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!