Christmas Card Photo Shoot

The infamous photo shoot took place this evening to get that perfect picture for the Christmas cards. Of course, the more you try, the less successful you are in getting that "perfect" picture. Anyway, here are a few preludes to the card:

Emily is good at giving hugs and smooches.

Then, the battle over the rocking chair began....SIBLING RIVALRY...

(I'm not moving from this chair.)

(I win!)

(Ah ha ha ha...the wicked laugh.)

Photo shoot - OVER!

And the baking has begun.....

I love to bake. Christmas gives me the best excuse to do it! I tried a new recipe today for Gingerbread bears. They're too cute, not to share. (After I took the picture, I piped a little red bow on each of their necks too.) The best part is, they are YUMMY!! I didn't think the kids would be all that crazy about Gingerbread, but apparently, they LOVE them. We'll be lucky if any make it to the freezer to last until Christmas!!!

The Christmas Barn

While we are thankful all year long for our many blessings, Thanksgiving is officially over and we are now preparing for Christmas. We ventured to The Christmas Barn for this year's Christmas wreath. (I succumbed years ago to Jeff's determination to forgo the live tree and get an artificial one. But I won't give up on my wreath.) Anyway, we found a nice wreath, but the girls most enjoyed seeing the buffalo, goats, and miniature ponies.

Ode to Super Dad

Jeff has been off all week, and the girls and I were quite spoiled. He took on the shuttle duty of taking the girls to and from "school", doctor appointments, etc. He cleaned the house, did laundry, put up all of the indoor and outdoor Christmas decorations, did some of the Christmas shopping, and had an excellent meal ready and waiting each night I came home after 11 hour days at the office. (I worked extra hours knowing that I wasn't restricted with daycare hours, etc. - It's year end crunch time for us bean counters, you know!) Jeff also cooked the most scrumptious Thanksgiving Day dinner! He was probably more exhausted than if he had actually worked. The three of us girls have all enjoyed and very much appreciate all of his extra efforts.

Unfortunately in Caroline's eyes, he hasn't quite earned the "Super Dad" title. "Daddy can't be Super Dad. He doesn't have a cape!" Nevertheless, he's Super Dad in my eyes! And Super Duper Hubby!! Love you babe!

Time for an Update

Well, I'm far overdue for a post. It's been absolutely nuts at our house. Jeff has been working his normal, not so short, hours, but now has the added hour drive each way. I've been working 44 hour weeks for almost a year now. Keeping up with the girls and day to day chores of cooking, cleaning, and laundry have kept us very busy.


The girls had a great Halloween. Emily was proud to be a monkey. She "Ooo Ooo Ahh Ahh's" every time she sees the costume. Caroline was Cinderella. She was one of many princesses in her class at school. I wouldn't be surprised if she wants to be Cinderella again next year.

Caroline is 3 1/2 going on 16. She is a very emotional child, especially when she's overtired. She's also very inquisitive about everything. She's very interested in why things happen and how everything works. She's also very funny, and reminds us every day to take pleasure in the simpler things. She's working on learning her letters and numbers and loves to read books.

Emily is 15 months going on 4. She's constantly on the go, and is always into everything. She is also a climber. She can now get up on some of the furniture and is so proud to do so every time. (She's sitting in the chair looking at books right now.) Her vocabulary is growing rapidly, though "dog" is her most frequently spoken word. She has also learned the great game of "Uh Oh", only she says "Ah Ho". She is obsessed with brushing her teeth. And, when you've lost sight of her, the first place to check is the bathroom toothbrush drawer. She's usually there. (It's really nice to tell her it's time to go brush her teeth and have her race off to the bathroom without any convincing or negotiating!) She's also very fond of shoes, hats, and jackets. She'll often be wearing them when not needed, or carrying them around in place of her blanket that she snuggles.

Fall has certainly arrived, and almost passed already. The turkeys are back. They usually show up sometime in October, and in a couple of weeks will disappear until next year. Approximately 15-20 of them trot through our yard on a daily basis. We've lived here for over 6 years now, and it still surprises us to live so close to downtown, yet have daily visits from deer, turkey, and occasional other wildlife.

Murphy does a good job standing guard over his territory from the wildlife.

Annual Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

We made our annual trip to the pumpkin patch yesterday. The girls enjoyed picking out their pumpkins, riding in the wagon,
and driving the tractor (though it's not quite like Grandpa's).
The big cornucopia is always a great photo op:

And, the pumpkin house is always a favorite:

Jeff gave the girls a lesson on how corn grows. This field was planted with Indian Corn.
And what would a trip to the Patch be without caramel apples, apple turnovers, and cinnamon ice cream?
The sprinkles from Carly's apple left their mark.
When did my little pumpkin turn into such a big girl?

Tiny Dancer

Carly was absolutely thrilled to start dance classes this past week. (Okay, I called too late, and we missed the first 4 weeks of class, but she was still able to join in on the fun.) She has asked me every day since if she could "go to dance class today". She is disappointed every time I reply that there is no dance class today. Instead, she's donned her leotard, tights, and ballet slippers each night and it's taken a lot of convincing each night to peel them off of her and put pj's on. It's going to be a long dance season until it ends in May for Mom & Dad!

A New Tradition

We've started a new tradition at our house. It was Pajama Day at daycare (almost two weeks ago already!). We decided it would be fun to have breakfast for dinner that night. The girls gobbled up pancakes, fruit, and hash browns without any extra convincing. And there, a new tradition was born! We will look forward to the next PJ Day at school!

The Other Guy in Emily's Life

Emily is definitely a Daddy's girl. She lights up like a Christmas tree whenever she sees Jeff. But, for some reason there is another guy that makes her glow with delight - the guy on the back of the Cheerio box: She greets him with an enthusiastic "Hi" every time she sees him, just as she does when she greets Jeff when he walks in the door at the end of the day. Lucky for Jeff, there won't be any competition the next few weeks. The box with "the guy" is now gone, and the new box has pictures of cancer survivors for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. So look out Mommy, you're the one competing for the extra love now!

Labor Day Weekend Fun

I'm finally getting around to posting some picts from our Labor Day weekend up North. We all had a lot of fun:

We broke out the croquet game.

Both girls enjoyed it!
Carly got some great pointers from Grandma.
Look at that swing!
We often played croquet as kids when we went camping. Of course, it wasn't a good game unless it was a true obstacle course through tree roots, in sand pits, in the shallow waters of the lake. Since it had been years since most of us played the game, we made the course a little simpler this time, staying on the edge of the woods. Jeff and Grandpa got stuck on the first wicket. Caroline lost patience in waiting for her turn and gave up "playing the game" long before Jeff and Grandpa made it past the first wicket. I managed to win the game, while playing most of it one handed (left handed at that) and holding Emily. Ha! I guess I learned a few good tricks all those years ago!
Murphy enjoyed fishing with Grandpa.
He also enjoyed fishing out of the pail, even if there weren't fish in the bucket. Rocks are just as fun to fish out too!
Everyone enjoys a leisure ride on the pontoon.
Caroline practised her princess wave and enjoyed waving hello to all of the other boats, especially through the no wake zones.
Emily enjoyed rolling the ball back and forth with Grandpa.

We had lovely weather and enjoyed the fresh air.
Everyone was wiped by the time we went home.


On the way home, we stopped by Auntie Shell and Uncle Jon's farm to see the new baby chicks. They were already a couple weeks old.


Auntie Shell and Mason introduced Emily to Buddy and Claire.
Mason and Allie helped Caroline feed Bandit, the goat.
Caroline enjoyed feeding Buddy and Claire carrots. Buddy and Claire enjoyed the yummy treats too.