So cold...

The fort.

Growling like a bear.

We had a very cold morning threatening us, so Cory initiated a nighttime snow playtime. They were going to just build a snowman, but in my hubby's words, "Everything turns into an art project." I decided a snowbear was more fun. They built up the bottom while I worked on the face. I worked long into the night, so they were onto the fort before I finished. Fortunately we had enough foresight to take a picture at night, because the warmer weather lasted onto the afternoon and our bear had lost several distinguishable features by mid-morning.

Now it is freezing cold. I was out helping a friend paint and on the way home it was almost zero visibility. The wind was unbelievable and snow was drifting around like a tornado. We'll stay inside all day today in our sweatshirts and thickest socks.

The haircut...

We decided it was time to cut Calla's hair. Normally, I would prefer a long haircut. Calla and Cory would, too. Her hair was so long. It was getting thinner and more straggly. It seemed like it had hit it's final length, too. I took her on a Mommy/daughter date for the morning. She loved it. My stylist treated her so awesome. We even had a special lunch at Dairy Queen. She got to eat her whole kids meal instead of halfing it with her sister. Plus, plenty of time for a dilly bar.
The cut is perfect for her right now. It has almost no tangles. She can take her showers without any help. It dries so fast. Best of all, it stays looking cute all day. No more taking the time to do it in the morning to have it look like a rat's nest an hour later. So, for this four-year-old, a short cut was a great decision.

The sickies...

We had a round of the flu go through our house the week before Christmas and Amelia is sick again already. She broke out on Saturday with "bumps" of a mysterious nature. We thought, for sure, that she had the chickenpox. She woke up Sunday morning with a few, faint blotches. By Sunday evening she was complaining of an earache. I took her to the doctor today to find she does have an ear infection. (a first for our kids) I suspect it is from the same virus that caused the bumps. She has added vomiting and lethargy to her list of ailments for today. Oh the joys! We'll see what the next days will bring...

Wii...

This is for Cory. He said he was going to ransack my blog and post this if I didn't. My cousin, Jake, has Wii. My Uncle Craig, Josh, Cory, and I all played a game of bowling. I don't want to gloat, but I will! I beat Cory by 10 points! I also have to convince Cory not to take video of me from behind. Oh so flattering!

Now that I watch this, I realize how dark it is. What a shame! :)

More gatherings...

This is my mom's side of the family. My grandma is in the red sweater. Aunts, Uncles, lots of cousins. We were missing almost half of the "cousins." It was nice to get together and see everyone. It is rare that we are all together. I was thankful we all posed for a picture.

The wink....

Dan taught Madeline how to wink. Unbelievable! She's only 15 months old.
Once we saw her do it, she was like a dancing monkey. We made her do it all the time!

Madeline...

We fell in love with Madeline all over again this trip.

I think she fell in love with Cory, too. She has the greatest toothy smile and is so happy. We snatched her away when we could. We were able to see Jessica's new place and spend some time there for supper one evening. It was a sweet time. The girls loved to be able to play all together. Amelia asked if we were going to see Madeline at every moment we weren't with her. She loves her cousin. In fact, we all do.

Exchanging presents at Aunt Jessica's house. That awesome beanbag chair was a handmade gift for Madeline from one of Jess's friends. Madeline opening one of her gifts from us. That face is actually one of frustration. She wanted the toy out of the box. Unfortunately, my children played with it too often and wore out the batteries before it made it to Michigan. Even after we replaced the batteries, it still didn't play music. Nice gift, Aunt Alicia! A toy that doesn't work.

Ok. So kids are ingenious! This is how they ended up playing with her new toy.
That's our Madeline. We love you, sweet girl!

Amma and Babba...

We took a trip to Michigan on the 27th and stayed a few days. No rushing around. Just time together with Jess, Dan, and Madeline and Mom and Nizam. Of course, there were several shopping trips and dining out. We did get two home-cooked dinners, too. It was a nice trip over all.We were so thankful to be able to see Nizam again. He has been in Syria for 2 1/2 years. The girls warmed up to him rather quickly. He had never met Amelia, and Calla was barely 2 when he left. We are glad he is home.
As always, the girls loved visiting with Amma. Late nights, snuggles, presents, slushies, kisses. We love you, Amma.

Christmas Extended...

We had our Christmas with the cousins on Wednesday evening. Before the chaos of presents, we lined the kids up for this photo. In age order. 8 kids in 4 years makes for a lot of fun at Grandma and Grandpa's house for Christmas. We had dinner and then opened gifts well into the night. Calla and Amelia each opened new pieces to their dollhouse from Grandma and Grandpa. Calla got a new outfit, a bracelet, and a puzzle from Aunt Amie and Uncle Jesse. Amelia got new slippers and a baby doll. Cory got a drill and I got a new movie and sewing scissors. Mom and Dad got us a State Park sticker for 2008 and a lot of cash. We think we'll stock up on camping supplies with it and use our sticker more often. We always enjoy our Christmas with Cory's family.

Christmas Cookies...

This was my first mass production of Christmas cookies. The process was little to no fun for Calla and lots of rinsing out the frosting to change colors for me. Needless to say, this activity will be revamped for next year. A little less work for this mom and a lot more fun for the kids.