Christmas Photo Session

For those of you who did not receive our xmas card - sorry! But I did have a great time shooting the kids pictures for the card! I hope you enjoy :) The hardest part was picking which ones to use! The kids had so much fun as well!

Kenna's First Dance Recital

Kenna has been looking forward to her first dance recital for WEEKS! She was so excited to show off all the things she has been learning to mommy and daddy!

This one was a small audience of just parents. There will be a larger one in the spring for all ages where they rent an auditorium!

I was soooo proud of my little girl. While about half of the girls sort of stood there and goofed around, she really watched her teacher and tried to do the coreography. The girls were asked to dress up in whatever they had that was dance and Christmas appropriate. We had to settle for black leotard and green and red hair pieces :)

She was so proud of herself at the end! Growing up so fast!

--all the girls leaving the practice room, heading into the main studio--

--doing first position (look at those toes!)--

--waving at me :) --

--sitting with her classmates--

I have had a good time getting to know the mothers in the class. Two of the moms I really like are parents to the two girls that McKenna clicks the best with, Tannith and Lilly. I hope that she continues to enjoy dance!

Zachary's 9 Month Stats

Today we had Zachary's 9 month checkup. He is right where he should be with everything both physically and developmentally!

Head 18" - 50th percentile
Weight 21.5 lbs - 60th percentile
Height 28" - 50th percentile

He is really starting to take to table food now - and has almost mastered the sippy cup!

More Kenna-isms

Last night we were talking about her day. I don't remember the context, but she was going on and on about something. When I laughed and challenged what she was saying, she said very sternly "mommy, I am so serious...." cute!

Then today we were reenacting Lady and the Tramp (one of the movies we watched during blizzard time.) She assigned me the role of Aunt Sarah and I was to shoo rylee (aka Lady) away. When Rylee didn't go and just sat on Kenna's lap she looked up at me and said "mommy, she isn't shooing?"

They say the darnedest things!

Baking Extravaganza!

The snowy days assisted in this years baking. I made a bunch of goodies to give to my work friends, neighbors, and most importantly, Santa!



This year I tried something new. I found this amazing recipes for personal pies in a jar. So, I made one pie for each member of my coworkers families. It ended up being 22 pies, but they were so cute, and looked so yummy! Our digital camera is in Mexico with Josh, so using web images.

--used these pie cutters from Williams Sonoma to make them extra cute--

--I made blueberry, cherry, cherry crumble and apple--

--then I made frosted pumpkin cookies--

--and about 100 peanut butter chocolates--

--then I tried this defrosty the snowman recipe this year, too cute!--

--and cherry almond bites--



--and finally my FAMOUS buttermilk brownie recipe--

I make little tins for all the neighbors and will probably deliver them today. My coworkers seemed pretty psyched at all the goodies!

Spelling and Mexico

Kenna is OBSESSED with letters right now. She is always asking how to spell something, or what does that word start with? At bathtime I have to force her to get out because she is writing her letters with bathtub crayons.

Today, we are stuck inside because of the 14" of snow we got last night! Josh spent an hour shoveling tracks to get the car out of our driveway. He had to leave early to attempt to catch his flight to Mexico. He is going with his mom, dad, and sister and there was only a few flights that were getting out at all today.

So, we are watching movies, eating popcorn, and snuggling in blankies. As I was making lunch, Kenna giggled and said "Mommy, I know how to spell movie! D - V - D!" She is so smart ;)

Disney on Ice

On Sunday we went to Disney On Ice Princesses, and boy was it fun. Kenna has been watching the video on their website over and over for about a month. We went with Andersens and they both have been talking about it for weeks. We took Zachary to Eski's and her daughter Alyssa watched him while we took the girls. It was a special big girl only night. The girls both dressed up in their best princess gear, and just LOVED watching all the princesses

--posing in their princess clothes--

--daddy bought kenna a rose--

--she loved eating the snacks...her own special popcorn--

--jasmine and the genie--

--seven dwarfs--

--we had great seats right in front. Here are cinderella's stepsisters fighting right in front of us!--

--the mice also dancing--

--cinderella's coach--

--the grand finale. All the princesses dressed in white with their princes. Jasmine, Aurora, Snow White, Cinderella, Mulan adn Belle--

--last scene--

What a great time. McKenna sat through the whole thing (over two hours) and even Josh commented on how beautiful ice skating is. We really had a such a great time, and this will hopefully be a tradition every year!

