Merry Christmas!

Nothing says Christmas Eve at the Days' like spaghetti dinner, Dairy Queen cake, and a little gift giving! Mia and Allison were excited to have company. When I asked them if they knew who was coming over today, Mia said, "Santa?"

Mia and Allison have finally discovered the joy of opening presents. It was hard to keep them from 'helping' everyone else with gift opening. New thrills aside, sitting in the boxes never gets old!

As Mia predicted, Santa did come. He brought the girls each a pair of pink snow boots that inspired so pretty cool dance moves. (Sorry for the orientation of the video... And we can't remember why Mia wasn't wearing pants?)

Next to the boots, their new bouncy balls were a real hit. We think they'll appreciate their new winter coats and snow pants that we gave them more when we get to the cabin for a little fun in the snow with cousins Bryn and Henry!

Oh, Tannenbaum!

The girls love the Christmas tree and, despite one broken ornament, they've been pretty gentle with it. I just happened to have the camera to catch this moment in which they were being pretty gentle with each other. Then it was back to naming the ornaments on the tree!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Meeting Santa...

If things had worked out the way I had envisioned them, the picture above would have been of two smiley girls in their holiday outfits snuggled in on Santa's lap. The mall scene today was a bit different. I should have known better than to take the girls by myself. We were fortunate that the line was short, but despite the quick wait, I ended up chasing the girls around the 'north pole' a couple of times before it was our turn. Maybe they were excited to catch a sneak peek of the big guy? Both girls were saying "Santa, Santa!" and I was trying my best to prep them for the photo. When it was our turn, both girls instantly melted down. Alli backed up into the elf podium and wouldn't move. Mia sat on his lap, but put her head between her knees and wouldn't look at him, or the camera for that matter. Eventually Mia came around and had a nice chat with the incredibly sweet and gentle Santa from a safe distance. Meanwhile, Mrs. Claus was fishing Alli out from the corner with all of the electrical outlets... Mia gave Santa a hug bye bye and we were off. Maybe we'll have better luck next year? The photographer elf assured me it can take lots of practice.

Black Friday at the Arboretum...

"Chicken Alli"
A flat screen TV bigger than anyone needs- $1000 with mail in rebate...


Going for breakfast with Grandma and Grandpa Affeldt, a stroll through the arboretum with Jay, Sarah and the kids and a yummy dinner all together- priceless!"Airplane!" Mia was either calling for or hand in hand with Bryn for most of the walk!

Even though we skipped the early morning shopping frenzy this year, by the end of the day Mia and Alli were very ready for a story with Grandpa and bedtime.

Fangkoo!

That's Girly for 'thank you'. We give thanks to the Affeldts for being such generous hosts and fabulous cooks. We were all together in Madison for a nice long weekend and loved every minute of it! (Well... maybe not the minutes spent trying to get their portraits taken, but every other minute!)

If Alli were to share what she was most thankful for, the lengthy list would likely include the 'I see children' page of "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and the penny-to-ride mechanical horse at our grocery store. Mia's list would include fruit, Christmas lights, and her mechanical toothbrush. They would both give thanks for their blankies, Curious George, and all of their family with a little extra thanks for their cousins, Bryn and Henry!

Shawn and I would report how thankful we are for Mia and Alli who amaze us more and more each day. Their chattiness and growing willingness to play and discuss things together is so much fun. I hope I always remember how they are at this age!

In the closet...

Can't find the girls? Is the closet giggling? Lately the girls are most entertained by the little closet in their room. They call to each other, "Mia, in!" or "Alli, in!", say "bye bye" to mommy and shut the door. I joined in on the fun a couple of times, but it must have been to crowded... "Mommy, out!" (That's encouragement to clean out the 'too small' and summer clothing to make more room in there!)

A BIG girl named Sue...

Believe it or not, the world famous T-Rex, Sue, made an appearance at our local museum (or a replica of it at least...). I thought the girls might think it was interesting to see a big dinosaur. I had some second thoughts though when we were walking up to the building and Alli kept saying, "go away, big dinosaur!" When we got inside, they seemed impressed by the size of Sue's teeth. (They've been pretty in to brushing their own lately) The next biggest hit was a stuffed animal "Nemo" that somehow snuck its way into a different "history" exhibit?

