I am going to try to be more committed to staying on top of writing updates!! This is crazy. No post for 3 months. I just got so behind. If for anything else, I hope to keep this up for the girls. I think it will be fun for them to go back and read about what they were doing when they were younger. It doesn't take long before we forgot some of the little details that made us laugh!!
So, let's take a look back...
In October, we went on an AMAZING vacation to Disneyworld. My mom, dad, Brother Dan, Tiffanie, Thea, Delila, Joe, Leah, Amber and I all went. My mom calls it her "retirement present" to herself! Everyone had a blast. The girls, of course, were blown away. We spent 3 days at Magic Kingdom (and maybe focused on 1/3 of the park). We spent 2 days at Animal Kingdom (and maybe saw 1/2 of the park)! We also spent some time at Downtown Disney. The girls had princess makeovers at Bippity Boppity Boo, had lunch at Cinderella's Castle with the princesses, and we all went to see Nouba (Cirque Du Soliel) which was amazing! We had fantastic weather. We stayed on park property at New Orleans - Riverside. The kid's had fun swimming in the pools, riding rides, meeting their favorite characters, and seeing lots of shows. It truly is a magical place! I can't wait to bring the kids back again. The girls talked for days about going back to Disney World when we got home. Amber even brought down a bag of change she had in her room. She told me she was going to give it to Daddy, so that we have money to go to Disney World again (As a joke, Daddy had told them on the last day of vacation that we had to go home because they spent all of our money). We certainly made memories that will last a lifetime on that vacation! Oh, it was also Amber's first plane ride. She was so excited. She did have difficulty sitting in the seat and staying buckled. As the plane landed in Orlando, she screamed "weeee" as if we were already on a park ride!
The girls are staying busy with dance, gymnastics and swimming. They both passed their swimming levels. Leah will now be on the junior swim team (if she decides to continue), and Amber is working on swimming all by herself - she no longer needs any floatation device! Leah is moving up to intermediate 1 in gymnastics. She is so excited. She works so hard at gymnastics. Leah will likely start guitar lessons this winter sometime as she got a grown up guitar from Mommy and Daddy for Christmas/birthday!
We had a busy December. We went to see the Wizard of Oz and Llama Llama Holiday Drama. We went to the final year of the Holidazzle parade (so sad). Amber had her daycare Christmas program. She was so adorable (of course) up on the stage. Leah and Daddy (with Mike and Michael) went to the Monster Truck Jam. Now we have 2 girls who love monster trucks! Amber is excited to go when it returns in 2016 (when the new stadium is built). We went to a 2nd (wow) birthday party for a handsome young man (Joshua who also happens to be our godson)! Hard to believe how fast they grow!!
The girls had fun with our Elf on the Shelf "Ralph" when he came back the day after Thanksgiving to help Santa keep on eye on them. They loved having Ralph back and looking for him every morning. Leah wrote him a goodbye note, and he wrote back. Love it!
The girls participated in the Christmas spirit by helping get items for the giving tree at church, donating their extra change to the ringers at stores, and helping mommy wrap presents for the adopt a family at work. So glad that they understand the importance of giving back.
We were very blessed at Christmas. We got to spend time with both sides of the family. Christmas eve with my family at my parents' house and Christmas Day with Joe's family at our house. Unfortunately, I had to leave that celebration a little early. My mom ended up taking me to the ER after I fell on the stairs. It turns out I cracked 4 ribs. Yup, I guess I know how to fall!
The girls have been playing steadily with their new toys. The girls both got the American Girl Doll, Saige, from Nonna. This was Amber's first "big girl" doll. She has played with Saige everyday since! The got lots of legos and have so much fun putting their sets together with their Daddy! It's fun to watch them all work together at the table. They got money, clothes, games, leotards, gift cards, shoes, books, photo albums, and more. Oh, and Leah got a loom and has been obsessed with making bracelets! They love all of their gifts. Thank you to all for your generosity! And to think, only 2 months until their birthdays!
I think that about wraps it up. I am sure I left out some fun details, but like I said earlier, that is why it is important to stay up to date!!
As Amber would say "I love you and I kiss you." She also sometimes adds "and I sing you a song" (which is usually followed by You Better Watch Out)!
Addendum: It has been brought to my attention that I missed one event! On 12/22/13 - Nonna, Grandma Mary, Dan, Thea, Delila, Amber, Leah and I went to Duluth. We went on the Christmas Express, explored Bentlyville (in the freeze of Duluth in late December) and we spent the night at the Edgewater hotel and water park. The girls had a blast (as they always do when they are together). Unfortunately, my mom was sick during most of the trip, so was not able to enjoy all the activities. This short trip has become a tradition and one that the girls really look forward to!
