Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year and I feel so blessed and thankful for so much in my life. After spending the morning putting up a few Christmas lights outside in 56 degree weather we headed to Glencoe to spend the afternoon with my family.  When we arrived in Glencoe at 1PM it was 42 degrees and when we left Glencoe at 5:30PM it was snowing and blowing and bitterly cold.  Of course the girls were super excited to see snow on the grass Friday morning when they woke up.  It is amazing how snow can be so delightful for young children but so much work for adults!  After doing some shopping for some outside greenery,  Kaitlyn and Allison wanted to go sledding.  They entertained themselves for about 30 minutes in the backyard, pulling and pushing each other on their sleds.  In the afternoon we made shrinky dink ornaments and gingerbread cookies.  While they were licking the frosting bowl, Allie became upset over the fact that she though Katie had more frosting to lick than her.  Katie, in her sweet way, said. "  Here Allie, you can lick my spoon.  I don't want you to get sad."  I think she has heard me say that many times.  A lovely and compassionate moment in my wonderful life.

Make-Up Class

On Tuesday we went to TAGS gymnastics for our make up gymnastics class.  We usually attend gymnastics on Fridays but with Thanksgiving this week, TAGS is closed on Friday.  Katie and Allie remembered their teacher, Ms. Keely, mentioning the make up class and letting the girls know that there would be a different teacher and kids at the class but not to worry because they would still be having fun.  Katie was super excited for the class and kept mentioning the "make-up" class all morning.  After class, Katie said, "So Mommy when do we get to put on makeup?"  It is so much fun explaining the different use of words to my kids and it brings such joy to my heart to step back and understand this big, crazy world in their eyes!

Allie the Dare Devil

Today Allie got very creative (in a naughty sort of way) and a bit dare devilish and decided to take off the cushions of the couch and line them up at the bottom of their indoor slide.  Why would she do that?  So she could soften the fall when she jumps from the top of the slide.  And then to add some flair, she ended her routine by doing a forward roll/flip.  My little Allie - always living life on the edge!

Pumpkin Pie Play Dough

One thing that I love about ECFE is discovering creative and homemade ways to play at home.  Last Saturday we visited the ECFE classroom for a Saturday play date and one of the project areas was a play dough center.  Instead of using the store bought play dough one of the teachers made homemade pumpkin pie play dough.  Katie and Allie loved it.  When we got home I googled pumpkin pie play dough and found an easy and fast recipe.  This last weekend Katie and Allie spent about 3 hours playing with the play dough and rolling out pretend cookies.  Lots of fun for my little future cookie makers!

Emma and Avery

Saturday was a big day for Kaitlyn and Allison.  I have been looking for a babysitter for a while and it seems like when I finally make a connection and schedule a babysitter something always happens and the babysitter cannot come.  In September I learned that our neighbor girl Avery turned 12.  Her mother and I were having a conversation one afternoon and Lora Lee mentioned that now that Avery is 12 she would like to start babysitting.  My girls have always adored Emma and Avery so I was super excited at the prospect of having a neighborhood babysitter and to top it off Emma and Avery are responsible and delightful. When I asked if Avery could babysit on Saturday, Lora Lee immediately said yes and wanted to know if Emma would be able to babysit with Avery. (Emma, who is 9, was a bit sad that she was going to miss out on Kaitlyn and Allison time.)  When I told the girls on Friday that Emma and Avery were going to babysit on Saturday, they were excited and not sad what so ever!

When Emma and Avery showed up to babysit, Kaitlyn and Allison immediately took to them and left me behind.  Avery was super prepared and asked important questions about allergies, snacks, outside time and emergency information.  While the girls were all having fun, Todd and I shopped at Ikea for a storage cabinet, went to Toys R Us for some Christmas presents and managed to enjoy a quiet lunch out before heading home. The whole day was a success and I am already planning our next adventure!

A Delightful Sunday

Who would think that on November 18th we would be biking to the park wearing short sleeve shirts and no jackets?  I am loving this crazy November weather and hoping that it will stay around for a while.  60 degrees and sunshine was just what we needed to enjoy this Sunday afternoon.