Honeycreek Resort

This last weekend we went to Honeycreek Resort. We were recently down there for a work retreat, and I thought it would be fun to have a big family gathering down there! The resort looks like an aspen lodge with satellite cabins, hiking trails, a lake, and a huge water park! We drove the hour and a half to the resort and the kids took a nap. Then we hit the water park!

--auntie em took zachary into the pool--

--nikki and tali being silly, auntie em and zachary cruisin in the flowing river--

--water slide--

--pirate splash park--

--floating animals with a cargo net to climb across--

--zachary splashing--

After the splash park we went back to the cabin and had dinner. Em made sloppy joes and chop chop salad, I brought green bean cassarole and we finished the evening with apple dumplings. There were tons of snacking, giggles and crafts. Then we played board games. We finished the night with a fire in the fire pit, after the little kids had gone to bed. It really was a fun time! We all slept pretty well, plenty of room for everyone!

--the next morning we went to breakfast in the lodge, the honeybee surprised kenna--

--we took pictures by the grand fireplace--

--then we went back to the cabin to pack up everything--

--I asked Kenna what her favorite part was, and she said sleeping in her BIG bed--

We'll definitely have to do this again! So much fun!!!

Staying Up

Kenna is OBSESSED with comparing herself to her brother. "Mommy, I'm bigger than zachary aren't I?" "Mommy, look, my feet are bigger than zachary's" "Mommy, I ate all my dinner before zachary" "Mommy, I'm not messy, but zachary is!"

Yesterday she asked "mommy, do I get to stay up later than Zachary?"
Mommy: "Yes Kenna, he goes to bed at 7:30, you go to bed at 8:30"
Kenna: "Yeah I get to stay up REALLLLLY late because I'm a three-year-old. Zero-year-olds have to go to bed early"

Ahhhh how your mind works little one! I suppose if you aren't one yet, then you must be zero :)

That's so Kenna!

Tonight riding home in the car Kenna is telling me about her day:

"Today we did projix while the babies were sleeping and um we played outside and um we had lunch. I had noodles and corn and milk and I ate it all gone. Then we had nap and um we got up and had snack animal crackers and water because we have water for snack and um......."

dramatic pause

"So.......(more pausing).....its hot in here"

I had the heat on and didn't notice because I was listening to her go on and on....the pause was hilarious. Maybe you had to be there, but I laughed for like 5 minutes! Thanks little one!

Big Blocks

Aunti Em got Kenna these big blocks. Zachary mostly loves trying to eat them, but it is still funny :)

First Cheerios

Zachary is doing Great with finger foods!

Future Concert Pianist?

Zachary LOVES McKenna's piano. It is our go to toy for distraction!

Bathtime!

He LOVES bathtime! Recently we started having Kenna and him take baths together (which is equally funny.) Here he is splashing and having a good time!

Is it November or July?

Today was BUUUUSSSSY. We started by going to the doctor to get the kids H1N1 vaccines. I have been going back and forth on whether to do it or not, but decided to bite the bullet. There have been some sick kids around here lately with it, and better safe than sorry! While we were there we weighed Zachary, and he finally hit the 20 lb mark! 20lbs 2 oz to be exact....that puts him in the 75th percentile.....good eater! After that we went to the library to get some new books for both kids and mommy :)

We headed home for a very small helping of ice cream with chocolate sauce (the perfect bribery for brave shot takers.) Then we did puzzles, colored, folded laundry then took naps.

After nap, we awoke to amazing 65-70 degree weather. I asked Josh to take down the bikes and the bike trailer that he had stored for the winter this morning. So I took Zachary for his first ever bike ride. MAN did he love it. We went for almost an hour, then stopped at the park where he sat in the swing for the first time ever and giggled the whole time.

Now the kids are playing and we are getting ready for dinner. What a FANTASTIC day!!!

--this one kenna is smiling--

--and this one zachary is--

Before we ventured out Zachary sported a hat, and they each had blankeys...just in case ;)

Artsy Craftsy

McKenna is so artistic. She can spend HOURS coloring, drawing, writing her name, gluing, cutting, whatever you put in front of her. Together her and daddy went to Michaels and bought a ton of art supplies. Below are some of her recent "projix" (as she calls them.)

--paint is so fun, but so messy...thank goodness it cleans up easily!--

--prince and her WHOLE name :)--

--horsey--

--princess--

--kenna, rylee and mommy--

--pipecleaners, styrofoam and tissue paper witches--

If anyone needs christmas ideas ANYTHING art related will do!!