Allison is explaining to the big green dinosaur head that there is a "big dinosaur... right there!"

I should have known better than to say "Say 'bye-bye to the dinosaur". I nearly lost them under the railing by the time I put the camera down. I guess fearing enormous reptiles is a developmental milestone they haven't yet reached... They also said bye-bye and I love you to Nemo on the way out!

Baa Ram Ewe!!!

Meet the sheep! Mia and Alli have been crazy about the movie 'Babe' ever since we resorted to using the DVD player on the Montana road trip last summer. They love the animals, especially the sheep, and the part when the farmer sings to Babe and dances. If you haven't seen it, we all recommend it. Anyway, Grandma Affeldt found these two little sheep suits and we were so glad she did!

Allison was not a fan of the hood, but we could sneak it on over her hat and then she would tolerate it. Mia embraced the lamb suit through and through. I think these costumes demonstrate the formula for costume cuteness- skinny legs sticking out of a fluffy body!

Mmmmm... Chocolate.

We started the adventure at a friend's house. She wasn't home so we tried to get back in the car. Allison wasn't having it and started screaming 'trick or treat' over and over, stiff as a board so we couldn't get her back in her car seat. On to the next!

(The idea for the foot print card came from Krissy and little Jack. He was quite the artist!!!)

Up to their elbows...

I may have overestimated the helpfulness of two year olds when it came time to clean pumpkins and sort seeds for roasting. I ended up doing all of the tedious sorting, while the girls squished their fingers through the seeds in the bowl and then shook the extras off their hands (and all over the kitchen). The girls LoVeD the slimy pulp and were busy for at least an hour and a half slopping it from pumpkin to cup and back again. The project made for a fun morning. The floor was in need of a good mopping anyway!

I should admit that after hours of sorting the seeds from four pumpkins, I proceeded to space out while they were in the oven and burnt the whole bunch... Happy Halloween!!!

Polite dinner conversation...

At one point in tonight's meal, Allison leaned over in her chair and tooted. When she sat back up, she smiled. Then this conversation started...

Mom: What do you say?

Allison: (accuses) RUDY!

Mom: Did you toot or did Rudy toot?

Allison: Mia toot!

Mom: Did you toot, Mia?

Mia: RUDY toot!

Here's a picture of Mia next to the person I suspect taught them such a thing...

Collegeville Orchards... The 'we need a nap' version.

Pictures by the pumpkins and picking up apples- Just two of the reasons I love the fall! So, this year we took the second annual trip to the orchard. Mia and Allison weren't in a posing for pictures mood...The picture below, for me, is reminiscent of those old black and white pictures of the dust bowl. Little Mia looks so forlorn!

Alli perked up a bit by the animals. She was most interested in the horse, but when given the chance to stand by it, you would not have been able to pass a piece of paper between her back and Auntie's legs. She was pressed right up against her!!! (And with good reason. The old thing bit me on the knee!!!)

Yikes... Now that's a goat!

It's like he can see through me.

(I think I took the same picture last year?)

Taking George to a new level...

Nanny Jenn found a deal on this Curious George costume and, lucky for us, she couldn't resist! When we put it on Mia, Allison was mesmerized and chased her all around the house. From the back, it really did look like we had a little monkey!

Today, Mia was having a hard time settling down for her nap. Alli climbed up on a chair next to Mia's crib and asked, "OK?". Mia kept crying, so Alli said, "I'll hug you." It was pretty sweet! (Although not entirely effective- both girls are still fighting their nap...)

Itsy bitsy dancing?...

(P.S.- For some of you, this video may be the first introduction to our other dog Zoe. She has been getting more social and on rare occassions sneaks into our photos. Mia and Alli love her and love to tell her "Zoe, no!" and "Zoe, quiet!" We wonder where they get that from!?!?)

Future do-it-yourselfers...

I wouldn't have guessed it, but the girls seemed to find the inner workings of Auntie Amy's dishwasher incredibly interesting. Maybe it was having Grandpa and Monica at their level, or the promise of dripping water... Whatever it was, the girls were captivated and eagerly got their noses in to the project, providing moral support to their grandpa!