Happy Valentine's Day

Elsa made this at home last week. I love her name in the corner! This was one of the rare times it was ELSA and not ASLE.


Elsa decorating cookies.


More cookies. Mmmm!


Last weekend we had fun on the snowmobiles at Grandma and Grandpa's house. The kids took a ride on the sleigh through the woods and had a blast.






The girls love to play hide and seek. "Ready or not, here WE come!" They never grow tired of it. Here they are just after I found them hiding in the closet.


When they're not running around trying to "seek" me, they cuddle on the couch and watch DVDs.


Elsa took her pillow and my new leopard print Snuggie and made herself a bed on the chair. Ahh, winter.



Quiz time.

Which looks better? The dreary winter wasteland that is our front yard...


OR


Clearwater, Florida?


I'll be going there with 4 of my girlfriends in the beginning of March! CAN'T WAIT.

Sledding and stuff

A few days ago we headed to the Stacy Lions Park to go sledding. A decent sized hill with lots of room and a playground to boot.

The kids had fun on the playground equipment; they really miss going to the park everyday.


Lila June, arctic explorer.


Elsa wanted to go down the hill by herself. It's hard to tell how big the hill is from the photo, but it was pretty steep for a first solo mission.


We went on a Thursday morning so nobody else was there.


Tim thought it was a good idea to slide down this ice jump. I was all, "Tim! Be careful!" Well? Look how huge he is on that sled! I think he did a 360 or something. Boys.


Lila had fun too, but ended up getting a lot of snow in her face.


Today they had fun in the snow fort Tim made.



Lila's latest thing is to say "yeah", but she says it like "WAYah". She's also into asking "Why?" all the time. I wonder who she got that from? Here's a conversation I overheard yesterday between Elsa and Lila:

Lila (looking at Elsa's foot): Band-aid. Dora. Why?
Elsa: Cuz I got a owie.
Lila: Owie. Why?
Elsa: Cuz I fell down and got hurt.
Lila: Got hurt. Why?
Elsa. Cuz I just did, okay?!

I had to laugh. Now she knows how I feel!

Hiding under the covers. The kids looove it. "Hide me under the covers!" is all we hear. It's even more fun with the flashlights they got for Christmas.


Hiding in the closet is fun, too. This one of Lila is a little scary if you ask me.


Look at those dimps! I must kiss those cheeks a thousand times a day.


Elsa has recently started telling us we need a bigger house. I'm not sure where she got that from! I know she loves sharing a room with Lila because it sounds like a party in there every night after I tuck them in. I'll go in and find piles of books in Lila's crib, toys all over, etc. At first I was afraid of them sharing, but it's working out pretty well. Elsa still likes school, and we just signed her up for preschool for next year. Lila will be in a class next year, too. They're totally in school already! How did this happen so fast?

Well, I don't know what to tell ya. It's still winter and we're still inside most of the time. Elsa's preschool is Mondays and Wednesdays. Within the past couple weeks she's become friends with a girl in her class. It's her very first friend that she's made on her own. Up until now she's played near other kids, but not really with them. Last week she actually asked the girl to play, saying, "You hide, and I will play seek!"

They come out of gym class holding hands! So cute.


Elsa throwing a ball at my face. That's always a good time.


Lila being her usual charming self.


For awhile they were hooked on morning cartoons, but lately they go straight for the books. I can't believe how many Elsa has memorized.


Tim and Lila. Awwww. This precious photo was probably taken just before she smacked him in the face or jumped on his stomach. That's how she rolls. Beware the baby!


This is what winter does to you. Last weekend I watched a football game, in its entirety. We all did. It was before the kids bedtime, so we ate popcorn and made it a family event. Then tonight, I made popcorn again (which is something the kids don't usually have). When it was ready, I gave Elsa her bowl and she looked at me warily and said,"Now do we have to watch the Vikings again?"

One night we were eating peas and pizza. Elsa of course wasn't touching her peas, and asked for more pizza. I said,"More peas-za? You want more PEAS-za?!"
She looked at me and laughed like I was super lame and said,"Are you trying to be funny or something?"

