she thought that Miss Erin was also going to cut her hair. That was all she talked about when I got home.  While Allison's hair wasn't all that long, I did figure she could use a trim to even things up a bit. It was starting to look a little bit like a mullet.

Erin couldn't make it that night - Allison was very disappointed and upset. However, Erin did come over a few days later.  It was at the start of nap time, so I told Allison she could stay up to get her hair cut, however she had to go to bed after that. She told me that she didn't need to go to bed. As the haircut went on, Allison's eyes begin to droop. She barely could stay awake, however she was very proud of her new haircut.