Christmas 2009!

Christmas Eve:
After we went to our church service, we had fun opening up presents from our Minnesota family. The gasps and chatter that came from both girls as they opened the gifts made it clear that their grandparents, aunts and uncles know them well. Here is Kinsley opening Fancy Nancy, our favorite book character and a fashionista whom Kinsley has been modeling herself after for months. At least a dozen outfit changes a day, thanks Nancy.


Hallie did not disappoint with her wide eyes and excited trembling with each rip of the wrapping paper.

Here is the introduction to her own baby doll. She sleeps with her, takes her in the car and makes it crystal clear that it is "Hawies baby".

Christmas morning:
I can't possibly express how much fun it was to share this time with my kids. The joy, giggles and anticipation made for memories I never want to forget. We stayed overnight at my parents house and with the added attention from them and Sarah and Lane, the girls were in the Christmas spotlight.
Here is Kinsley opening a gift from Santa....

One would assume that Santa would have read customer reviews on this princess castle, but he must have dropped the ball. Kinsley was extremely understanding today when I explained that the elves made a mistake and sent a broken castle. I lost track of how many times Ben had to reattach pieces after the thing toppled over with the slightest touch. This little piece of junk has already been returned and Santa will be sending a new and improved Castle from an entirely different workshop in a couple weeks.

If you know Hallie, you know she is a little jock. As Ben was purchasing the hoop, the salesperson asked how old his son is. It currently resides in our living room in front of the fireplace that is just begging to be shattered.

Christmas day:
Sweet, sweet girls. They are the best of friends..........

until the cousins arrive...then Kinsley disappears with Makena and Hal hangs with us.

Which is fine with me, considering she is the sweetest thing in the world. Have you ever seen a cuter face despite the fact that the right eye almost completely disappears when she smiles?

This picture captures the best part of the day. Me on the floor with my babes, soaking up every second of their youngest years. Just. Having. Fun.

An Elf and a Pickle

Let me introduce you to Scooter, our very own Elf. This has been a funny tradition we began this year that I would highly recommend. Scooter is an Elf on the Shelf and he came with an adorable picture book to explain his mission to the girls. In short, every night he flies to the North Pole to report to Santa how the little ladies are behaving. He finds a spot to watch them throughout the day. Each morning, Kinsley wakes up and hunts for the little guy. Here are some of the places he has turned up.




Here is our Christmas pickle. I am unsure of its purpose or history but in the spirit of having a dozen Christmas traditions, we are going with it. Ben hides the little pickle somewhere on the tree each night and Kinsley promptly searches for it once Scooter has been found. She can barely keep up with all the demands of her morning routine.

Their Resemblance is Uncanny (Minus Hallie)

Thanksgiving in Minnesota:
TAKE ONE:

TAKE TWO:

TAKE THREE (in sweaters hand knit by Ben's mom):

TAKE FOUR:

This pic is just for Uncle Tommy who worked unbelievably hard to win Hallie's heart!

I Don't Take the View From Indoors For Granted

We are in the midst of another big snowstorm to hit Colorado. Here are some pics from the first storm which trapped us in the home for 3 days. The laughter coming from Kinsley as she played with Ben was totally worth the 45 minutes it took to get the girls in their gear. Over and over again.


Ben dug trenches throughout the yard for a game of chase. Refusing to be caught, it sometimes led him into the playhouse and out the window.

Halloween

Here are two little princesses before a couple days full of Halloween fun.


Kinsley's buddies joined us for Trick-Or-Treat Street in our town which was bursting with kids in costumes. This was on the tail end of being stuck inside for 3 days due to massive amounts of snow so I think everyone loved an excuse to get outside. We lured our kids about 5 blocks out of the way to check out a new store where I will be spending lots of time in the future.


Kinsley was thrilled to learn she could wear her princess heels to our church Fall Festival. All other Halloween events were done in snow boots which made for a sad princess.


I'm not sure where she learned it, but Hallie's go-to pose was squatting with her hands on her knees. Work it.


It wouldn't be right not to include the traditional Kinsley/Mason picture. Lovers.


Two tired princesses.


This is what I want to remember....a bit blury but super sweet.

Photo Memory

Memory is our favorite game to play with Kinsley. Even though Ben and I show no mercy, Kinsley is victorious most of the time. She is blessed/cursed with her daddy's memory.

He remembers things like lyrics of commercial jingles from the 80's and detailed information from parenting books.

I, on the other hand, have the gift of watching a movie Ben SWEARS I have seen before with absolutely no recollection of it whatsoever.

I have finished making a family photo memory game that I plan to give the girls for Christmas. I used photos of our family and included all aunties, uncles, grandparents and cousins. The main materials are bathroom tiles and lots of Mod Podge.




I also made a fun little storage container.

Happy Fall!

I love that my little craft slaves humor me by being up for any kind of seasonal art project.

Because this time of year....






Calls for this type of art...sponge painting leaves!


Which soon called for bathtime.

Appliques

I have found a new love which has given new life to any blank t-shirt I can get my hands on. I learned how to sew appliques and most of the girl's shirts are now adorned with K's and H's. I suppose this will pose a problem in the future when Hallie receives all Kinsley's hand-me-downs.

I Heart Frisco

It is hard to beat a weekend in the mountains with friends. Aspens were awesome and there was lots of laughter. Kinsley and Mason were seen only in spurts throughout the weekend.


Hallie was a champ and got lots of exercise due to the fact we forgot the stroller.


However, who needs a stroller when there are dads around to carry the weight?


Just enjoying the view.

Daddy Daughter Camping

Ben & Kinsley went camping with a crew of Ben's friends and their daughters. I knew that they would have a great time but I had not expected the kind of coordination that was done for the trip. Partially because the first update I saw on facebook was one of the guys saying that ALMOST everyone was accounted for. I also saw an early pic of all the kids AND dads sitting at a picnic table looking as though they were waiting for the wives to show up and serve them. I wondered if they had thought of anything beyond s'mores and the tent.

I was proved wrong. Very wrong. I am still marveling over the pre-planned activities that went down.

1. Hide Elmo Game
2. Nature Scavenger Hunt
3. Animal Charades
4. And finally, the kicker....with the girls listening, each dad shared something he loves about his daughter.

Wow. They outdid anything I imagined. Ben had tons of fun with close friends and Kinsley laughed and played with her girls. They had an awesome time together and I think a new tradition has been born. I am already excited for the day he takes both of his girls!


These boys love their little ladies!


Proof they ate things outside the marshmallow and chocolate family!


This explains the dirt which is still in Kinsley's hair.


They may have their princesses with them but boys will be boys and never pass up on King of the Hill.

Muddy Buddies

A couple weeks ago, Ben and his pal James participated in Muddy Buddy. A race where you bike, run and go over obstacles which concludes with an army crawl through a pit of muddy mud. They pretty much rocked it with an 8th place finish out of 1,100. The medal is hanging proudly in our bathroom.


Kinsley had a muddy buddy of her own come visit last week. What a treat to have Grandma Jane and Gramps come out! The countdown is already on to see them at Thanksgiving!



I am also loving my own little buddy while Kinsley is away at preschool. I am seriously cherishing my one on one time with her.