Merry Candy Coated Snow-mas!

It has been a week of filled with family, friends, cookies, presents, and snow! You have to love those weeks that you have no idea what day it is and your biggest concern is what are we eating/drinking next!? The kids had a wonderful holiday! Keira was so excited that Santa, or “Tanta” as Quinn calls him, was coming to OUR house! We made special peanut butter cookies filled with chocolate for him and sprinkled reindeer food out over the driveway. Did you know reindeer absolutely love cheerios? Mix in some glitter so they can see it and you are ready! We had quite the build up to the actual arrival of Santa as we visited both sets of grandparents, uncles, aunts, and many friends the week before and then raced back to our house with the winter storm on our tail as we made it back just in time to get snowed in and enjoy a white Christmas!

Dad and Q enjoy their gifts!


Uncle Josh helps Quinn build a challenging puzzle!

Grandpa D's favorite thing to give the kids are mini boxes of sugar coated, yummy cereal- Quinn's gotta have his POPS!! He treasures carrying around the box and finishing every single one- except for the ones he shares with Abbey dog!

I think this was our 85th attmpt to capture that famous kids in front of the Christmas tree together picture...

Challenging!

The best we could get-

Quinn loved his new train table from "tanta" and was double fisted with trains all day- even at nap! Similar to our visits to the toystore- just TRY and pry a train out of his hand- you shall experience the true wrath of Quinn!

All Keira wanted for Christmas--- a BLENDER!!!! She immediately started making everyone shakes!

She also loved her new doll bed and diaper changing station!

Keira received the best little cookbook ever (see picture below). The same cookbook that Nana, Uncle Brock, and Daddy used to learn how to cook- so sweet! We made yellow cake cupcakes from the book together and I can't wait to share the joy of cooking with my little chef!

NAP TIME! WHAT A WEEK!!!

Daddy loves loves loves the snow and I'm glad we got to enjoy some winter fun sledding!

Did I tell you? Daddy LOVES the snow!!!!!

Making Merry

We had a wonderful time picking out our tree- though we didn't make it to a tree farm this year (promise, will do that next year), we did make it three blocks to the ACE Hardware store to get our real tree. And yes, I'm cussing the needles falling off and vowing to go to a tree farm and cut it ourselves next year! Really!

Keira loved wearing the tree skirt around as we sang "Oh Keira Tree, Oh Keira Tree" to her!


Quinn picked out these special window stickers during our trip to ACE- they look just like jello jigglers and, according to him, taste just like them too! Notice the bite marks!? YUMMY!

Keira loved looking at each and every ornament, taking stock of every ornament with her picture on it, every snowman, every Santa. The best line of the day was Keira exclaiming "SANTA! TIME TO GET YOUR HO ON!!"

Our gingerbread house! Keira was very precise and careful! She also ate MUCH of the "glue" and house decor!

It seems our new family tradition is to go see the old fashioned Christmas parade downtown. Many, many.....yawn..... many horses, much poop, but the kids LOVED it!

Watching with her BFF Hannah and Quinn!

Running around in our Christmas Jammies! Quinn was too fast for pictures! My attempt to get that so cute picture of them in front of the Christmas tree in their jammies- FAIL!

Snow day to park day in three days...

Round one of sickness hit this past weekend and we spent 5... LONG ...days inside where I exhausted all of my creativity and art supplies! PHEW! Thankfully, we were feeling better and able to enjoy everything from the first snowfall of the season, to open gym, to the park in t-shirts ALL in one week! Another PHEW for that! The snow started falling on Monday and immediately Keira ran to her room and started putting on her gear! Boots, hat, coat, three pairs of socks... this girl LOVES the snow (like her daddy). Then there was Quinn...though we haven’t gotten his snow boots yet- mainly because I insist that they be all black to match is coat, and I am “thrifty” and won’t spend but a certain amount on them, he was not as prepared. BUT- I could tell from the minute we stepped out onto the frosty, snow covered deck, that he was NOT amused by this winter wonderland. The look I saw on his face was the exact look that I must have when “playing” in the snow. It’s the look of “Can we go in yet????? PLEASE!!!” I wonder if there is a “hater of the snow and cold” gene? If so, he’s got it and we will be toasty warm inside this winter while Daddy and K enjoy all that cold snow “fun” as they call it!


One smile....one grimace!

Trying to catch a snowflake on her tongue

Wondering why his sister is trying to catch those awful frozen things

Quinn's rollover attempt looks like a down dog yoga move!

TAH-DAH!!

Big Girl Bed!

Keira’s big girl bed arrived today and she was absolutely giddy about it! It took two weeks to arrive after picking it out, so we have been talking about this moment for a while! Another huge milestone, she threw her pacifier into the trash tonight because "she is a big girl now and those are for babies!" Hooray! She didn’t want to read books tonight at bed and basically wanted to shove me out the door to enjoy and celebrate in her new bed all by herself! I tucked her in and then listened at the door as she sang, laughed, and had her own little big girl singing party in bed! She’s so proud! ME TOO!

Halloween Dress-up

This is the closest I came to getting pictures of the kids in Halloween costumes… picture the wings from the last pictures on Keira with the first picture costume. The other costumes include random dress-up and another party that was not on Halloween.

Rainy day art- two perspectives!

ABC's and 1,2,17's

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ehgbqkT--0



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHYa1SYQG-g

PUMPKIN CRAZY!

I have gone a bit overboard with pumpkins this season! We currently have 18 (that’s right) pumpkins throughout our house inside and out in all shapes, colors, and sizes! And I have plans for more! Somebody STOP ME!

Our pumpkin patch family tradition! Everyone chooses a pumpkin or three!

Let the jack-o-lantern creating begin!! Daddy uses the knife...

Mommy scoops the goo... (kids are supposed to be helping here, but Keira won't touch it and Quinn ran out the room screaming when he saw Daddy cut the top off the pumpkin)

He changed his mind when he found out that pumpkins don't bite!

Keira and Elmo enjoy the glowing face!