Windy Winter Days

Yesterday was cold and windy. We ventured out to one of our favorite parks to feed the ducks and play. While there, we ran into Madeline's old preschool teacher and her two girls. They were kind enough to invite us over for more playtime and hot chocolate. It turns out they only live a couple of blocks from us. Perfect.

Playing in the Rain on Christmas Day

We decided we wouldn't let the rain dampen our Christmas, so out into the yard we went to try out roller skates, scooters, and bocce (Madeline says "hibachi") balls.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all our friends and family! Here are some pictures from this morning. Some of the big items this year were a scooter and roller skates for Maddie, and a tricycle and a baby highchair for Sophie. Unfortunately, it's raining today, so our kids had to try out their new toys in the kitchen rather than the backyard. Both girls also got new dolls, doll clothes, lots of books, etc, etc, etc. . . .

Watching the rain on Christmas Day.  I guess you can't have sunshine all the time!

Christmas Eve

What do crazy moms do on the day before Christmas? They take their two overly excited children to the mall and brave the crowds for holiday portraits.

Below is the best picture I could get of both girls together in their holiday dresses. The professionals at the Picture People didn't do much better, but they did get some really nice pictures of the girls individually.

We spent the evening baking cookies and tracking Santa on the computer. I had to set the laptop up for Maddie in her bed because she came out of her room about a million times to ask us how close he was. Once the kids were asleep, we ate shrimp, drank champagne, watched Christmas Vacation, and played Santa.  

Christmas Time at the Zoo

Today, we ventured to the LA Zoo with Carrie and Milo. We didn't see too many animals, but we did see Santa!!! We also saw real reindeer and made some cute antlers.



Isn't my Maddie so smart? At the least minute, she grabbed her toy catalogue, circled the things she wanted, and brought that for Santa. She is one smart cookie. And isn't Sophie the sweetest? She is obviously not happy with Santa, but she's holding it together for her Momma.

Vacation!!

I am done with work for the next three weeks which gives me plenty of time to do the things I like best: spend time with my girls, spend time with my friends, and update my blog. Yesterday, we joined our friends Natalie, Andrew, and Alexis for an afternoon at the park. Madeline was having an "off" day, so most of the pictures are of Sophie. She did, however, cheer up in the afternoon when we baked chocolate chip cookies. Madeline declared the cookies "damn good." So, for Christmas this year, Mommy would like Santa to clean up Daddy's potty-mouth, please.

This Little Light of Mine

I left work early on Thursday to attend Madeline's holiday program. Each grade level sang a song or two to a standing room only packed auditorium. Madeline had the important job of leading the 80+ kindergartners onto the stage, as shown above. In  the picture below, she is on the top row far right, and pretty stinking adorable, if I do say so myself.

Holiday Program

Leroy

                                              March 1997-November 2008

This past weekend, we lost our beloved pet, Leroy. He was a good dog and a good companion, and we all loved him very much. He was with us for twelve years, as a member of our family and a huge part of our lives.  Although he is no longer here in body, he will continue to live in our hearts, spirits, and memories. Rest in Peace.

Madeline's Award

Last Friday, Kent, Sophie, and I spent the morning at Madeline's school where she was getting recognized at an assembly with an award for "Academic Achievement in Reading and Math." Each month, three students in each class are recognized for either academics, citizenship, or improvement. We knew she was getting an award, but we didn't know which category. We were so proud of her.  In the picture below, the principal had just called her name.

Below, Madeline poses for a picture with the other Kindergarten awardees. Oh, and I got one of those really obnoxious bumper stickers about my kid being a super star at such and such school, you know the ones.  

Madeline really loves school. Even after a full day, she is a bundle of energy. Her first report card read "makes many creative oral contributions . . . enthusiastic learner . . . creative thinker" which sounds just like my Maddie. She received her highest marks in speaking, again, sounds just like my Maddie.

Sophie Eating Ice-cream

The Great Outdoors

Although the Pacific Northwest was cool and rainy, it was a welcome change for me.  It was great to be able to don winter coats, hats, and mittens, and enjoy some brisk air.

Even Dixie's run was a happy place to play:

The Interpretive Center, Ocean Shores

Since the weather was less than sunny most days of our trip, we spent one morning at Ocean Shores' Interpretive center, aka nature center. However, when we arrived we found the center still closed. Just look at Sophie's disappointment:

We drove around looking for deer for thirty minutes, and just check out the change in Sophie's mood: