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!)