Merry Christmas!

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve and Christmas! Both days were spent with family - starting Christmas Eve with Greg's birthday lunch at P.F. Chang's. Later, we dropped Merilyn off at Gramma's {It was a late night and we knew she wouldn't last!}, and headed to Jamie and Kurt's for a fabulous dinner, Guitar Hero, and lots of laughter!

Travis and Ross jam out to Guitar Hero! Ross is an old pro!

After dinner, we spent the night at my mom's. On Christmas morning Ali could hardly believe that Santa knew exactly what she wanted! Merilyn was more interested in the paper than what was in the paper, and half-way through the morning she was ready for a nap!

And to top it all off, it was a white Christmas! It was beautiful and the girls were so excited. It was a great time with family and loved ones.

Merry Christmas to you!

Sleep Over

Alison's best friend - and cousin - Natalie came to spend the night with her. They were very busy! They spread hundreds of books all over the upstairs, were chased by "monsters" {Daddy & Merilyn}, watched Frosty the Snowman, and made cookies for Santa. After their bath we read books and turned out the lights. {Although, I can still hear them in there whispering & giggling...} I am so thankful that Ali and NJ are so close... in age and location. They are lucky to have such a special relationship!

Another Performance

Alison had her dance class performance/open house today. We put red and green ribbons in her hair to get in the spirit! Both grandmas came to watch, and again, Merilyn wanted desperately to be a part of the show!

Christmas Program

Alison had her pre-school Christmas program last Thursday. All of the kids were adorable and they sang their little hearts out. Merilyn wanted to be a part of the whole performance... clapping, dancing, and singing along the whole time.

Christmas Cards

After we met Santa it was time to get started on our Christmas cards. TJ is going to pick up the pictures from Costco, and hopefully we'll be able to get them in the mail this week!

Meeting Santa

Yesterday we took the girls to see Santa. Merilyn could hardly wait to get to the big guy, but when it was actually her turn, she wanted nothing to do with him! She immediately started crying and trying to get away. We sat her down next to him, and that seemed to be okay. {She wasn't interested in smiling, however!}

Decorating the Tree

TJ and the girls got the tree this weekend and put it up in the front room. Tonight, the girls and I got out the ornaments and hung them up. Alison was thrilled to help this year. Merilyn tried to help... by pulling the ornaments off and causing her sister great anguish!

A Tough Job

TJ and I tried to get a Christmas card picture with the girls in their dresses. It was hard work! It was nearly impossible to get Merilyn interested in standing still - and smiling - at the same time. By the time we started getting giggles from her, Ali was done with the whole process. Maybe next year...

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are spending the holiday with family... We have so many blessings for which we are grateful!

House of Germs

Everyone in our home has the crud. I had a sore throat and stuffy nose, the girls are big snotty messes, and Travis hasn't moved from the couch. Today Travis was trying to explain to Alison why he wanted to go back to bed instead of playing... he told her {in a very graceful, profound way}, "Daddy feels like poopy. He probably looks like poopy, too." Ali gave him an exasperated look. "That's silly, Daddy. Poopy doesn't wear socks. And, poopy doesn't have a nose."

Happy Halloween!

Merilyn didn't quite get the whole trick-or-treating thing, but Alison was beside herself with excitement!!

Watch Out World!

Here she comes! Merilyn has been testing the waters and taking a few shaky steps here and there this month. However, this weekend she really took off...literally! She has her arms out for balance and walks with her bowed legs - it reminds me of what my dad used to say when Alison was learning to walk - "She looks like she just got off a very small horse"!

Weekend Retreat

This weekend I had the opportunity to go to the coast with my staff. It couldn't have come at a better time! Conferences were finally over and all that goes into preparing for them, so we were ready to relax and enjoy ourselves. I laughed harder than I have in a really long time! I love being able to call my co-workers my friends. I am so lucky to be a part of this group of people... and that my husband was willing to take on the girls by himself for two days!

Pumpkin Patch

Alison and her pre-school class took a trip to the Pumpkin Patch last Wednesday. Trav was supposed to be in his training class, so we arranged for Uncle Ross to go with her. At the last minute Trav's class was pushed back and he was also able to go. Lucky Ali! The weather was stormy, windy, and rainy for the first 20 minutes, but it cleared up and was sunny the rest of the day. Ali's favorite part was "Noah's Ark". {It was a little maze with a slide at the end.}

Go Beavers!

It was a sad, rainy day in Corvallis yesterday. The Beavers actually had a great first half, and were still up with 10 minutes left in the 4th quarter. So what happened? Holy fumbles, turn-overs... whatever!! We trudged back to the tailgate party and heard the final score "40-14, Bruins." However, I still love my OSU boys, {Although, Shari and I decided that we're going to spring for season baseball tickets!!} and it was still fun to spend time with good friends. Shari went with me, and we met Casey and Cori there. It was a nice break without kids for 4 very busy Mommies. So, in the end, it was a good day.

