We have survived the holiday rush!!!

I can't believe Christmas has come and gone. My girls were soooo into the lights this year it was heart warming. The first time I plugged in a set of lights to see if they worked Hadley came over and goes wow Mama that's beautiful...I knew it was going to be a good holiday!! All car rides consisted of sissy's side, my side, mama why isn't it dark??! LIGHTS!!!!
So appropriately so we went to the festival of lights, man was it cold! But here's daddy, always so proud pushing his two snow bunnies around.



Gwenyth could see I promise she's just lopsided in this pic!

We got to see Santa and his reindeer resting for the big day. Hadley was so good at it, "hi Santa, bicycle for me? Bicycle? Merry Christmas!" It was too precious and yes she did get her bicycle along with a thousand other things :)

If you can't tell the next pictures were on my cell phone so they are a little distorted, but you can get the hint. Two very bundled children...

This one almost made me cry, Gweny can sit at the big girl table now and eat her meals, how did that happen so fast?



Lastly, Hadley is crazy. That's all I can say here...

Girls

Gweny is such a little helper, and her relationship with her Grandpa Elling is too sweet. She worships the ground he walks on, won't let him leave a room and especially won't let him hold other babies (Mason).

This is her explaining what papa should be doing...

Lastly handing him what he needs...

Great Grandma Lucy cannot get enough of these girls and Hadley asks about Lucy all the time!

Classic Hadley, picking her nose?!?!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY HUSBAND!!

Can you believe it????? Mark turns 30 today. I was going to do 30 things I love about him but well I just don't have enough time :) Plus thirty just isn't enough, wink wink!!



I love you so much baby! Hope you enjoy your special day which started with Hadley singing happy birthday to him!!!!! And Gweny was so excited to see him she woke up at 5 AM screaming!!! This pic was taken in Chicago this past weekend on our regular Chicago trip.




So much has changed around our house. Gweny started walking really well about a month ago and will NOT sit still. This is one of her first days walking and she was already multi tasking hahahaha....



She's also trying to be just like her big sissy and very entertained by the potty!!



Lastly, this big girl woke up on Thanksgiving and decided she didn't want diapers anymore?!?!?!?! So needless to say she is on her way with being a grown up. A few accidents (particularly number two) but she's sleeping without a diaper and doing really really well!! (Thanks mom and dad :) )

We're Back

Over the holiday Mark and I were fortunate enough to get away, and spend some quality time together with my sister and Doug. Kid Free was our theme song. We spent 7 days in sunny Cancun. Highlights of the trip included riding atv's through the jungle and going to sink holes, visiting the Myan ruins, snorkeling, me contracting a "parasite" (not really went to the doc, blood work was fine bites are going away), Mark falling off a pool chair, Jessica having a baby "just five months ago," and blue margarittas (way too many on Thursday morning). It was just what the doctor ordered. The resort was gorgeous and very wide open...

Comfy couches with great views...

A quick rain, which we spent in the pool left us with a beautiful rainbow.

A sinkhole we stopped at. Didn't swim in this one, it was the day after the jungle adventure and we all had our fill.



Lastly the ruins....It's actually huge, those of you that don't know that we were just really far away.

Good Times with Great People...

This day was also filled with atv rides through the literal jungle to get to these sink holes. Last hole we jumped 30 feet down- hence Doug's Mark. Cave area was 15 foot jump with swing, hammock, and zip line. These pictures speak for themselves : )

First Trick or Treat

Because everything is weird and different back home, we had an early trick or treat at the campground. We had to bribe Hadley to get ready for it because I woke her up in the middle of a MUCH needed nap. She is obsessed with Horseys because of the Merry-go-round at the zoo...so luckily my co-worker had a horsey costume for us to borrow. TOOOOOO sweet. Yes, she is eating a brownie....we had to BRIBE her.

So we left my parents house with this costume on Hadley....it was over 90 degrees outside.

Mae was a butterfly, a beautiful butterfly.

Being a big helper, she wanted so badly to get Gweny around as Foofa....

