Growing up!

Miles took his first steps on Sunday afternoon! It is fun to watch him get so excited and proud of himself. He gets a big cheesy grin and gives us this funny fake-sounding laugh. It is just too cute. Time to take child-proofing the house to the next level.

A Wonderful Christmas!

We had a great Christmas at our house this year. We felt loved by our friends and family and felt the true spirit of Christmas in our home. Unfortunately, a few things from my to-do list did not quite get done (christmas cards and neighbor treats!) But I have some new plans for those so I'll keep you posted! Here is a small re-cap of our fun filled week. We hope your Christmas was wonderful as well.

We started the week off with the annual Book Find with Brian's family. His parents buy everyone a book, wrap it up and hide it somewhere in the house and give you a small piece of the wrapping paper and you have to go find your book. They mailed ours to us and the girls had a great time hiding Brian and I's book (and for once I wasn't the last one to find mine!) They always do a great job picking fun books and this year was no exception!

Nora could hardly stand waiting for the book find to come.

Sophie got a big book of Beatrix Potter's 'Peter Rabbit' - she loves it!

We had a Family Home Evening at our house and had the kids do the nativity. The kids were so cute and were fun to watch. When I told Nora she got to be a shepherd she was sad and said, "It's not fair!" I assumed she was sad she didn't get to be Mary so I said maybe next year she could be Mary and she said, "But when do I get to be the baby!?" I should have known she would want to be the baby! She warmed up to her part as a shepherd real quick, though-as you can see!

Here are Joseph, Mary, a shepherd, baby Jesus and a Wiseman.

Here is most of the cast (although the wandering angel was cut off the picture - sorry Lauren!)

Brian with Miles and our neighbor Eliza, they are becoming such good little friends and seem to like being held by the same person, at the same time!

The day before Christmas Eve we went to Bronners, which is the World's Largest Christmas Store and not too far from us. It is a fun place to visit and the kids get to pick out their own ornament to put on our tree.
Nora debating about picking the candy ornament - which is a fitting choice for her!

We went with our friends and their three kids so here is the group of them - they were all pretty excited!

decisions, decisions, decisions.......

The REAL Santa comes to Bronner's and here he is! Sophie was a little nervous about sitting on his lap this year but she warmed right up. Miles was in awe and didn't want to come back to me from Santa's lap. The kids wish lists for santa this year:
Nora - a Hello Kitty necklace and a candy necklace maker
Sophie - a stuffed chihuahua and a surprise

Snowman Miles

The ornaments the kids picked this year were:
Sophie - a bird "because I'm really into birds right now" - her words
Nora - a present that opens and closes - perfect to put a piece of candy in! Some of the presents came with crosses in them and Nora opened one and said, "Look - it has a bone in it!"
Miles - the girls chose him a little wooden train

Christmas morning Sophie was up and ready at 5:30 am! She woke up Nora and they both came into bed with us. Nora fell back asleep but Sophie was wide awake and more than a little disappointed that we had to wait until 7 to open presents. So from about 6-7 Sophie and Brian did this:

while Nora did this:

We woke Nora up at 7 and headed out to open presents. Right when we sat down to open presents Sophie insisted that I open something she made for me before anything else. I don't think I was that thoughtful at her age! :)

Santa brought Sophie this awesome art set that she loved!

And Nora got her candy necklace maker (although there has definitely been a lot more eating and a lot less making going on!)

Miles got this ride on bull dozer from Naunie that he loves!

Both the girls got these large pink diamonds in the bottom of their stockings and Sophie said, "I've always wanted a diamond!"

Miles loves to sit with Brian and just lay back and relax. I loved this picture because it shows his top teeth and shows how much he's growing!

Nora got the sip 'n slurp Baby Alive and is in love with her! I am in the process of making some cloth diapers for Baby Alive........ one kid in diapers is enough! :)

Santa was not able to find Sophie a toy chihuahua, and although she was happy about the things she got I could tell she was a little disappointed. She didn't really get anything to carry around and play with. The day after Christmas Sophie kept following Nora & Baby Alive around and asking Nora if she could play with it or hold it - and Nora kept saying no. She went into her room and was crying and it made me so sad to think that Sophie would remember this Christmas as the one where Nora got the Baby Alive and she didn't get her chihuahua. So after talking it over with Brian we decided to go return a few things and get Sophie a Baby Alive....... I went to three stores and could NOT find the same Baby Alive. But I did find this:
The Chihuahua who Saved Christmas!!!!! Sophie was thrilled and Christmas was saved. Whew.