Every morning Lila runs to the kitchen, puts her finger on the chair and says,"I want mo ba-na-na, right there!" She probably eats 2 bananas a day.
In the middle of the night I'm frequently awoken by,"More water, mommy! Fill it up! Right now!"
She's still talking and singing like a maniac, and hollers,"Hi guy!" to random guys. I really need to be writing down more of what she says.

Out of the House

Today was one of those rare winter days. If you were outside moving at all, it was HOT. We took the kids and our winter gear and headed to my parents house. We made a snowman and took the sleds down the hill. It got a little too close to nap time so they only lasted - 30 mins? - but we had a great time.

Lila was happy to get her mittens off and into the snow. See her red nose? She smoked it falling off the rocking chair. She's a daredevil. The other day she was purposely jumping and falling on her butt onto the hard wood floor. She looked surprised when it hurt. Really? Kid, that's a hard floor. When will you learn?


Elsa and Grandpa E.




On Saturday Elsa got to go see Elmo Live at the Target Center. I stayed home with Lila and she wanted to take a bubble bath. She thought it was fun to have 1 on 1 time with mom, but kept saying,"Essa, awe you? Sisso, awe you?" Awww!


Awhile ago, during the long cold snap we had, we took the kids to the MOA to Underwater Adventures. We had to walk through Nickelodeon Universe to get there and just couldn't resist buying some tickets for the rides. If kids are too short for the rides, parents need to ride with, and then the parent rides for FREE. Major score because I love rides, even if they are kiddie ones.

Elsa and D on the balloon ride.


Lila on one of those coin-operated mall rides while Elsa and I went on the giant swings.


Look at Elsa's face. She loved this huge sea turtle, but when Tim got close to it she was so afraid for him!






Checking out the Brine Shrimp, a.k.a. Sea Monkeys.


You could touch anything in these shallow pools, but only with one finger. Elsa was very careful to follow the rules, and decided the starfish were her favorite of everything we saw.


Getting out of the house brings out the best in everyone. Elsa kept hugging us and saying,"You're the best mommy and daddy in the whole world!" Winter is getting very long already.

Here's a quick one...

Check out this cool Wizard of Oz pop-up book that Elsa got from my cousin Kelly! It's especially special because we (the 4 cousins) used to watch The Wizard of Oz all the time at our Grandparent's house. I've seen that movie more times than any other. Anyway, this is just a quick shot I took of the Emerald City. Glasses were included to enhance it's emeraldness. You should see the other pages; they're super detailed and awesome. Needless to say we never look at it when Lila is around.


Stepping into the living room one day, I encountered this. Lila just hangin' out, looking like she tripped over a stuffed animal and was too tired to get back up. This morning after she burped, she said,"I puked. I puke every day... and... I fall down." Yep.


On Monday at preschool I told Elsa we had to write her name on her art project. She grabbed the marker and said,"I'll do it!" This is what she wrote:
(See? A S L E)


Then she tried another one. S L A E


She doesn't get that they have to go in order yet, and we have to work on the S, but hey, I was impressed. Not bad for a first time. Honestly, I hope it takes her awhile to figure out. These first imperfect scrawlings are just too cute.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

A couple weekends ago we got out the dress up clothes.


Elsa liked wearing her dress for quite awhile, but Lila..."A geet OUT!"


Last weekend we had a Christmas celebration with the Williams' (Mom's) side of the family. Good times! Here are a few photos.
Elsa clowns around under the bar, Lila plays golf.


Lila had a blast eating DQ ice cream cake with cousin Kelly.


Lila gleefully practices her jumping with Aunt Connie.


Elsa: America's Next Top Model pose, number 25. Lila: The ANTM pose again? Really?


Tim spent his entire holiday vacation rearranging the basement. It's a pretty big deal. We condensed/threw a lot of our old stuff. A perfect way to ring in the New Year. Behold, our new basement living room hang out. New couch courtesy the Wyoming Thrift Store. I tell ya, that place is the best. If anyone ever feels like time traveling from 2010 to 1972, just come on over.