Portable North Pole

This is sort of a boring post---that was your warning!

Every year, Santa sends the girls their own personalized message telling them he's been watching and he knows exactly what's on their "Santa" list. Here are the messages from this year......

Sidney: http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/watch/5AwpdvFJIBToyraM1cySSQ


Regan: http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/watch/g0uMSMHDjITvoXPW_lG7Hg

And the stockings were hung...

well, not really. We took them down today so we could have a fire instead :) The girls thought it was super fun to watch as dad lit the wood and the crackling began.

Regan's become such a young girl these days. She smiles without opening her mouth (because maybe that's just not cool anymore?) and when we do something that isn't so cool, she politely says "mom {long pause}, stop".

4 going on 14 right!?

Hey Santa!

This morning we headed to the mall to give the girls an opportunity to tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas. We spent all morning rehearsing what it was they would say as well as talking about just how nice of a guy that Santa Clause is. Sidney would walk around telling us he's nice, and not scary, and that she was going to sit on his lap. Well, we got a bit closer to our turn in line and then she decided that maybe she would just stand next to Regan (who also made it clear that she was NOT going to sit on his lap!). Surprising to us, this is how well Regan did.....

...but where was that brave Sidney?? Clinging to me for dear life! Just check out that vice grip she has on my arm. Poor kid was scared beyond words. I wasn't about to repeat last year's episode of her screaming her head off when the picture was snapped; one of those pictures is enough!

Don't fret, Regan told Santa to bring Sidney a baby doll and she gave the slightest head nod to the jolly-old-fella to show her approval. Maybe next year we'll get a picture with both of them.

Snowstorm

It snowed today...a lot. We have a snow thrower, it's not a snow blower. What is the difference? Well, it's the ability to handle a little versus a lot of snow. Ours can only handle a little. and on a typical snowfall, that's all we need. Not today; not 16+ inches of snow! Ryan went outside to "throw" the snow more than once. He finally came in and said "I just don't know where to put it anymore!", which is sort of the way I feel with all the girls clothes and toys!

He had to put all his might into pushing the thrower just so it would move.

Throughout the day, I took pictures of our figurines, here's the progression as they finally became buried:

Going...

Going....

Gone!!

With Maddi living just down the street and Logan spending the weekend with her, it was great that they could make the 2 minute trek to join us for a fun (warm) evening indoors!

Baking in the blizzard

Everyone in Minnesota knows that it's cold and snowy outside....

but it's warm and cozy in this house and now it smells super yummy!

Disney on Ice....Round 2

Remember that St. Nick gift?, the tickets to see Disney on Ice? Tonight was the big night :) And I got the honors to take Miss Regan. What a great time she had!!

Regan has me wrapped around her finger just as much as she does Ryan. I knew we'd be coming home with some plastic-light-up-overly-expensive toy. And that we did.

These guys were my favorite: the Peter Pan crew.
Believing in make believe.

So much for ice, they were flying!

Our hosts: Mickey, Minnie and the gang

Regan will tell you Goofy was her favorite. He got a lot of laughs because he just couldn't manage to stand on the ice and was falling down (on purpose) constantly :)

In all honesty, I did prefer the "Princess" Disney ice show that we went to last year. Maybe it was the fact that Regan wasn't familiar with 3 out of the 4 movies at this particular ice show. Bottom line, Regan didn't seem to mind (much); she did get a little bored a couple of times, but she didn't let that stop her from having a wonderful time! She came bouncing through the door tonight to tell daddy all about our wonderful date!

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

We, along with many others who grew up in the small town of New Ulm, celebrate St. Nicholas' day (use google if you're not familiar with the man). The girls don't really know, or care for that matter, who that man is, they just like to see their stockings filled with treats before Christmas day! We explain it to them that St. Nick helps Santa in keeping a watchful eye on them :) Anyway, so he stopped by and brought some fun toys including barbies for the bath tub, slinkies, treats and the big prize for Regan.....tickets to see Disney on Ice later in the week! She's overly excited especially after we watched a clip online. Can't wait :)

Como winter display (in pictures)

Sledding!!

We received about a half of a foot yesterday and overnight of white, fluffy, perfect for sledding kind of snow! This summer, I complained about the hills I encountered in every direction when leaving for a walk, run, or bike ride. Well those hills are GREAT when it comes time to sled. We don't even need to leave our property as Ryan said this morning "I knew this driveway would be good for something"! One of us stands at the top to give a push and the other stands at the bottom to watch for cars and the girls have a great time on the ride!

At four years old, Regan has turned into my right hand gal, providing me with some breaks of the daunting task of 'pulling'.

And thanks to grandma Sheri, the outside of our house is decorated for the holidays!

Thank you!

Winter dance show

Tonight was the winter show for Regan's dance class. Winter won out as all 4 grandparents were stranded at home unable to make the trip to see this cutie perform in her 3rd dance recital. That, I might add, was a good decision, seeing as though I found myself meandering through all 3 southbound lanes of my drive home :) Don't worry mom, all was good.

Regan did a spectacular job at her show and we couldn't be more proud of her!

Flowers for the star!

