One Last Christmas Adventure

So what does your family do when its cold outside, you are all driving your mother-in-law nuts and you have to get out of the house? We go swimming and bowling. Thank goodness Aunt Holly was staying in a hotel this visit. We had access to an indoor pool and it was great! We were so glad to have this distraction. The kids were thrilled, too!

Then, the next day when you still can't get outside because it's so cold you go bowling. Who knew Grandpa was an old pro? He even has his own shoes and ball. Granted, they are twenty-something years old. But he still has it! Look at that technique.

And lastly, when you can't get out of the house you can always just enjoy the company of your cousins. The cousins we don't see near enough but love desperately.

Here's to Christmas 2010. We can't wait to see what God has in store for us this coming year. May he bless your family as much as we pray He blesses ours.

Sweet and Sassy..This Time with Lucy

Ella has done the Sweet and Sassy "thing" two times before our most recent trip. Our sweet friends had a double birthday there and we were honored and lucky to attend. Of course for Ella this is a perfect party. Makeup, glitter, dress-up. Its the whole schebang. But for Lucy...now that's another story.

I was nervous about taking her to begin with. She's just not that into girly things. This is not something I have encouraged, or discouraged, but rather is something that is just fundamentally her. I find myself quite often perplexed by my girls' personality differences. How can they be so different, yet come from the same set of DNA? While it can be daunting at times, I am quick to thank God for giving me two different children who love life in different ways and explore their personalities with such unique persuassions.

When we walked into the party, Ella knew just what to do. She went straight back to the dressing room and began picking out the perfect ensemble (pronounced correctly with a strong French undertone). Lucy followed her big sister, although tentatively, and picked out the most frilly, fluffy pink dress in the room. I could not believe it. Our conversation:

me: "Lucy, you look like a beautiful princess."

Lucy: "Well I still like Buzz and Woody."

It was an hilarious moment that reassured me Lucy was only visiting the "dark side" for a moment of Toy Story reprieve. But she was clear in where her loyalities lay. Right with her hero---Buzz Lightyear.

Am I foolish to say that after looking at these pictures I am going to forbid my children to wear makeup until they are 16? They both look so old and Ella....well, let's just say her daddy will not be letting her out of the house made up like that ANY time soon!

Soccer..Fall..2009

Ella played soccer again this season. Every season she continues to improve and loves it more and more. I was proud of her for being more aggressive this year. She was willing to get in the mix with the boys and fight for the ball. Erik was her coach again and we drug Lucy and my mom to every game. We are becoming great cheerleaders! Here are a few of my favorite pictures.

(my favorite part is when they all pile into one bunch and run down the field together!)

Ella and the Tooth Fairy

In the span of about 2 weeks, Ella lost her two front teeth. They were both loose for such a long time. About 2 months actually. She walked around like a cute little beaver for so long while they worked their way out. Towards the end she worked so hard to pull them. She was so determined to do it herself. We finally convinced her to let Erik pull them by telling her that when daddies pull teeth the toothfairy brings $2.00 per tooth instead of $1.00. Tricky, huh?

Christmas Part 2

Christmas with my side of the family is always fun. It's pretty calm, as Ella and Lucy are the only children right now. We hope that will soon be changing with the addition of baby Maddie. Next Christmas may be a whole different scenario :) But for this year, we enjoyed the company of aunts and uncles, grandparents and great-grandparents. And the girls enjoyed being showered with attention and gifts!

(this is my Brother-in-Law Tommy. His wife, my sister Rebecca, had a lapse of judgement this year. They are expecting their first baby in April and she bought him a Wii for Christmas. I tried to talk her out of it but to no avail. Oh, well. I guess they can be entertained all those nights at home with the new baby. There are a lot of those nights at first!)

(I love this picture of my Dad and Lucy)

Erik called this the most appropriate present ever given in the history of Christmas. This woman, who I affectionately call Mom, can get lost in a paper bag if given the opportunity.

Hey Look! Ro is having a baby!!!!

The obligatory "Hey, I can pick my nose" picture

Christmas Part 1

Christmas at our house 2009:

Santa and his reindeer ate the cookies and carrots we left.

The girls were so excited to see all their presents.

Lucy got her "red" bear and Buzz Lightyear what's in a box.

Some of Ella's favorite gifts were the Belle gown and Where's Waldo book.

We wasted no time testing out the Wii, our favorite Christmas present.

Even my Grandfather got in on the action.

Playing with our Pixos. Boy, those sure are much cuter in the box than all over my dining room floor!

Me and my girls on Christmas morning.


Lucy helped Daddy open his gifts. But only after a few tears were shed because Ella was helping, too.

This Christmas was one of our best ever. Both girls were old enough to be really excited about it all and Erik and I enjoyed helping Santa with some of his shopping. As they get older, I realize how magical this is for them. Oh, to Believe! And they do. With all their hearts. So innocent and so sweet. We are so blessed to have such perfect little girls and we are honored to be their parents. Merry Christmas everyone!