Merry Christmas

Sophia with all her lute! She was so excited this year...Toby and I really enjoyed Christmas with them. This year drew me back in time to my own childhood memories...I remember the pure excitement I felt the night before, I was almost jittery and had so much trouble falling asleep. And as Sophia jumped out of her bed and we heard the sounds of little feet running down the hall my heart just ached...I wonder how soon does this magic fade? I hope she believes in Santa until she 16! That maybe a little ridiculous, but for them I hope the pure happiness and magic of Christmas stay with them forever!

My little sweet pea with some of her presents... I think Ashlyn received around 9 babies for Christmas it was completely insane.
Ashlyn was so tired, we went to midnight service at church and they were both exhausted. She is cranky when she wakes up and I think staying up late did not make it any easier for her. Below is a pic of Sophia opening her stocking as soon as she made to the bottom of the stairs.

Christmas Eve

The girls were really fun this year. They were both so excited about every everything from the Christmas trees to, of course, presents.


Ashlyn got a doll from Mimi...she adores babies and is very maternal. Here she is above kissing her new baby.
They received a little castle from Mimi. I have a feeling it will be demolished in no time...they break everything. The toys companies need to make everything out of rubbermaid.
We had a wonderful Christmas eve the Mimi,Uncle Luke and Aunt Amber. We enjoy getting together with family and look forward to the Christmas's years to come. Thanks to Mimi for all the great food and gifts!
Luke and Amber.

Great Wolf Lodge

We are back at Great Wolf Lodge to begin Sophia's Christmas break from school. We waited to tell her where we were going until we arrived. She was so excited...she practically stripped down as soon as we entered the room. They saw Santa...again. There was a band playing Christmas music, sleigh rides, and pics with Santa.
The girls together.
The lobby is breathtaking...I know I have said it before, but I would love for my home to be decorated just like the lodge. There are lights, trees, and faux snow covering every inch of the place... the Christmas spirit is booming everywhere here. After a long day of swimming we headed to the arcade for some fun. The pics below are of the girls playing some games. We awoke the next morning to beautiful snow falling and coating the parking lot like a blanket. It was truly a wonderful weekend.

Great Wolf Lodge cont...

I was so worried about Ashlyn and she did great. She loved it. She ran around as Mimi and I a took shifts chasing her.
My gorgeous baby!

Sophia and Daddy racing each other down the slide.
Last year she could barely reach the ropes. Now look at her...she did not even need Daddy's help.

Great Wolf Lodge cont...

The lodge has a story hour and the same time every night and afterwards this beautiful snow falls from the ceiling. I love watching all the kids amazement and excitement as they tried to catch it.

Sophia trying to catch the snow. At one point she came it me in tears and said " I did not get to catch any snow!" So I had to hold her up in the air where she could get above all the other kids to get her own handful of snow.
Ashlyn is so cute. She loves other kids and kept bothering these two little girls. They were kind to her and politely kept telling her to hush during the story and she was shrieking and shaking her head... as she does when she is deep in a conversation with someone. At the end of the story she started to scream and clapp...I could just eat her up.
Our girls watching the story together...it was such a serene and precious moment. Although they are few and far between I will take them as they come to remind myself at the end of the day we are family and love each other dearly. After the long day we had it was back to the room where Mimi, Daddy and I tried desperately to get the girls down for bed. In the end Mimi fell asleep, Ashlyn laid between out beds shrieking until she fell asleep and Daddy with Sophia slept on the smallest couch I had ever seen. What you do for your kids!

The Owl class Christmas Party

Sophia and Daddy at the Party.
The Owl class decorated sugar cookies and sang for all the parents. Here is the Owl and Frog class singing Christmas carols together. Sophia did great...she knew all the words and sang her heart out.

Mommy and Sophia.
Sophia is four and a half she is growing up so quickly...I can't see baby in her any more she is just this darling little girl. This time next year she will be celebrating Christmas as a Kindergartner and I am so sad my baby is growing up. Although we are constantly reprimanding her for being so wild and crazy...I could not imagine Sophia any other way. She loves to make unusual and weird faces...here is one of her famous expressions.

Picture with Santa

Even though we already saw Santa earlier this month we still had to get our annual pic with the mall Santa. Toby thinks it is completely ridiculous, but it is a requisite every year. Poor Sophia is getting over a cold and her face is completely chapped in this photo. Not the greatest pic, but oh well, can't predict when things like that will hit.

Christmas with friends

This is our annual Christmas with our friends. We take turns hosting and this year it was at the Gallahue's house. Brian and Jenny knew someone who owned a Santa suit and he volunteered to come and visit with the kids during the party...it was wonderful. They were all so excited to see him and give him there long lists of presents. The Gallahue'e s had one last surprise for the kiddies. Brent made individual gingerbread house's for the kids to decorate...he pulled out all the fixin's four different kinds of icing and almost any kind of candy you could ask to decorate their special houses. What a hit...they know how to through a party. I couldn't help but think how fortunate our children are to have such a wonderful Christmas party...seeing their excitement gets me really excited for this glorious season. Above is a pic of their completed houses.
Ashlyn was not so eager to see him. She was okay at first and then down came the tears.
Sophia did great as usual. I remember listening to her give her list to him and she said "and I what a Kai-Lan doll...she's really cool." Toby and I looked at each other and I swear we were both thinking the same the same thing...great the one gift we did not get her! Needless to say she will arrive Christmas day as requested.
Our friends are so creative. Sophia received a jewelry box from Samantha filled with rings, bracelets and necklaces...what a fabulous gift. She loves it and I would have never thought to get it for her.

Elf on a shelf

Several families we know have started the elf on a shelf tradition. For those of you who have not heard of the "elf" he is Santa's helper (more like spy) to see if the children are being naughty or nice. You get to name your elf...so, meet Sparkle. She is a little creepy and a pain to remember to move everyday, but between Daddy and I we have managed to change her location daily...so, she can continue her monitoring. It has not helped their behavior, but it is a cute idea.

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a very quiet Thanksgiving this year. We visited Grandma and Grandpa saw uncle Jason then went to Mimi's for dinner.

Here are the girls goofing around at Mimi's with Daddy.
Happy Thanksgiving. We are thankful for our family and friends... may all of you stay happy and healthy and live life for all it's worth!

I hope everyone is enjoying the start of a wonderful Holiday season...I can't wait to put up our Christmas trees!

Happy Halloween!

The Halloween gang together. Charlie was roaring like a dinosaur and the girls were laughing hysterically.
The family before the fun began!
Here is little Cooper...isn't he the cutest lion in the whole world?

Halloween cont...

Ashlyn carried her Halloween basket like a purse...she is so cute. All she can really say is "hi" and "bye"...so everytime she got a piece of candy I told her to tell them bye! Well by the end of the night she thought if she told someone "bye" they owed her some candy.
Sophia has some issue with having her face painted so she gets her hands painted instead.
Our neighborhood is not that great for trick or treating, but every year the church down the street invites everyone to their trunk or treat. They have jumpers, games, candy, face painting and pizza! What more could you ask for on Halloween.
Sweet little Ashlyn.