First Family Bike Ride

It was the last sunny weekend before the snows were suppose to hit and I was getting the itch to do something out doors as a family. So, we fixed up all the bikes into good working order and decided to take a family bike ride. I packed some water and snacks, and away we were. It turned out to be one of the funnest family activities we have ever done. The kids loved going on a long ride, usually they are confined to our driveway and near by houses, but today we rode 3 miles with one stop in the middle at a local park. It was a great adventure and I can't wait until the snow melts so we can do it again.

Family Bowling

Ben had told me about the fun they had with Daxton when they all went bowling, so when they called and invited us to join them we were excited to try it. He was right, it was a blast! Hallie and David were so funny to watch as they waddled across the floor carrying their balls to the lane. It didn't take long before they wanted to do it all by them selves and that is when it got really funny. The bowling alley didn't have a ramp for them to roll the ball down, so even though they would push the ball (or in Hallie's case, bounce the ball) as hard as they could, it would take from start to finish about a minute or two before the ball hit the pins. In the mean time they would stand their dancing or walking in circles waiting to find out how many pins they would knock down. It was really funny and entertaining to watch the kids get excited for their turn to bowl. All in all it was a fun experience, and we will definitely be doing this again.

A Very Merry Christmas

What a wonderful Christmas this year!!! Hallie and David are at the age that they understand the excitement and get into the spirit of it all. If I had to pick my favorite part, I would pick getting ready for Christmas. It began with Hallie begging to decorate, and as I have mentioned before, that is a real specialty of hers. She loves putting up decorations and getting in the spirit of the holidays. So finally the house was decorated, Christmas music was playing and treats were being made, but there was something missing...a ginger bread house. It was fun this year because just as we would finish one Christmas project, Hallie would come up with another. I am always a sucker when it comes to making fun memories, so when she suggested making ginger bread houses I couldn't say no. David and I saw the kits at the store and fell in love with the little train. We decided that he would decorate the train (with my help) and Hallie would do the house. It was a blast to create these little masterpieces with my children. They are the light of my life and make everyday an adventure. I am truly grateful for all the fun we had together and memories made this year.

Happy 3rd Birthday D-man

David turned 3 on Nov. 13th, I can't believe how quickly he has grown. At the ripe old age of three, David is a real sweet heart. He loves Lightning McQueen, Thomas the Train, airplanes, helicopters, trucks, his tractor blanket and pretty much anything that a typical little boy would love. He is a real teaser too, he loves to play and tease with Hallie and me, and he loves jumping and wrestling with Matt. Any time Matt is sitting on the ground, you can guarantee that David will notice and jump on his back. David is getting better at talking, but as Hallie likes to say, sometimes "David speaks Spanish." He calls lighting McQueen Nany McQeen and calls his blanket binky. Although it is hard to decipher his "Spanish" I think he is adorable when he tries to tell me something or explain something to Hallie. I can't help but stifle a laugh almost every time. I love my little boy and thank God every day for blessing me with such a perfect little boy. Happy Birthday D-Man!

Halloween Fun!

We loved Halloween this year because the kids really got into it. Hallie wouldn't stop bugging me until we had decked out the house in Halloween decor, painted pumpkins and finished costumes. David was so excited to have a cape, he thought he was a super hero. We kept telling him that he was Dracula, but he wouldn't have it, he was a "superhewo". I asked Hallie what she wanted to be this year, and at first she had her mind set on being a unicorn, but the closer Halloween got she kept changing her mind until she settled on a rainbow fairy. She was very specific about the fact that she would be covered in color, so we drew up a sketch and came up with this. I love the way my kids love the holidays, each one loves them for different reasons. Hallie loves the decorations and activities that come with the holiday, and David loves the treats. Lucky for him most holidays involve treats.

