Something Only Dads Do...

Last night we had a delicious dinner at Macaroni Grill complements of a gift card from Grandma and Grandpa M (thanks for dinner!). The girls love the kids' meals there because it comes with a free sundae, and even though they shared a meal, the waitress brought two separate ones.

The dinner seemed to take a while, but M&M Dad and I both complemented the girls on their excellent restaurant manners and had fun revisiting the story of several years ago when we had to take a sassy Starshine out of the restaurant across the hall (which was very effective because we haven't had an incident since). Well, just as we were wrapping up, M&M Dad was showing Starshine how to stir some of her milk in with the leftover hot fudge sauce and drink the concoction with her straw. [Insert Mom eye rolling here]

Of course, you know Jr. Princess would want to try, too...

Family Game Olympics for New Years Eve

I was wondering what we should do for fun on New Years Eve because we certainly weren't going to be staying up until midnight! Well, M&M Dad had the great idea for a Family Games Olympics and appetizer dinner. So, the day before the girls were busy crafting our beautiful medals, and then we rounded up any games we could think of where multiple people could play but only one person wins. After Starshine got home from swimming with a friend (have I mentioned how full her social calendar is...) we fired up the appetizers and lets the games begin!

After each game there was a triumphant medal ceremony...

And at the end of the evening, the grand champion was Jr. Princess! She received medals in Pass the Pigs, Candyland, and the Rock Paper Scissors bracket challenge.

It was so much fun I have a feeling we will be seeing Family Games Olympics II well before next New Years Eve.

Oh and all of those boxes in the background? They are the before picture to my awesome new cubbies going in the dining room so I no longer have to try to cram all of our art supplies into the hutch with the china. Here it is almost finished when Starshine and a friend (yup - social event #2) couldn't resist jumping in

M&M Dad thought I was crazy about the large size but it works great! I love a good New Year's organization project!

Oh and did I mention that Starshine is currently spending the night at a friend's house for social event #3?

Zoo Animals at the Library??

M&M Dad went back to work on Tuesday, so the girls and I had to plan some girls time. Well, the first day was all about laundry and getting everybody's presents unpacked and organized. (Yup - it was pretty boring). So Wednesday we decided to get out of the house for some fun. When I checked the libraries website to check on my Disney planning books I noticed that they were having a visit from the Zoo mobile???? Now this seems like a weird combination to me but definitely worth a shot. The girls were very excited because they got to pet the armadillo which funny enough, rolled up exactly like the Bakugans the girls accidentally took home from Grandma M's.

Then it was back home to work on crafting our own medals for our super fun New Years Eve evening (more to come...)

Christmas #3 - Grandma and Grandpa L's

And Friday morning it was on to my parents house for Christmas #3. We had a wonderful time opening stockings and presents and spending time with everybody.

We also all posed for some family pictures, though I don't have the large group shot because that was using Grandpa L's camera. At least we got one of our family because whenever the girls need one for a school project, we never seem to have one!

The girls were super excited to get their American Girls dolls from the grandparents though they are having a very difficult time coming up with names.

We spent the next two days spending more quiet time with both families. Starshine even got a chance to show off her improving swimming skills at the pool. And luckily we got good weather for the drive home on Monday. The next few days will definitely be spend getting rid of old toys and trying to organize space for the new ones!

Thanks to everyone for a wonderful Christmas visit.

Christmas #2 - Grandma and Grandpa M's House

Thursday morning we were up and at 'em bright and early at 6AM. A wave of snow storms was coming through, so we wanted to be on the road between two of them. M&M Dad went out to shovel the first 5 inches while I organized the girls. The first couple of hours were sketchy, but then it switched over to rain and we made it in plenty of time for the girls to get to see their cousins.
Here is Jr. Princess soaking up some much loved cousin time:

There were lots of presents to open and the annual Granparents/Grandkids photo.

Starshine is in love with her new DS, and Jr. Princess is obsessed with her new Kid camera. I can't wait to put together a montage of blurry, weirdly cropped photos! And all the kids love running around Grandma and Grandpa M's new house. The next morning our girls got to try out extreme bubble baths in the gigantic bathtub:

It was a wonderful Christmas #2!

Christmas #1 - Our House

This year the festivities started at our house on the 23rd. We had a leisurely morning starting to pack for our upcoming trip to the grandparents. Then, we started on our family traditions:

1. Presents under the tree! Jr. Princess's favorite, by far, was her new mermaid tub toys. We didn't need a bath in the afternoon, so we set her up in the bathroom sink and she played in the bubbles for at least an hour!


2. Appetizers (mini tacos and cheese and crackers) followed by playing with presents and getting ready for a special dinner (fabulous steak, twice-baked potatoes, asparagus). M&M Dad tried a new balsamic vinegar and mushroom glaze which everyone loved. And the girls love that this day they get to drink sparking juice out of the champagne glasses and we all make toasts.

