Sledding

Well, today is the first day back on our normal routine. Hannah got to school, Sadie is down for a nap, and now I'm having a golden hour of silence. The house is a wreck, and I should probably be cleaning like a good little "home maker"...but I'm much too in love with my new laptop! This is a pic that Chad took last week when we were finally able to sled down the backyard hill. The snow had been much too deep up until recently. It started to melt away, then we got another dumping of about 2 inches...which made for perfect sledding. We had fun :)

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Today is the first day of 2010, and we have had a lazy post- Christmas week. Chad has been home since Christmas eve...and I'm not sure if I remember the 4 of us ever being in the house together for over a week straight. It has been SO nice having him home all week, and I think I'm officially spoiled rotten.
We had a wonderful Christmas! It was different this year in that it was the first year we didn't go to VA. Beach for the Holidays. But I have to say, it has been one of my favorite Christmas'. I decorated the entire house (even got my crafty bug on), PREPARED MEALS ( i know, i shocked myself too), played in the snow (all 20 inches of it!), and had a blast watching the girls open thier gifts of Christmas morning! Hannah is the perfect age for the whole Santa phenomenon and we had so much fun doing all of our Santa traditions. And her face when she saw all the gifts under the tree was just precious. She was amazed!! Definately one of my favorite things about being a parent.
I also can't think of a time when we've had a white Christmas AND a white New Year's before. All this snow has been a lot of fun. The only thing that stunk was that the "Blizzard of 2009" foiled our plans to head to South Boston to see Chad's family. But luckily, I got to spend time with all my local family.... and my parents and Erin& Matt came up here. It was nice having my parents here for Christmas dinner....not to mention, it was like a 2nd Christmas for the girls when they got here.
Yes, all in all...2009 shaped up quite nicely. And I only hope that 2010 will bring even more peace & happiness to my family. I truly do not have much to wish for. I'm a lucky woman. I may not have everything I want, but I'm so blessed to have everything I need. I hope that 2010 brings you all health and happiness. Love to you all!
Joe & Charlotte, we can't wait to see you next weekend!

Giggles

I love this video of Hannah making Sadie laugh....

Our Tree

It's that time of year again! We got our tree last weekend...in the snow storm. We found a place called Meadows Farms Nursery...they had rows upon rows of trees. When you found the perfect one, you were supposed to ring these jingle bells...and someone came running up to help you. Then all we had to do was go into their warm little shop and sip on free cocoa while we waited for the tree to be tied to the van. I think that will be our special spot to purchase our tree every year. It was very fun!...and put us into the holiday spirit.

My monkey girl

I may not have any monkey boys in my house...but I sure do have a monkey GIRL.

Mickey Vacay

We have been renewed in the spirit of Mickey! Our first official family vacation was absolutely the highlight of our year. We had such a great time..and the girls were a dream. They slept well, behaved fabulously, and got to meet all of their favorite characters! ( or "Creatures", as Hannah called them). Hannah spent all week on cloud 9. She couldn't believe her eyes when she met Mickey, Minnie, REAL princesses, Donald, Goofy..etc. It was truly magical to watch the sheer excitement and joy on her face. We purchased an "official Disney world autograph book" and set out on our mission to get as many characters to sign our book as we could. Chad and I really got into it...it was just as much fun for us to meet Snow White as it was for Hannah.
I do miss Florida though. Where else can you dance at a wedding, feed dolphins, meet an entire slew of magical characters, go on a safari, sing with the Lion King, take a dip in the hot tub, cheer at a medieval sword fight, and ride Splash Mountain all in ONE week! Good times, I tell ya. Good times.

Anyhow, we are now back to our normal schedule and looking forward to Thanksgiving next week. This past week was full of school days, playdates, and doctor/dentist appointments. I like when we're busy...it's comforting. However, we are taking a break today and staying home from Dance class because Hannah's developed a yucky cough/runny nose. Ugg, it's going to be a LONG germ season!

One more thing. The girls are really starting to "play" together and make each other laugh. It's so fun and heart-warming to watch. It also provides me with a nice little break when they actually entertain each other.
Blue Lollipop Eating & T.V. Loving Girlies

i'm NOT the princess!!

Chad brought home a fairy princess costume last week for Sadie to wear. This is what she thought of it.
It was super fluffy and extremely itchy. She wanted none of it! But if it were socially acceptable, I would totally wear the wings on a daily basis!
So, Sadie will be a pumpkin...which matches exactly who she is. :) And Hannah still wants to be a monkey! The costume is actually more of a big gorilla-looking beast, but since Mikayla wore it last year, Hannah wants to do it this year. Monkey see, Monkey do...right? :)