Monday, December 24, 2012

'Tis the Season, Part 1



Everyone has an elf, right?  Our Elf's name is Snitch.  However, unlike his name implies, he really isn't a snitch.  He just shows up in a different spot each morning with a small gift for the girls during Advent.  Usually.  At least until this year.  Apparently Snitch has been a little lax in his duties this season.  Lax as in four mornings of no-show.  Oops.  We assured the girls that Snitch is most likely just tired (maybe sick?) and maybe they could do something nice for him instead.  So they wrote him a nice note hoping that he gets better soon.  He did. 


Luckily the only ball that has been dropped has been by Snitch.  We managed to bake our Christmas cookies and get them, along with the presents, out to all the teachers.  Some teachers (as in Quincy's ballet teacher) even got a special, non-Christmas note tucked into their Christmas gift.  Oh, Quincy. *heavy sigh*



The girls had their first official sleep-over at one of their BFF's, Emma Rae, house while mommy and daddy went out and played with their BFF's!  


And now that the break has officially arrived, the slow-down has finally come (*heavy exhale*).  Which means lots of reading and game-playing for the Maleys---yay!  Ellie has picked up the Nancy Drew series and Quincy will read anything that is put in front of her.  She just finished Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.  For the second time. 


 
Our new current favorite game is The Game of Life

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Thanksgiving catch-up....





 ....with some of my most-favorite former students/babysitters/house-sitters/dog-sitters.  I miss them and, like my own children, they are growing up too fast!
Off to Thanksgiving with the family!

Monday, November 19, 2012

Random Photos


 Quincy's class Thanksgiving play was last week.  She was a Native American Indian with a papoose on her back (which, of course --in my biased thinking--, was totally cute!).


 What was she thankful for?  Her family.  But she "ran out of room and couldn't fit Otis or Tink on the paper".  I love her.


She's tall.

 

Rare photo of me.  I need a hair cut.


Their new favorite game is scrabble (we let them use their dictionaries).  Another of their current favorites is Rummikub.  It's weird to think that just a couple of years ago Candyland and Mousetrap were their favorites.  They are growing up too fast...*sob*.


 ...and the Big Bouncy Thing is STILL being used.  That purchase close to four years ago was worth every penny.


Sunday, November 11, 2012

Fall...

....where'd it go?

 Ellie's last soccer game was last weekend.  She had a great (great!) season!  At the end-of-season awards ceremony (which was just donuts after the last game), Ellie's coach had this to say about her:  She sure doesn't say a lot but she sure is a firecracker on the field.  Yep, she definitely knows Ellie!

 
 
 
 Quincy usually sits on the sidelines reading and occasionally moaning, "This is taking a long time."  

 

Uncle's Mike and Eric came to Ellie's last game (which thrilled her completely!).  We're still hoping they will migrate out to the suburbs with us....




Right after Ellie's last game we headed north to Cagle's Dairy.  This was the last weekend their corn maze and hay-ride was open for the Fall and it also so happened to be the only day we could have made it this entire season (our weekends have been c.r.a.z.y. and crammed with wayyyy too many activities...).  We totally lucked out that the weather was perfect!

 
 
 
 
Into the maze...
 ...checking the clue to see which direction to go...
 
 ...and out of the maze.

 
 
 
 
 

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Halloween 2012

The girls were super excited to be able to have their piano lessons in their Super Hero costumes!  
Haemi was just as excited to get to see them in their costumes...

 .....exhibiting their Super Hero strength.



The hour has finally arrived.


Their first stop brought in three pieces of candy each!


Those crazy Crowleys...they turned a wagon into a goolish hearse for the two little ones to travel in.  It even had lights.  Pretty creative....



Tim had the entertainment cart.



Same werewolf, different year...


At the end of the evening, the moms carried the little ones and the big girls hopped in the hearse for the trek home.


Another good Halloween...