hny {that just makes me laugh}

in my family it is a tradition to spend the new year with many friends and family, enjoying lots of wonderful japanese food and watching football.  i am homesick for these traditions {we live in another state} but this year we are blessed to have grandma and grandpa in town to visit.  we wanted to wish everyone a happy new year.  oh-nine to 2010...

p.s. it is not warm here... brrr!

let it snow

we had lots of snow on christmas eve...

so of course, christmas day was spent in the snow

the kids loved playing and playing

we even used my childhood sled... talk about retro vintage, but it is perfect for the kind of snow we have around here.

yesterday we made a fort... everyone had a ball.

we had lots of fun together outside... possibly more snow expected today?  crazy!

what fun did you have over christmas?

thinking of you all

we wanted to wish everyone a very merry christmas... we wish we could be with our family and friends, but we will be thinking of everyone and missing you all.

from the first two {e and me} and the second two {b and n}

xo. cheers.

movie night

we took b and n to their very first movie.... the princess and the frog .  actually, this was our first movie at the theatre since before b was born - no kidding.

we all loved it.

christmas pageant

b had her first christmas pageant.  they sang three songs on their stage and she did so great.

we practiced the songs for three weeks and she was ready to go.  they were dressed as rudolf the red nosed reindeer.

cute as ever...

more cookies, please

seriously, more cookies... i write this as i am eating chocolate ice cream.  we love these cookies though.

i think we have made more cookies this holiday season than any other... uncle kelly, preschool, neighbors, etc.

i think these photos are from uncle kelly's batch.  yes - his shirt did come clean.

b is a little more meticulous than n.

reindeer ears

while mommy was working on a few orders... daddy spent a little time crafting with b and n.

they had a lot of fun playing with dad.

they turned out really cute, so did the reindeer ears.

time to bake

we needed to get a little gift out to our uncle kelly who is preparing to deploy for a 400+ day tour in afghanistan.

on the plate... sugar cookies, we used our usual, yummy recipe .

oh christmas tree

after thanksgiving we decided to put the tree up and decorate it.

this year the kids really got into the spirit of things.

it was fun to watch and a little nerve-wracking... some of our ornaments are old and expensive.

it turned out beautiful and we all had a ball.

another party

we had a special birthday party to attend... addie's.

she is our dear friend who move away to kansas.

we were lucky though, she returned to host her birthday party at a fun ceramics studio.

together we painted and enjoyed the company of our friends.

a visit from nanny and papa

nanny and papa flew out to visit us for the whole week of thanksgiving.  we had so much fun and enjoyed spending time with some family... a rare occurrence for us.  While the guys resided the house, the ladies and kids had a few laughs inside.

b has done so well in preschool we promised a trip to a certain pizza place upon nanny and papa's arrival.

both kids enjoyed all the fun.

some time in the park playing...

we enjoyed, as always, a little shopping...

and of course, thanksgiving day was lovely.

the food was good and the company was even better.

saying goodbye at the airport is never fun, but we enjoyed the visit.

thanksgiving?

now that christmas is less than a week away, i probably should share thanksgiving?  weird, i know, but it has been busy around here...

B had her thanksgiving program and feast at preschool.  she did a great job and looked extra cute in her crafts.

meanwhile... N got a little more time with just mommy.

birthdays

we celebrated birthdays... it seemed all season, with many different friends.  at the park...

one featuring a clown, a giant jumper and slide, games, popcorn, cake.  you know, a simple, low-key party for a four year old.  oh my... i knew i was in for it once we got in the car, b says, "my birthday party was not like that!"

you are right honey, it was not.

next up was another low key party to top the previous...

two rooms filled with jumpers and slides, candy, gifts, the works.  thanks super moms.  thanks.

and yes, i did have my own birthday, too...

our visitor

b brought a friend home from preschool, asbury bear.  he stayed with us for a week. 

we took him on our adventures and told the story to her class when he returned.

fall round up

now that i have a little off my plate, i can share some of our recent this and thats... rounding out fall.

you know us, we love our neighborhood walks.

the kids stopping by to see if they could climb this tree... ambitious.

he is looking more like a little boy.

home improvements

and you thought you were on a holiday... thanks dad.