Christmas Photos...no further explanation needed...

Random November Photos, Part 6

The day I put the outdoor Christmas lights up was the first cold day of the entire year.  The girls wanted to come outside and "help" but they had to get all bundled up first.  I told them to pick whatever clothes they wanted to but just make sure it is warm.  This is what they came up with.  I have no idea why our neighbors avoid us.

Random November Photos, Part 5

The day I put the Christmas tree and stockings up I re-visited how Santa is planning on getting in our house on Christmas eve (it has been a year since we last spoke about Santa and that is forever ago in the life of a four year old).  A little while later I overheard the girls having a conversation with each other about Santa and saying, "There is no way someone as big as Santa can come down that hole".  Funny. 

Random November Photos, Part 4

Over Thanksgiving Break, Judy came in to town and stayed the weekend.  We all stayed up way too late talking....but conversation was just too good to waste time sleeping.  We ended up doing a lot over the weekend but like a complete goof I didn't take my camera anywhere with me the whole weekend (like on the SIX mile bike ride we went on with the girls---they rode and we walked the dogs alongside them).  I felt those miles the next day...Judy was just fine. 

The day after Thanksgiving we took the girls ice skating for the first (and, if Quincy has her way, the last) time.  I don't think Tim has ever been skating and I haven't been since my early twenties.  Thankfully Bill's two sons, Ryan and Patrick, are ridiculously coordinated and made it so the girls could actually get out on the ice without having to physically support their parents.

Brother Bill showing the girls what it's supposed to be like....

Ryan texting (???) and skating at the same time.  I have totally forgotten what it's like to be young and not worried about breaking a hip.

The girls completely adored Bill's kids....who wouldn't?

Would you believe Tim is 44????

After we left the rink, we went to get our Christmas tree.  What a great day....

Random November Photos, Part 3

Random November Photos, Part 2

Ellie had her last soccer game of the season in November.  Her goal tally ended up being somewhere close to 8 goals (one of them we're unsure about).  She did great and blossomed sooo much!  Her end of the season trophy was a bronzed bobble head girl soccer player and it now proudly sits on the shelf of her desk in her room. 

Random November Photos, Part 1

We had beautiful (and kind of too hot!) weather all the way through November so we were able to spend most evenings outside playing until much later than we would have typically been able to.   That weather is now long gone....   

Random September Photos

My good friend, Brooke, has finally (!!!) received her referral for her daughter, Nola, from China.  I say finally as she turned her dossier in to China only six months after we did for our first adoption but right after that things changed in the adoption world and the wait-times increased drastically.  She has now been waiting close to 5 years (!) for her daughter.  But the wait is about to be over....soon she will be in China with her baby girl in her arms.  Knowing that the time is soooo close, we cleaned out our "baby-stuff storage" and gave a lot of our favorite items to Brooke for Nola.  One of the things given was the play-station (above) that Quincy used for about three months until she learned how to walk.  When the girls came down stairs one day last week and saw that thing waiting to be placed in my car, they had a great time playing with it in their last hoorah (spell?). 

On a totally different subject, Quincy has turned into an OCD, acorn-collecting nut!  Every single day she comes home from school I pull close to twenty (20!) acorns out of her pockets (and toss them back outside for the squirrels).   On the days that I forget to clean out her pockets, I eventually find them in the washer or dryer after laundry.

Quincy's 4th Birthday!

Quincy wanted a camera for her birthday ---"just like Ellie's".  Did I mention that they have to have everything this same?

And she wanted some dress-up clothes.....

...and she is finally able to wear her "4" shirt...something Ellie has been able to do for the last six months!

Her cake this year was a lady-bug.  Yes, I made it (and I used fondant for this first time---it was actually easier than I thought it would be!).

Opening her gift from Uncle's Mike and Eric.....

.....which could not have been more perfect!   This dress is her favorite gift of all!

After the cake all the girls played dress-up with all the pretty new outfits.

Now that Quincy is 4, she gets a whole vitamin rather than a half.  My baby's growing up....and getting sick again as evidenced by the photo above. 

Pre-Halloween

The night before Halloween we went over to Uncle Dave and Aunt Cathy's for a relaxing evening.  The front of their house was all decked out for Halloween, complete with spider webs and spiders galore....which totally excited the girls!

After dinner we gathered 'round the fire-pit and made smores (a first for the girls!).

Aunt Cathy getting some giggles out of Ellie (which is not really that hard to do....if we could bottle her laughter we'd be set for life!).

Uncle Dave getting some quality Ellie-time.