Zoo Lights and Santa

We go to the zoo a lot throughout the year, but it's a whole new experience every December when they put on Zoo Lights.  It's always a cold, but fun time!

This year we hadn't seen Santa before Zoo Lights, so we waited in line there to talk to him.  EJ was very excited to see Santa until it was actually our turn.  At that point, she wouldn't go near him, and only peeked around the tree to watch Hope and Beck visiting with him.  Hope asked for a touch screen MP3 player.  We told him Beck wanted a new monitor.  The only thing on EJ's Christmas list is a ball.  She had Hope pass along to Santa that she wanted a blue bouncy one.  Hopefully Santa's elves can make one, otherwise he may have to spend a lot of quarters trying to get the right color out of a vending machine!

Mr. Smily

Here's a short video of our little guy.  Please excuse my pig noises.

Hope as Susan

Hope's debut as Susan in Miracle on 34th Street was Saturday.  She did wonderfully well!  We're so proud of her!  She's considering auditioning for "Lunch Bunch" at the same theater.  It's like a dinner theater for kids.  They do the show, but they also learn to greet, seat, and serve lunch to the audience.  She has to decide by Friday if she wants to audition.  If she were to become a part of the group, she would have to skip out on basketball this year.  We'll see what she decides!

I have video clips of a few scenes from Saturday.  I wasn't at a great angle, but you can get the idea.

                                                            Susan and Doris

Susan and Kris Kringle

And the part that always gets me teary  . . . the bow.

Wordless Wednesday (almost)

Cookies and Hot Chocolate - only Thunder can peel his

eyes away from The Grinch

Still Kickin'!

No blog entry for awhile, but we're still here!  Here are some pictures to prove it:

Hope finished up Fall Soccer on a beautiful, 76 degree, sunny November day (our first snowfall didn't come until this last week - 3 weeks later than average).  They had a great season, with a 4-2-2 record and two tournament championships.  She has now started indoor soccer which, thank goodness, is only 1 game a week - no practices!  She also got a lead role (Susan) in "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas", the musical version of Miracle on 34th St.  She'll be putting in a lot of time at rehearsals over the next few weeks, but she loves it!  As always, she's doing awesome in school, and keeping us on our toes at home!

Ellis is obsessed with babies.  Pictured are some of the many babies and stuffed animals she must have in bed with her every night.  Many nights we find her asleep on top of a pile of babies, because there is no room in the bed for her.  We try to sneak some of them away from time to time, but she knows if one is missing.  She hit a "big girl" milestone this past week when the Twiddlebugs finally ate the last of her pacifiers.  We had some tragic days at the beginning, but she's seem to adjusted to life without them.  It's nice that we don't have to sift through the pile of babies in the middle of the night to find a pacifier anymore!  Ellis, also, keeps us on our toes.  Just today, she locked my mom in the back yard.  I think EJ thought it was much funnier than my mom did.

Is that not the cutest smile in the world?!?!?!  Beck turned 2 months yesterday.  He weighs 12 pounds 13 ounces - 75%ile - and is 2 feet tall!  That sounds a lot bigger than 24 inches, but either way, it puts him in the 90th %ile for height.  He is a smiley little guy and he loves to be snuggled.  He is trying hard to make his mommy very happy - he has slept through the night the past 3 nights!  The mere fact that he cannot yet talkback or run away from us makes him a pretty easy kiddo!

First Haircut

Since her hair didn't really even start growing until she turned one, we didn't have to worry much about getting EJ's haircut.  Now, at almost three, we figured it was time for at least a trim.  She went a few days ago and just got a couple of inches taken off.  She got to sit in a fire truck, watch Dora, and eat a sucker.  All was good!  Once I got to the cash register and found out how much it cost, things were not so good!  At least they included a little certificate and a lock of her hair.  I guess the cute "First Haircut" pictures made it all worth it.

                                                              "Before"

                     

                                                         "After"
                                                                       

Fun in the Fire Truck!

                   
                                                      "Cheese!"

                                                                                                                   

Next time, I may be doing the cutting.  We have a fire truck and Dora at home for a lot less money!! 

Happy Halloween!

As in years past, we stretched Halloween over several days.  We've been to the pumpkin patch, Fall Fest at church, parties at school, and, of course, trick-or-treating - at mom's with all of the cousins, and at home!

Pumpkin Picking

with Grandad and Gammie and Cousins

Fall Fest

School Parties

Trick-or-Treating

Happy Halloween!

EJ as Dora, Hope as a hippie, and Beck as a sweet pea (as always)