Pre-Christmas...

We spent an incredible week in SD with our family celebrating all that is great about Christmas.  We would hate to celebrate Christmas without remembering how to open gifts, so we always give Quinn and Sullivan one practice round the night before we leave for SD. 

The first gifts of Christmas...

The following morning we packed up the car, and made the long (but worth it) trek across the country.  Tessa was in tow this year...

While it looks like she really enjoyed the trip and snuggled right in, looks can be very deceiving.  If we heard her whine once, we heard her whine 2,319 times.  We all know that it was just because she was as anxious to see everyone as we were!

More to come about our wonderful Christmas time with the family... 

until then Happy New Year, Everyone!

Cookie Maps...

Sullivan's class has recently been studying Indiana geography and landforms. 

As a culmination activity, the class got to make cookie maps shaped like Indiana, then decorated with the different regions, major cities, rivers, and landforms.  

I was able to help on Day 1 - where the kids got to shape their cookie dough into the state of Indiana.  Easier said than done!

The following day was decoration day, and although I wasn't able to help out, Sullivan saved her cookie (rather than eating it like everyone else) so that we could see her beautiful work!

Beautiful work it is - she did a wonderful job! It was such a fun way to learn the topic.  Sullivan most likely won't forget the regions and landforms of Indiana anytime soon!

Seeing her map made me reminisce.  Quinn did the same activity three years ago.  Check out her cookie map HERE.  

After looking at Quinn's work from a few years back, both girls instantly and proudly claimed, "Mine's better!"  So humble, they are!

Christopher...again.

Just when we think Christopher is getting the hang of being around our house, he throws us for a loop.  Christopher spent several days in the kitchen in this one particular spot...

Sullivan and I had a conversation about him, wondering why he wasn't moving.  We speculated that he was either tired, or hurt, or someone might have touched him and took away his magical abilities.  Sullivan chimed in... "I saw on YouTube that if you sprinkle the elf with cinnamon, he might get his magical powers back."

So.... out came the cinnamon!  Sullivan sprinkled his head and covered him in cinnamon, and wouldn't you know, Christopher moved later that afternoon.  Clearly the cinnamon was the trick!

Aside from that, he also spent a couple days reading books in Sullivan's bookcase...

Sullivan said she woke up at 4am and found Christopher was laying down, but when she woke up later in the morning and got up for the day, Christopher was staring at her.  That's one weird elf!

He also hung out in the hallway for the day...

He was taking his hand at photography in Quinn's room...

And most recently he was enjoying his most favorite sweet, sweet treat...

The days are dwindling and most likely we only have a few more Christopher sightings before the big day comes!  We can't wait to see what is next.

Holiday Band Concert...

This sweet one had her holiday band concert last night....

One would think that getting there a half an hour before the performance would yield you a decent (if not good) seat.  Apparently others beat us to the punch because we were unable to get a seat that actually faced the band.  So we hiked it over to the North 40 and sat behind the percussion section of the band.  Ideal?  Not really. But we were still there.  We still saw Quinn and listened to some pretty amazing music and really that's all that matters! 

Here was our view...

I asked a friend (who got there in time to yield a forward facing seat) to take a couple of pictures of the band for me.

If you like the game of Where's Waldo... look carefully and you will be able to find Ryan, Sullivan and myself in the background.  Quinn is just left of the conductor's left hand.

I was able to snap a picture of the BEST trumpet player as she was exiting the concert. 

The holiday music last night was SO well done and SO beyond impressive!!  

Way to go, Quinner.  We loved the performance!

Doing Something Wrong....

I am beginning to realize that in all the years that I have been buying Christmas presents for the girls I have been doing it all wrong! In year's past, I have secretly stashed the gifts away - always looking for just the right hiding spot.  The girls have been curious - asking questions, snooping around to try and find the gifts.

This year I took a new approach - admittedly out of laziness at first.  I took the gifts and piled them in plain sight in my closet.  At first in the original packaging - not worried about hiding labels, shop names, etc.  I have since condensed the gifts into less boxes. 

And wouldn't you know?! The girls could absolutely care LESS about the boxes and gifts in there.  Seldom do they make any comments or care to even snoop through them.

Lesson learned?!  Don't make things more difficult than they need to be!

This Year's Ornaments...

It's hard to believe that it's already that time of the year again. 

Here is this year's installment of ornaments...

Quinn

Quinn has a fierce obsession with llamas.  

I'm not sure how it started or why, but she is definitely all things llamas this year!  

Quinn also has an infinity for doodling and journaling.  

She loves, loves to find different doodles on the internet and add them to her journal!

Sullivan 

Sullivan has taken a liking for photography this year.  She loves to take my camera and snap pictures of just about anything and everything around the house.

Everyone that knows Sullivan knows that she loves herself a good craft project....painting, coloring, gluing, crafting, doodling.  You name it, she loves it!

Quinn & Sullivan

Countless, countless hours have been spent making different Perler bead creations over the past years.  I can't even begin to count how many hours they have spent on weekends, holidays, and summers working on these creations.  To commemorate this hobby of theirs, Quinn was kind enough to make a Perler bead ornament for the tree.

This ornament represents our family's trip to Disney this year and the many, many memories we made riding rides, seeing the sights and trading pins.

Picture Ornaments 

I say it every year, so it would be a shame to not do so this year, but holy cow, those girls have grown up so fast.  When and how did that happen?! It seems like yesterday that they were this little.

Family Picture Preview...

We received our family pictures back recently and I have to admit that they turned out pretty well.

Here's a preview...