Hallie's 4th Birthday Party

Hallie's 4th birthday party was a complete success, I think it was as much fun for me to plan and put on as it was for Hallie. She wanted to have a fairy garden party with lots of flowers and that is what we did. She and I started at Ben Franklin where she picked out sparkly paper and pretty flowers for her invitations. Later we went to the dollar store to pick out lots of flowers, party favors and the garden hats that we would decorate with even more flowers. It was really fun doing all this with Hallie and getting her take on it. Hallie saw the suckers and I came up with the fun idea of having sucker flowers as the center pieces, and Rosie shared her butterfly cupcake idea with me, which was perfect. Over all it was truly beautiful and really fun to break out some of my creativity, and most importantly Hallie LOVED it.


When the friends arrived the fun began. The girls each picked a hat and covered their hats with flower clips, they were so adorable. Next they all went down to sing happy birthday to Hallie and eat LOTS of treats. The girls loved the butterflies on the cupcakes, and were really excited when they realized they could eat them. In fact they all spent most of the time on the wings rather than the other food. After they were all sufficiently stuffed with sugar, we all went outside for an easter egg hunt, followed by pressants. To finish it all up we had a Tinkerbell pinyata, which was fun. I thought we might have planned too much, but in the end I was glad that we did because it all went really fast. It was a fun day, and Hallie was sad when it was all over, she wished she could have another party. She even started planning the next party theme and who would be invited. I love my little Hallie, she is truly a sweet heart.

Frosty the Mini Snowman

All winter long Hallie has begged me to come out and build a snowman with her, and today I had some time so I agreed. Our attempt to build this big awesome snowman was not a possibility due to the bad snow, so we had to settle for a little one. We all still had fun though, and I think frosty turned out pretty good.

A Successful Christmas

After every Christmas there is always that one gift that is beloved by both children and in turn fought over, so we came up with a really good solution...they could both use it. For the past week they insist on sleeping together is their "cars" tent (and you can't see, but they both have their matching "Cars" jammies on too.) At first I thought this meant a lot of sleepless nights, but it has turned out to be quite fun. The kids love sleeping together and better yet they love having a friend to wake up to. Thank you Grandpa Sypher for your inspired gift.

Silly Hallie!

Hallie is so funny, she is always pulling these crazy faces every time we pull out the camera. All we wanted was a shot of her cute little outfit, but she had a whole other idea, and so here she is in all her glory and silliness...man I love her.

Hallie vs. the Scissors

In pre-school Hallie has been learning how to use scissors and she has been doing really well, so I decided to give her a project at home where she could work on her scissor skills. Her job was to cut pictures out of a toy magazine and paste them on paper for Santa. She was doing really well and I was in the kitchen with her making dinner the whole time...mostly. I had to run to the basement to grab a can of something and when I returned I looked on the ground and along with all the paper scraps was a nice little pile of hair. I was confused because I was gone for less than a minute and I couldn't see right away where it had come from...but then I saw it. Her hair was pulled to the side with a clip, and braided in the back, but the hair in the clip had come loose from the braid, so she cut it off! This was the first of three hair cuts she would give herself this week. How could I possibly let this happen you ask? Well I will tell you.

The second time a friend of mine brought her little girls over to get their hair cut, and while I was cutting their hair Hallie had managed to find a hidden pair of scissors and was up cutting her hair at the same time (at least this time Matt was suppose to be watching her). By this time I thought she had learned her lesson, because both Matt and I had talked with her about how she should not use scissors to cut her own hair, only mommy can do that etc., but it must not have sunk in (the first set of pictures is after her 2nd attempt at cutting her hair.)



The third time we were at Matt's parents house. While washing her hands in the bathroom, she stumbled upon a pair of scissors and began to thin out her bangs just as I caught her. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, and after that she got quite the talking to from me, Matt, Grandma, Grandpa and pretty much everyone there. Needless to say, I think she has learned her lesson now, but she no longer has her sweet curls, which makes me sad. Luckily for her she looks cute in a bob.