Lego Mania

Much to our surprise, Elizabeth asked for Legos for Christmas this year.  Lots and lots of Legos.  Lee and I thought that it would be a bust - that she would get all of these kits and then wouldn't be interested.  Boy, were we wrong.  She is completely and totally obsessed, so much so that Lee and I used some of our Christmas money to enroll the girls in a Lego Engineering course held after school (nerd alert!).  We've set up a Lego play area for them and are working on having them save their money for Lego kits.  Our next trip to NYC will most certainly include a visit to Lego Land!

All of the Lego Friends....

Building at their new Lego table. 

Lee placed an "ask" on freecycle and ended up getting a bonanza of free Lego blocks!! 

Again, to our surprise, they had no trouble getting to work even though they had no instruction manual to follow.

Playing. 

Various set ups in their room.

Cookies for Sale!!

Our Daisy (Emily) and our Brownie (Elizabeth) are selling Girl Scout Cookies.  Please let us know if you would like to place an order!  They are $4 a box and to our friends and family in New Hampshire, we do deliver!!!  All orders must be placed by the end of January.  Thanks!!!

2012 Year in Review

Although it takes up a lot of time, compiling this video is one of my favorite things to do.  I love to look back on our year and see all of the fun and interesting things that we were able to pack into a short twelve months.  The timing is also good for me, because I definitely have post-holiday blues - usually brought on by exhaustion from the stress, excitement and constant time in the car that each December brings - so having something upbeat to concentrate on is definitely a good thing.  I am so appreciative of all of the amazing people in our lives, the fun and excitement that we experience, and most of all, I am thankful for our remarkable little girls - who make us laugh, cry, yell, shout in delight, sigh in exasperation, and giggle with glee.  Lee and I know that our journey in this life would be far different if they were not part of lives and we are grateful that they come home safely to us each and every day.

As we reflect on all that was in 2012, we pray for peace and love in 2013 and hope that our little babies have every opportunity to grow and become the kind of human beings that change the world, in ways both great and small.

NYE 2012

As is our tradition, we spent New Year's Eve with Aunt Denise, eating, talking, playing, dancing to the Wii, and watching a movie.  It was such a wonderful and relaxing time.  Thanks Denise, for making the trip down!!!

With one of her favorite gifts, Elizabeth designed a very nice out for Aunt Denise to wear out on the town.

Heading out to grill. 

Watching Harry Potter.  And drinking wine.

Final Snow of the Year

A few days before the end of 2012, the most beautiful snow fell.  We got almost a foot of it on a quiet Saturday evening and it made everything look so gorgeous.

Christmas Odds and Ends

Here are more photos from our Christmas season:

Lovey, with all of Emily's other lambs.

Pretty in pink, Emily loves her new outfit and purse.

Vacation week was filled with craft making! 

New books for Christmas. 

All tuckered out. 

More crafts! 

And drawing. 

Flitter Fairies from Santa were a big hit! 

She loves her Baxter. 

Many new American Girl accessories to play with. 

So, we got a lot of movies..... 

One of Emily's favorite gifts was Shimmer Shine, which allows her to give everyone glitter tattoos.

Even Daddy couldn't escape.

The Wii........

As is often the case, Lee and I are a bit behind the times - intentionally so, in this case.  A few years ago, everyone we know was giving or getting the Wii for Christmas but we said no - the girls were too young and we did not like the idea of them playing video games.  Fast forward three years and watch me cave, pulling a reluctant Lee along with me.  The girls were so excited about it and truth be told, Lee and I are having a good time playing it as well.  We still are not allowing "true" video games, but we are having a lot of fun playing sports, I SPY games and dancing (it is quite horrifying, actually).  The girls are in heaven.

I love that Elizabeth is worried about the cost...cracks me up.

This is baseball, I think.  Or bowling.  Or sword fighting.

Just Dance.

 Horrifying, I tell ya.

Christmas Day

After opening presents, we spent the rest of Christmas Day hanging out with Grammy and Grandpa, playing with new toys and eating lots of great food.  It was the perfect way to spend the day.

New outfits for AG dolls Felicity and Elizabeth. 

Emily loves her new outfit.  Loves, loves, loves it!!! 

Christmas table. 

The whole family gathers in the kitchen when the prime rib comes out of the oven!

Christmas Morning

Every year, Lee and I think that we have experienced the best Christmas ever - and then the following year blows it out of the water.  And it happened again this year!  The girls were totally and completely excited about each and every present that they received, it was so great.  It was also so near to watch their excitement about gifts that they purchased for us and each other.  What a magical Christmas morning on Clover.

Santa was here!!! 

Starting with the stockings this year. 

I found a woman on Etsy who makes hair clips - just about anything and everything you can think of.  So we ordered some really cute ones for Emily and she loved them all! 

New earrings for her American Girl Doll, something she really wanted.

Love the excitement in these photos. 

Despite the fact that Mom and Dad do NOT like Monster High dolls, Santa basically ignored us and brought one for Elizabeth - many of the girls in her class play with them during recess and he must have felt that she was being left out.

LEGOS!!!
For my friend Janet - yes, other kids do get this excited about books!!!

Thanking Emily for her gift. 

Thank you Uncle Mike and Auntie Kelly (Daddy is shaking his head). 

Emily loves One Direction! 

After the chaos...