It took Brian and I awhile to decide whether or not we should go buy her something the day after Christmas. She got some great gifts and loved them all, but it was so sad to watch her follow Nora around and being so disappointed. I know everyone needs to learn how to deal with disappointment and not getting what you want - but not at Christmastime when you are five years old!

Randomness

Sophie's last day of school was cancelled on Friday because we got about a foot of snow! It's been so fun to have her home again all day. She and Nora have enjoyed playing together (mostly)!

Cold winter idea #1: let your kids empty out a cabinet and play in it with their stuffed animals!
We'd been planning on going to a community "Family Fun Night" at a local community center. The kids were so excited for it. When we showed up for it they told us they cancelled it because of all the snow! Ugh.

Sad Sophie.

Sad Nora.

Miles didn't seem to care either way.

Our back-up plan: Banana splits and Frosty the Snowman with our neighbors, then sleeping under the Christmas tree! We pulled a mattress into the living room and me and the girls slept there and Brian slept on the couch. Brian is obviously still catching up from his all-nighters because he fell asleep first! A fun time was had by all.

I can't believe Christmas will be here in one week! I am in the midst of last minute shopping, neighbor treat making, project finishing and package mailing! Here is a bit of what we've been up to the past week!

I had planned on posting this picture of Nora last week but never got around to it. I think she looks so grown up in it. She was sitting at the table making up songs and stories about her best friend "Strawberry". She has such a fun imagination!

These next 3 pictures were taken at Sophie's first concert. Her elementary school put on a singing program, it was so fun - but there were so many people there! Nora, Miles and I had to sit at the very top of the balcony in the High School Auditorium. I was glad I had my zoom lens!

I love this picture, even though it's blurry, because the kids were all supposed to be doing "free style" dancing and Sophie was really getting in to it!

Sophie amidst her classmates (that's her teacher in the green) Don't you love the look on the face of her classmate behind her!

Sophie loves to sing, but she doesn't like to be in the spotlight, so the concert was perfect for her to be a part of because she could really enjoy singing with her class but not be too nervous! All week she had been telling me she got to do the tango at the program but when the tango dancers started dancing Sophie didn't join them. Afterwards I asked her why she didn't tango and she said, "Me and Jayden (her partner) just weren't as good as the others!" Later she told me that Jayden wasnt being a good listener so they couldn't do it. So who knows what happened!? Luckily she wasn't sad about it. I think I was more dissapointed than she was!

We may not have as much wrestling going on in our house as some people (Tuck & Tru!) but it does happen occasionally:

Miles had his 10 month check up yesterday and is still in the 5-10 percentile for weight and height and 25th percentile for his noggin. He weighs 17 pounds and 2 ounces, which doesn't seem that small.... aren't babies usually around 20 pounds at around age one? He is still not walking, but at the stage that he probably could if he was as brave as he used to be!

Here are the girls with our advent calendar. It was the one that hung in my house growing up (ironically Brian's family used the exact same one growing up as well!!) I remember trying to wake up before my brother and sister just so I could be the one to move the bear! I think I was supposed to mail this to one of them this year. Oops. Sorry guys!

The funnest thing we've been doing lately is hanging out with Brian!! It's been so fun to have him around - relaxed and with nothing to do!!

A christmas classic

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Holiday Fun

I didn't get a lot of pictures on Thanksgiving (my camera was charging!) Here are a few:

The girls making their candy turkeys!

On Saturday we headed to Tannenbaum's Christmas Tree Farm to get our tree!

On our way to find the perfect tree!

Our three ornaments!

It was a little cold - but nothing compared to last years' trip!
We found it!

A cute smile from Nora!

The girls both got to help daddy cut down the tree

The best thing about our tree? The bird nest we found in it!

Happy Soph

We got to see the reindeer again this year and decided it was probably Dasher.
Such a beautiful place!

The girl's love to decorate the tree. We waited until Sunday to do it so Brian could join us. Sophie could hardly stand waiting and first thing Sunday morning we did it.