Click on the links below to watch her dance!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpnZEr5AkIg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDESviTD-ow

blogger isn't being very user friendly; I can't get the videos to link up, so I'm hopeful this will work instead.

Flashback Friday

Apparently my girls have a thing about putting socks and security blankets into their mouths....

Regan 12/06

~10 months old

Sidney 11/10

~2 years old

Hugs!

Some days we all just need a hug, and getting one from

either of these cuties sure brightens my day.

Trimming the tree

After years of practice, Regan is becoming a professional at helping me decorate our Christmas tree. Last year, there were a few ornaments broken; this year, we made it to the very last ornament before she dropped it on the hardwood and it broke. Poor girl, she really felt horribly. I don't make it easy seeing as though we only use German glass ornaments on our tree, I can't give her the "non breakables" because there are none!

Sidney planted herself right in front of the tree to play as Regan and I tried to decorate. So not only did we have to be careful not to drop an ornament, we had to be extra careful not to trip over the pint-sized 2 year old who was oblivious about where she was playing!

The end result!

It was simply adorable to listen as they chatted about the tree and Regan gushed over her work. She spotted the pickle hidden deep in the thick of the tree and pointed it out to daddy as soon as he got home tonight.

Regan has her very own tree as well; she decorated this one entirely on her own and keeps it lit in her room as she drifts to sleep.

Welcome Christmas season!

Retrieve

re·trieve/riˈtrēv/

Verb: Get (something) back; regain possession of

Today was a big lesson in the above.

You see, while dad tried to get a head start on the work week and spent the day at the office, Sidney decided to throw me a curve ball. While already quite sleep deprived from her rough night, she challenged me further. It went something like this....

Sidney climbed up on the toilet seat (lid closed) to grab her toothbrush while I stood next to her and fixed Regan's hair. She accidentally dropped her toothbrush (can you sense where this is going?), and it somehow managed to slide between the lid/bowl and into the toilet water.

Gross.

I quickly looked inside to find that the bulk of the brush was already well down the hole of the toilet. I didn't have time to think; I stuck my hand in the toilet water in an attempt to retrieve said toothbrush.

That didn't work the way I had intended. Instead, I pushed it FURTHER down the black hole.

Double gross.

Regan looked at me and said "that's disgusting mom!". Yep, but I went in for another round and this time, successfully retrieved toilet-water-saturated toothbrush and disposed of it quickly in the garbage.

Sidney cried.

She thought I was going to give her the Elmo toothbrush to use!!

Parade of Lights

Despite the temps, we took in the Parade of Lights tonight with all of the grandparents, my feet were utterly freezing but the girls loved the music, lights and of course, seeing Santa! I'd like Grandpa to bring his truck next year so we can load chairs into the bed and watch from there :) It truly is a festive experience and something the girls really enjoy watching. Something tells me they enjoy the parade just as much as spending extra time with their grandmas and grandpas.

Happy Thanksgiving

Here's hoping everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! These two cuties had their fill of turkey, ham, stuffing, pie and everything in between :) I'm hopeful they'll sleep well tonight.

Thankful for....

On Thanksgiving, we are so very thankful for the ones we love. Where would anyone be without the love and support of friends and family? So today we think about those that make our life brighter....

Last night Ryan was able to have a "few more" drinks

with Paul before he heads back home to Germany.

We will miss you Paul and are thankful we got to see you this month!

I cannot begin to say how thankful I am for the best friend a gal could ask for. Kari and I spend countless hours, at all ends of the day, in conversation. My day doesn't officially begin until I hear from her and it cannot officially end until we say goodnight! I have a terribly heavy heart for her this Thanksgiving as we lifted her wonderful father into heaven this week.

We are thankful for these two sweet angels that love each other more than anything. Sidney's arms-wrapped-tight-around-my-neck-hugs are top notch and make my heart melt instantly. Regan's belly laugh can get me rolling along side her and forget about all my troubles.

And it goes without saying that we are thankful for our parents on this Thanksgiving. Without their wonderful expertise, help, support and love, we would be completely lost.

Wishing you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Eve and Grandma Jan's birthday

We've been hit by another ice/snow storm. Depending where you are in the state, you got one or the other or a mix of the two. The girls went outside tonight to help grandma Jan shovel.....they weren't much help :)

Apparently this is what you do when you don't have a sled on hand, use the shovel instead! The girls laughed hysterically and grandma Jan seemed to think it was pretty fun too.

And after all that shoveling, or sledding, it was time to warm up inside, eat cake and celebrate grandma's birthday! Hope you had a HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!

Flashback Friday

This week we will celebrate my mom's birthday; don't worry mom, there's no embarrassing surprise party planned like there was in 2007 :) Enjoy this flashback Friday and have a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Friends from a far

One of Ryan's closest friends, Paul, left for Germany years ago; and we've missed him dearly ever since. While he and his family are in town on vacation, we were fortunate enough to have them over for dinner.

Ryan and Paul

Me/Sid and Renata

And of course, the stars of the show, Regan, Niklas and Sidney having a great playdate!

This November, I'm thankful for wonderful friends!