This was the outfit we settled on, a princess. A princess who had never really trick or treated and like always could NOT focus. Getting behind non-stop.

Hadley decided to help her self to the baskets. Too sweet and sometimes embarassing....one was just not enough for the princess...

The heat got to the girls. Not even an hour later and everyone was in the wagon completely exhausted...or costume-less (Gweny)

My Godson, Mason, was a future Buckeye football player that slept through the entire experience!

My other Godson, Evan, or Woody was SPENT....red cheeked and TIRED!!!

I forced the kids for a group shot...Luigi is Stacy's nephew, Corbin.

Then I attempted to get Gweny in the shot which didn't really work because she had no ability to focus- seems to be a theme for my children :)

Overall it was a great day, trick or treating in the heat is definitely different.

Gweny Loo Loo

This girl is in her own world right now. Just learning, developing, and exploring. She is always changing. It's sometimes frightening how quickly this is happening. She is so amazing. Apparently she has a fascination with slides....this one at Grandpa and Grandma's is really high. Hadley just figured it out this year....Gweny, well she just decided she would go ahead and climb up all by herself :)

She is so grown up.....

She is the champion of getting into a pickle. Obsessed with bouncey seats no matter what or sometimes who is in them. She started whining at my parents and when I found her this was what she was doing...

Some people got the accident picture on their cell phones, but a few weeks ago we were on a wagon ride which Gweny decided to stand up on. Followed by me slamming into a bump and her FLYING forward smashing her forehead. The black eye came a few days later and stayed for well over two weeks. A little girl with a black eye....did I get my tomboy?!?!?!?!?

Great shots of the eye and what we deal with at dinner every night...

Gweny has started walking...two weeks ago she took her first steps and now she takes them when it's convenient for her. More frequent everyday and soon she will be a cruising toddler.

Choo-choo, Ding-ding

That's how Hadley described our train ride in Lebanon that went to a local pumpkin patch that was on a farm with animals for the kids to pet. Out of no where my girlfriend, Kelly, said she wanted to go and she would help with the girlies!!! It was a chilly morning so the girls were bundled up, boarded and ready to go!!!


So curious about what's to come!



Gweny, well she was clueless but sure is cute!

It was chilly so I tried the hat, it lasted about a minute!

Kelly is so darn good with kids. She took Hadley out to the open car which was pretty cool.

Gweny liked the wind.

This is my one and only attempt at a group shot. The girls just never cooperate...

Hadley was watching the scenary with another girl who just became a big sister a few weeks ago.

Because they saw suckers like us coming a mile away they had popcorn on the train so of course, we had popcorn :)

After the 45 minute ride we arrived at the farm. Hadley was beside herself. Barely ever standing still...I love this shot.

She is seconds away from a complete freak out as one almost licks her!!!!

A group shot....cows and all!

He's moving in for the kill....

And no more cow pictures because we were OUTTA there!

Next were the roosters. The cows shook Hadley up so Kelly had to take her up to them.

The donkey's were nuts for food.....

The goats were the perfect size.

And surprisingly Hadley couldn't get enough of the horsey. I wanted this next shot sooo bad but that was not what Gweny had in mind....MELT DOWN city.

They had tons of pumpkins lined up around their home....Hadley was in heaven.

It's like where's waldo with Hadley and Gweny

It was like they set up photo shots for us!!

She's growing up right in front of me, but when did she get this big? Did I turn away, no I was along her side for the past two and a half years but now there's a talking, walking, smart toddler.

Always so curious...

Kelly taking a good shot with Gweny...

Attempting to recreate the posed picture of Hadley's...without success

I can't wait till we get out of the "I hate grass phase."

Always in their own worlds.

Per Hadley's request she got a pumpkin cookie. The black dye they use to stamp the face on resulted in QUITE a mess!!

After two hours at the farm, we picked out our pumpkin then boarded the train again!

To say my children are worn out at this point it an understatement.

Hadley slept the whole way home then decided to stay awake?!??!?! Gweny took a three hour nap. This was such a fun littl trip for the girlies, already thinking about doing it again for a NEW adventure.....maybe curious george this summer!!!!!!!!!