Fun in the (first) snow!

It snowed today from the time we woke up until the kids were tucked snugly in their beds (I would guess at least 5-6 inches). This afternoon, after meeting some friends at the Festival of Wreaths at the Art Center (and checking out our glittery, sparkly wreath hanging there) and doing some Christmas crafts at Michaels, we had some lunch and the girls headed out for some snow fun. They started by making snow angels and catching snowflakes on their tongues. (Jacob was napping.) They continued outside for a few hours sledding, first with their dad, and then with a friend from down the street. They even built a snow man and fort. Then, my little red-cheeked snow princesses came in to get warmed up and, in Emma's case, drink lots of hot chocolate (with a straw!).

The snowy day was the perfect set up for decorating our Christmas tree!

Santa, Baby!

After our adventure at Sears (see post below), we ventured into the mall where the girls noticed that Santa was sitting and inviting little ones to his lap. Jacob was still recovering from his meltdown (and probably would have stuck to Santa anyway), so the girls headed up to tell the big guy what was on their wish list (Barbies). Because I never know how many more years my girls will want to sit with Santa, I opted to have their picture taken. And, much to my surprise, a shot with Santa cost almost as much as the entire portrait session at Sears. I know they have to make money, but, good grief, they are gouging the oodles of parents who want to save pictures of their kids with Santa for posterity. Nevertheless, I handed over my friend, Visa, and our moment was captured forever....

Let the holidays begin!

Family Portraits

Just before Thanksgiving, we headed to Sears for a family portrait. We try to get one each year to document how our family has grown. While I'd love to have a custom session with a professional photographer, our budget is more Picture People -which I love for their creativity and plain backgrounds that let the kids be the focus of the picture. Anyway, Picture People is almost an hour away and the Rainforest Cafe, where we'd dine while waiting for our pictures, is no longer at that location (sadly). Because Jacob is most uncooperative with any picture taking and can't sit still for more than 5 seconds or look directly at a camera, we decided to head on over to our local Sears, 5 minutes up the road. He cooperated for a photo of the 5 of us, but that was pretty much it. At one point, I gave him a lollipop to calm him down and, before we knew it, he and most of the portrait studio were sticky all over! Oh well, better luck next year!

Friends, Fun & Fall

Today, we enjoyed a fun autumn day with some of our very best friends. We met at Baugher's and, after a tiny wait, found seating for all 11 of us. Ice cream and desserts were enjoyed by all. Casey enjoyed plain strawberry. Emma indulged in chocolate with chocolate chips, sprinkles, and a cherry. I splurged on a handspun vanilla shake and french fries. Jacob enjoyed some vanilla ice cream and french fries too. Baughers' homemade ice cream is the best!

After, the kids had tons of fun running around the Baughers' park and playset. They played fun outdoor kid's games (that they made up as they went along), slid into the puddle at the bottom of the slide, climbed on the jungle gym, and pushed each other on the swings.

As the holiday season approaches, we take special note of how thankful we are for our good friends!

Emma, Casey, and Beth...

Drew, Nick, Isabel, and Anna...

All the kids checking out the giant, gobbling turkey (that will live to see next year!)...

My Masterpieces

My girls love art. They are always making art of some kind- even Jacob got into the groove when he scribbled all over the wall the other day with a stray pencil. Whether it be at home, school, Brownies, or a friend's house. Many times, the art shows some of that child's personality or interests. It's so great to see how their artistic abilities change as they grow older and to compare what Emma creates now with the things Casey created at the same age. I wish I could keep every last masterpiece. But, as many moms know, the artwork accumulates quickly and some must take a trip to the recycle center. When I get the time, I try to scan some of their art so that they might look back on it one day to see their young creations (although I do have some of my favorites stored away in the basement).

Emma

An autumn tree made with thumbprints...

A pumpkin made with marbles and paint...
One of my recent favorites- her self-portrait! I love the way kids draw themselves (and other people) at this age...

Casey

An autumn tree made from hand and finger prints...

A kid classic...handprint turkeys...
This is one of my most favorite pictures by Casey. Casey loves to draw with the oil pastels my dad picked up for her. Her pictures are so bright and cheerful and are hanging in our playroom and her bedroom. This was is so reflective of her overall sunshiney and happy personality- she always tries to see the good in everything, yet her feelings are as sensitive as a rainbow is fleeting. The girls saw their first rainbow this summer (and it was a HUGE one) and it was, I think, her inspiration for this drawing...

An Official Girl Scout!

The Girl Scout Promise

On my honor, I will try"

To serve God and my country,

To help people at all times,

And to live by the Girl Scout Law.

The Girl Scout Law

I will do my best to be

honest and fair,

friendly and helpful,

considerate and caring,

courageous and strong, and

responsible for what I say,

and to

respect myself and others,

respect authority,

use resources wisely,

make the world a better place, and

be a sister to every Girl Scout.

(Editor's Note: Wouldn't the world be a better place if we all lived by The Girl Scout Law??)

At Tuesday night's Brownie meeting, Casey was very excited to become an "official" Girl Scout. They had their Investiture Ceremony where they recite the Pledge of Allegiance, the Girl Scout Promise and Law, and the new girls are pinned and welcomed to scouts by their leader. They then shared some fruit salad they helped make with the rest of their troop and their moms.

To add to the Girl Scout fun, this past Sunday, Casey attended Scout Day at Bear Branch Nature Center with her two best friends, Isabel and Beth. They learned about geology, astronomy, and forestry (my favorite because we hiked through the forest for most of the talk and learned some very interesting facts!)

Petting a wood turtle...

Finding sycamore tree leaves...

Halloween

The girls had a great time on Halloween. After designing their pumpkins, helping Daddy carve them, and roasting some pumpkins seeds, the girls and I headed down the street to our friends' for dinner and playing before trick-or-treating. (Jacob was not the least bit interested in his costume and Chris volunteered to stay home and give out candy on this wet night). Luckily, after some early sprinkles, the weather cleared a bit and the kids had a great time collecting candy with their friends!

Picking seeds out of the pumpkins guts for roasting...

Pre-Halloween Fun

On the Sunday before Halloween, we loaded our costumed kids up in the van and made the trek to beautiful Lancaster, PA to Happy Hauntings at Dutch Wonderland. This was a present to Emma for her birthday (instead of having a kids birthday party). What a good choice! The weather was mild and beautiful. The park was decorated for Halloween and the names of the rides were changed to reflect the season/holiday. The summer waterpark was dry, but, at night, we walked through a winding path and the kids were able to trick-or-treat at various spooky stops (with good chocolates given out too!). I wish I'd taken more pictures, especially at night with the lights, etc, but our hands were full and we were busy having fun!

Riding on the Haunted Rail Express...
...and the Scary-Go-Round...
...and the only time I won the battle of the cute dog costume with Jacob (although I lost the battle of the hood with the very cute floppy dog ears).

Silly Girls

On the evening of parent conferences at Casey's school, my dad graciously offered to come by and stay with the kids. When I came home, I found that the girls had lined up practically every toy they owned as an audience for a performance they were putting on. What a hoot!

Shrinky Dink Day

About 2 weeks ago (I'm a bit behind with blogging), I got a call from Casey's school nurse asking me to come pick her up from school as it seemed she had pink eye in both eyes. I was actually relieved that she was calling about pink eye, as many other kids we know from school and the neighborhood have been getting sick with the flu and other fever-causing viruses.

So, Emma, Jacob, and I headed on over to school and picked her up for a nice long weekend. (It was Thursday and she couldn't return to school until being on eye drops for 24 hours.)

We entertained ourselves in a variety of ways (amidst avid hand-washing to try to prevent the spread of this very contagious germ). Over the summer, Kristen gave me a girly Shrinky Dink set (she and I have a long standing love of Shrinky Dinks). I decided that this was the time to finally break it out. The girls had never heard of them and so it was all good fun.

First, they chose their picture and I cut it out. Then, they colored them. We popped them in the oven, watched them shrink, curl up, and flatten out thicker and harder than they started. What magic!


Emma made a bracelet out of hers...