Sledding

I hate to admit that in Lilly's almost 4 years of life we have never taken her sledding. We have attempted some makeshift sledding here and there but nothing like the real thing. This year we had an amazing snowstorm it snowed 12 inches in 12 hours and so how could we resist the call to go out an play in this perfect winter play land. Getting dressed in our snow clothes was almost as fun as the sledding itself. We played for nearly an hour and Lilly was so brave. She went down all by herself and then climbed the hill with her sled in tow all by herself. After the first few times she even went down head first. She had no trouble keeping up with all of the older kids who were playing out there.

Kyle wasn't really sure about it. I took him down several times and he seemed to like it. He would smile and laugh and then I would ask him if he wanted to do it again and he'd quickly say no. About halfway through it started to get pretty windy which made it feel much colder than it really was. I think that this contributed to Kyle not having as much fun as he could have. He has a hard time regulating his body temperature and has poor circulation. The last 15 minutes he started screaming and crying inconsolably and I had to take him into a nearby business and warm him up. It still took him a good 10 minutes before he was warm enough to stop crying and then he fell asleep in my arms.

 Afterwards we headed inside and enjoyed some hot cocoa with whipped cream and sprinkles. A prefect end to our sledding adventure. Overall it was a great time had by all. I even got to get in there and play too. I only wish I would have bundled Kyle a little more so he would have enjoyed it more. We will definitely be adding sledding to our snow day musts!

Santa, Presents, and Love

Christmas morning Kyle was the first one up. He didn't really notice the presents at first we walked right past an into another room to keep him distracted until Lilly woke up. She slept in which is pretty unusual for her these days and at 8 am my impatience overtook me and I went to wake her up. She was not very happy that I didn't let her sleep longer, I think it was mostly because she wasn't feeling well, but when she walked downstairs and saw all of the presents under the tree all she could say was "WOW". At that moment I knew it was going to be a special morning.

We opened our stockings and then went to have some breakfast. This year I opted to make monkey bread. It was a huge hit. After breakfast we went to open the rest of the gifts. Lilly's energy was running out fast and about half way through she melted into a big lump on her daddy's lap. It was sad to see her feeling so icky on such a fun day. Waking up and having our family together with so many blessings under the tree and to see the smiles on our kids faces really helped us to understand the true meaning of Christmas and to feel the real spirit of the day.

When all you have has been lost or is gone and you suddenly feel yourself unsure of what's to come, you find yourself on your knees praying and not for what one might think. Our prayers were not for that of things that could be worn or played with, but more for what can be felt. When you are humbled to this point miracles can happen. We may never know why prayers are answered the way they are, but only thank Heavenly Father that they were answered at all. 2011 is a special Christmas we will not soon forget, but one that we will cherish for many years. We felt the spirit so much and such an
unconditional love. There is no present wrapped under a tree that can satisfy as much as that. Merry CHRISTmas all!

Getting ready for Christmas

Christmas was interesting this year. We were not at all where we thought we would be and because of circumstances we waited until the week of to get ready for in. The spirit of Christmas was with us more so than ever before. We weren't sure how everything was going to come together, but through dear friends and family and guardian angels we had an amazing Christmas filled with lots of love.

We spent the days leading up to Christmas baking, wrapping, and watching Christmas movies. Poor Lilly wasn't feeling to good though. 2 days before Christmas she wound up with a pretty bad ear infection. We spent a lot of time trying to nurse her back to health while in between trying to help her also get into the spirit of the holiday. We drank a lot of cocoa and snuggled tons.

We started a new tradition of baking a birthday cake for Jesus. We wanted to start while they are young to help them have a better understanding of why we celebrate Christmas. To help them understand that no matter how much or how little we may have our true gift is Jesus. I wasn't sure if Lilly would have an understanding but I didn't give her enough credit. She's a quick little cookie because a few days later she noticed that some had been eaten and asked who was eating it and when I told her Daddy had some she gasped and said "that was for JESUS!"

Also the classic tradition of the kids getting to open one special gift on Christmas eve and of course it was new pj's. The kids started pipping off their clothes and putting them on. It was pretty cute. After we got all set in our pj's we set out our cookies and milk for Santa and a special letter from Lilly, said our prayers and headed to bed.

Parade of lights

Looking for something fun to do to get into the holiday spirit we bundled up and braved the cold and headed out to downtown Marysville for their annual parade of lights. Besides being freezing cold the kids loved seeing all the fun lights and hearing the bands play their music. It lasted just long enough that the kids were able to sit through the whole thing, any longer though and they might have missed Santa at the end who ditched his sleigh and opted for a big red firetruck. Lilly said afterwards "that's so silly Santa's in a firetruck". Cinderella was also there with her fairy godmother in a lighted carriage Lilly thought is was pretty special and afterwards got the chance to meet Cinderella, but she was so awestruck she froze up and couldn't talk. I am sure she would have loved to say a lot to her, but just seeing her up close was pretty magical. Kyle really liked the dancers and the school bus that was all decked out in lights. It was a pretty great kick off to the holiday season.

BIT

The kids are always up to bake and love any chance they can get into the kitchen and get busy. Lilly has been baking with me pretty much since she could sit up and Kyle has been in there with us since he could sit in his bumbo seat. Baking is something I love and I truly enjoy sharing something I love with them. They have grown so much in the kitchen. Lilly can now crack eggs all by herself without getting egg shells in the batter and Kyle can now see into his bowl and can stir almost without a mess. It's getting more fun each time we get in there and is something our family can enjoy together. They are my little Bakers in Training.

 

 

 Mix it all together

  

"Pwease Willy"

Being silly

Lilly and Kyle have quite the personalities! They are 2 very different little people but they do have some commonalities. They both love to laugh and to make people laugh. I have tried to catch them a few times being silly on camera and just had to share because, well, they made me smile.

Giving thanks

Although 2011 has had many struggles we still have so much to be thankful for. Thanksgiving this year was a perfect representation of all of the things we have to give thanks for. The things that truly mean most...Family. In 2011 we were able to reconnect and introduce my sister, Elizabeth, and her husband, Chad. We were also able to spend time with Ziff's parents getting to know them better and giving our kids the opportunity to build their relationship with their grandparents.

There is no better way to celebrate than with family.We spent this year with Elizabeth and Chad at Chad's mom's house. We visited, watched football, played, and ate until our stomachs could fit no more. It was low key but so great! One of our best Thanksgivings yet! They just keep getting better and better!