Weekend at Uncle Bobby's

We all piled in my mom's motorhome on Friday and headed up to my uncle's house on Whidbey Island. I left school right away, as we needed to get up to the ferry by 8:30 pm. Well, after fighting traffic and stopping for dinner, we made it at 8:23 pm. But, alas, we were told we had the first spot on the 10:00 pm ferry! Ugh! Natalie and Ali are in love with Uncle Bobby and his farm. They got to help him feed the animals and gather eggs from the chickens. He also has the greatest sand pile that can quickly turn into hours of fun! The "real reason" for the trip was to get all of the babies together. "Bingo, Bango, Bongo" as Uncle Bob calls them, were all born within months of each other. Maggie (March) and Johnna (June) had already met over the summer, but I was still pregnant with Merilyn. Little Meri tried to keep up with all of the big girls, but was always distracted by something she would find on the floor!

My Baby is One!

Merilyn Grace turned one on September 16th. It's so hard to believe that a year has gone by! She still seems like such a baby to me... at this age Ali had already been walking for 2 months!! It's such a poignant date for us because on September 16th, 2004 my dad passed away. Our family remembers him always - now with an extra special reminder - his little namesake. {Could she look any more like him??} We are so lucky to have this little girl in our lives.

First Day of PreSchool!

Ali has been waiting anxiously for this day to come... the first day of her 4-year-old preschool. She waved to the building every time we drove by this summer, and has been asking, "Is tomorrow the day for preschool?" She was an old pro... but still didn't want Daddy to go too far. {He got to stay for the first day.} Ali's class is a little lopsided, as there are only three girls and 11 boys! It doesn't seem to bother her much, in fact her best buddy in the class is Luke!

Sweet & Sassy

These show the true personalities of my girls. The pictures say it all...

Summer is Over!

I went back to work today. {Waaaah!} This was a great summer! It seemed to go by so fast... as they always do. I have to admit, it was actually fun to be back. I loved seeing my friends & getting caught up on their summers. And, of course I enjoy getting the classroom set up. Everything is so fresh, new, & clean! {Check back with me in October!!}

Edited: This is not my class. {Casey was worried that I might be mistaken for this lady!} This is a photo from April 1971. That seemed like a very good year.

Home Again

After stopping at the Carlsbad Outlet Mall & Starbucks {of course!} we began the long drive home on Wednesday. We drove all day & night & got home Thursday morning. The girls were great travelers! Alison was so excited to be home. She ran around the house - I think she checked every room - & then immediately dug into her toys. It’s always nice to be home after being gone so long, but it’s a sad reminder that I go back to work on Monday!

San Diego Zoo & the beach

The last two outings during our vacation were to the San Diego Zoo and a day at the beach. We enjoyed the zoo & were amazed at how huge it is! We took a tram over the park to see everything, and then hopped on the zoo bus for a guided tour. {Very interesting!} Our last full day in Oceanside was spent at the beach near our condo. After a moment of hesitation, Merilyn was fully engrossed with the sand. She had sand everywhere!

LegoLand

Another adventure... this time to LegoLand! It was another HOT day! The rides were a little slow for our girls {they have gotten used to fast roller coasters}, but everything that was built with Legos was amazing! A complete replica of Washington D.C. all in legos? Amazing!

Crawling and Shamu

Merilyn is finally crawling! Yea! It's not that I want her to grow up quickly - I definitely don't! However, by dragging herself everywhere she managed to get every outfit she owned completely filthy. I probably should've taken advantage of this and created an outfit for her made from mop material. That way when she "slithered" around she would be serving a purpose!! :)
Travis flew in Thursday! We missed him! SeaWorld was another stop on our journey around California. It was fun... and HOT! It was amazing how sunburned we all got - Even after 3 days in the sun at Disneyland!! The sun is different closer to the ocean - whew! {One of our stops on the way home was for “After-Sun” lotion.} Ali went on the ride “Atlantis.” It was a huge water ride - with a steep drop - that turned into a roller coaster. She was tall enough to ride it and was so excited to give it a go. {I think I was more nervous than she was.} She went on with Daddy and Uncle Greg and completely loved it and wanted to go again. {Is she really my daughter?!} So, Casey and I tagged along for a second ride. My throat is still sore from screaming through the whole freakin’ ride!

Disneyland

After returning from the coast, the girls and I hopped in Mom’s motorhome and left for California. We arrived late Sunday night, and hit Disneyland first thing Monday morning. Ali is an old pro now, so she had it all planned out... which rides she wanted to go on, and where we would go next... We took Merilyn on all of the rides that we could; including Small World and Dumbo... and even Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion! She LOVED it!! She cracked up and clapped the entire way through the rides. Daddy will be so proud!