3. A drive to look at Christmas lights while eating cookies and drinking hot chocolate. (Yum!) The big snow storm had started but luckily the roads were still drivable.

4. Then the kids went to bed like angels because we had nicely asked Santa to come to our house early on the 24th so we could head out of town. I love the look of joy on their faces:

5. We tried tried a new recipe for Chrism as morning breakfast - monkey bread! It couldn't have been easier since it proofed on the counter the night before - and good thing because we had to get up and get moving to brave the snow storm on the way to Wisconsin. The girls loved it and we're all happy we have plenty of extra ingredients to make it again for New Years' weekend.

I love spending Christmas (or at least whatever day we deem as Christmas!) with the M&M Dad and the girls!

Like father like daughters

Last night was Starshine's turn to sleep in my bed as M&M Dad was out of town. And, like M&M Dad, she managed to steal the entire comforter during the night so I woke up shivering. Of course, I was too groggy to go get the camera to document the crime.

Well tonight was Jr. Princess's turn and she was not to be outdone. Before I even got to bed she has stolen all of the pillows (that is three under her head and two you can't see under her body). It's like M&M Dad is still here :)! Since it's still early, I couldn't resist sneaking in to take a picture...

This is a lesson in being greedy. If she had just left me one measly pillow I might have let her get away with it. But since she left me with no pillows I'm definitely going to have to upset her happy "Princess and the Pea" moment.

Girls Night

M&M Dad is off to New York for one last 2009 business trip. His original flight was cancelled due to the snow storm but he's trying a different itinerary to get there. Unfortunately the delay means he won't be able to squeeze in a visit with Uncle B like he had planned. Hopefully there won't be more snow preventing his return like some sort of "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" moment. So for the time being this has left us with some girl time.

We started by wrapping some more presents. This afternoon the girls wrapped each others present in plain newspaper so they could add their own creative touch. Starshine spent a good hour turning this present into a big piece of candy for Jr. Princess:

Then it was time for dinner. We have 2 traditions at our house when one parent is travelling. 1. The girls get a sleepover in our room (and I cross my fingers that neither is in a kicky or talky sleeping mood). and 2. they get to pick what's for dinner (within reason). Well Starshine knew about this trip in advance so she got her shopping list in early: Hamburger Helper... seriously. Now, our kids are the best most adventurous kid eaters I know. Starshine will usually tell people that her favorite dinner is salmon with fresh spinach and strawberries and she picks Hamburger Helper??? Ah well...

Oh and Jr. Princess wanted her picture taken at dinner too but she had to crouch down behind the counter because she has been hanging around all afternoon in just her underwear :). I'm cold just looking at her!

Boxes and Snow Fun

Everyone always says toddlers love boxes more than the actual presents. Well, apparently my girls still love boxes (though probably not as much as presents). When I got a package yesterday there was a chorus of "Mom, can we keep the box??????" Of course, they know to act quickly because I usually get it out to the recycling container pretty quick as a part of my never ending battle to prevent $%&*, uh, I mean clutter, from taking over our house.

But it's hard to resist when they have such fun turning it into a mask, and loved it so much they took turns wearing it while playing Old Maid.
Then today it finally warmed up a little to enjoy the snow. They were out crafting a fantastic fort with M&M Dad when I got the call for pink spray paint (red food coloring and water in a spray bottle).

Hopefully the smiles will last through the afternoon. I sent M&M Dad and the girls to the first public H1N1 vaccination clinic we have had available. (I got mine a few weeks ago - one of the few perks of being high risk). They are crossing their little fingers that they qualify for the nasal spray.

Obstacle Course and Frosting Fun

I forgot, last weekend, to post the pictures on the obstacle course. This is an invention of M&M Dad's when the kids are going stir crazy on a super cold day. (Notice Jr. Princess is not fazed by the chill in her tank top and no socks...)

It is always different, but often involves ball skills (this time golfing into a cup):

Intellectual breaks (this time spelling words from a scramble of puzzle letters):

And this time culminated in a spectacular finish involving crashing through a wall of pillows while carrying a football (modeled after a scene from Biggest Loser, one of the girls favorite shows):

It is a huge hit, and a nice distraction from the frigid cold.

This weekend, however, was a lot warmer (relatively speaking), so we got to do plenty of sledding outside. We also gave M&M Dad time to do some work by taking a girls' shopping and lunch trip that involved a stop at Michael's to get the necessary ingredients to frost our fabulous Christmas cookies...

(I think I need to hide the Halloween shirts, they keep messing up the Christmas-ness of my photos)

They may not be perfect, but they were decorated with love!