Maybe this will be the last time that Katie will fit in the baby swing?

I keep telling my girls they are getting too big for the baby swing but they insist they are just the right size!

An Allison Tale

I absolutely love my conversations with my girls.  It is such a delight listening to my budding linguists talk and tell stories.  Today Allie told me that when she grows up she is going to have triplets and all of the babies will be girls.  I asked her what she was going to name the girls and she said, "Mommy their names will be Katie, Allie and Mommy."  What an absolute adorable statement to make!

A whole bunch of turkeys

We have been so lucky over the last few days to make and decorate a whole bunch of turkeys.  Kaitlyn and Allison have made turkeys at home, at church, at ECFE playtime and at school.  What is super cool is that art projects have become rather enjoyable and a whole lot of fun.  I wonder how many more turkeys we will get ot make before "Turkey day!"

Kaitlyn's turkey with 3 eyes

Allison's turkey

Mom talk

On Tuesday we hosted a play date at our house.  I have gotten to know a group of moms from ECFE and over the years we have had many great conversations together.  All of us have girls, are part time stay at home moms, have at least 2 children and basically have the same parenting values.  Our children always play well together and it is getting to the point where the children play while us moms talk without much interruption.  On Tuesday I came to realize that I am not the only mom who:

1.  Has to wait sometimes over 30 minutes for my children to pick out a pair of shoes and put them on.
2.  Has to be a referee and step in when my children want the same thing.
3.  Has to reason with my children when it is cold outside they must wear a jacket.
4.  Has to point out to my children that sometimes I know a bit more than my 4 year olds think and they are not always right about everything.
5.  Has trouble putting my children to bed after day care lets take a nap.

It is so nice to know that other parents struggle too! 

A Whole Lot of Bling

Kaitlyn and Allison have recently enjoyed wearing dress up jewelry and it is just not one or two pieces.  I am hoping this is not an indicator of how much jewelry they will like as they get older because I may have to start a jewelry fund.  Here is a picture of Kaitlyn wearing a whole lot of bling!

Scooter fun

After a morning full of running errands for us and for Fairview, we enjoyed the beautiful sunny afternoon that we were blessed with.  I thought a bike ride would be fun but Katie and Allie both wanted to scooter instead.  Todd had put the scooters in the garage attic but with much pleading from the girls, I climbed up in the attic and found them.  Katie and Allie both had fun scottering around the neighborhood.

Katie

Allie

After we got home Allie really wanted to play in our neighbor Dale's backyard.  Dale has always encouraged us to play in his yard and Allie and Katie really like Dale. (Maybe it has to do with the fact that the last time we were playing in his yard he invited the girls in for a pink sugar wafer cookie and ended up giving them the whole package of cookies to take home!)  No cookies today but we still had a good time.

Happy Birthday to Me!

I can't believe that today is my Birthday. This morning when Kaitlyn woke up, she whispered in her soft voice, "Mommy, Happy Birthday."  Allison gave me a big hug and said, "Mommy, is today really your Birthday?"  That right there was the only present that I will ever need.  Todd and the girls made me a chocolate cake while I was at work and decorated the house with balloons and streamers. In the afternoon we had to appreciate the 70 degree temps so we packed up our bikes and headed to the park.

I know how hectic and busy life can get, but this year I am going to slow down and try to appreciate the little and magical times of life.  God has given me so much in life to be thankful for.  One of my friends gave me a journal for my Birthday and after reading the book, "One Thousand Gifts", I am going to start my own gratitude journal and capture joy and love in my ordinary life.

Pom Poms

Ever since a play date at Emily's house, Kaitlyn and Allison have been asking for pom poms.  After some searching, we finally found pom poms at Toy's R Us.  I would have to say that the $2.99 investment has provided me hours of hilarious entertainment.  Who knows, maybe they will be Eastview cheerleaders some day?

Mommy picture

We have had some great, mild weather as of late which I am so grateful for.  During this time of year, we just have to be so thankful and blessed when there is a day of sunshine and 50 degrees.  Yesterday afternoon Allie really wanted to bike to the park but Katie just did not want to go.  I felt bad for Allie and I was super proud of how mature she handled her sister's distasteful mood.  Allie patiently waited for Katie as Katie tried on about 5 pairs of shoes and hated each pair, then put on and took off her bike helmet about 5 times because it just didn't fit right, then got on her bike and refused to pedal and screamed and cried for about 1 block.  I finally gave up and Allie agreed that a bike ride just wasn't a viable option.  Later in the afternoon when I was getting supper ready, Katie snuck downstairs and told me that she was going to draw me a picture.  I absolutely love the picture that she drew of me with curly hair and the beautiful flower that she drew.  I am so grateful that I can appreciate and understand the beauty of my children.

Crazy Katie

Katie has some unusual fashion tastes.  Here is a picture of wacky Katie and her outfit that she wanted to wear to church last Sunday. 

Gymnastics

This year Katie and Allie are taking gymnastics lessons at TAGS in Apple Valley.  I like TAGS and I really like their teacher, Ms. Keely.  I pulled their teacher aside the other day and complimented her on how comfortable Katie and Allie are around her.  Allie will often say before class, "Mom, can I tell Ms. Keely that I got a new shirt?"  or, "Mom can I tell Ms. Keely what I had for breakfast?"  Katie and Allie are quite shy and reserved around most people so I am so happy that they feel safe and secure around her.  Here is a picture of them getting their ribbons from the last day of the Fall I session.

St. Cloud

This last weekend we took my mom on a trip up to St. Cloud for a girl's night out.  Katie and Allie enjoy little vacations and I knew if we would invite Grandma to come with, it would be even more fun!  We spent the night at the Holiday Inn, a place that brought back wonderful memories from my childhood days. 

After a bit of a journey up north, we finally arrived at our hotel. I booked 2 rooms, 1 for us and 1 for Grandma.  When I told the girls that Grandma was going to have her own room, Katie said, "I'll bet Grandma will need some peace and quiet!"  How can little ones be so insightful?  We had fun swimming in the pools, going out to eat at Granite City, and had a lot of fun just spending some quality time with Grandma.  Katie proved me wrong once again and was the first one to get in the pool and enjoy the water.  So thankful that she is not afraid to swim, just maybe afraid of certain swimming teachers!  Thank you Grandma for coming with! 

Like most of my days as of late, I forgot to bring the battery to my camera, but I used my IPad to capture some photos. 

Rubber trees

This morning on the way to school we had an interesting conversation about "rubber trees."  As we drive I like to point out interesting observations and Kaitlyn and Allison are starting to participate as well.  This morning Kaitlyn said, "Mommy look at those rubber trees."  I wasn't quite sure what she meant but I tried to follow along and ask more questions.  It turns our that an evergreen tree is what Kaitlyn was referring to.  I love listening my baby girls talk so grown up!

Happy Halloween

After many mornings of waking up and asking, "Mommy when will it ever be Halloween?"  Halloween finally arrived.  The girls spent the day at school doing many fun Halloween activities and in the afternoon all of the kids put on their Halloween costumes and had a costume parade.  After supper, Katie and Allie dressed up and headed out for some neighborhood trick or treating.  Thankfully the weather was awesome, about 45 degrees, so the girls didn't even have to wear jackets!  We had so much fun going door to door and I must say I was super proud of them using their manners and saying thank you to everyone. We met up with our neighborhood friends for a bit and I really enjoyed watching my girls be so grown up and run off with their friends, leaving me behind.  They were so pumped up with sugar and excitement that by the time 9:30 rolled around, they turned into some pretty crabby and highly irritated girls.I think Kaitlyn and Allison are the most beautiful green fairies ever, don't you?

Richardson Nature Center

I am always looking for new, outdoor adventures and I am so happy that I discovered Richardson Nature Center in Bloomington, thanks to my friend Kristen.  Tuesday morning the girls and I bundled up and enjoyed the beautiful morning at a very serene and simplistic place.  The girls were delighted to climb on rocks, put on a puppet show and take in all of the natural beauty that God has blessed us with.  I am so looking forward many more ventures there!