It took a while but...

Why did I run and grab a camera when Banana Girl started screaming in anger? (I think I like that name better than "Toddler A"; it sounds much less clinical) Anyway, back to my screaming girl...

Because it's a perfect view of her new tooth!!! Yes, she finally cut her first tooth after 14 months of life. Isn't it cute?

Christmas Around the World

Not too long ago, our ward had its Christmas Party; themed "Christmas Around the World." We enjoyed ethnic dishes from all over and various families entertained us with songs, dances, and stories from their missions or native countries. I was asked to present something from the Czech Republic for about 5 minutes.

Well, it just so happens that our party was held on December 5th, which is the eve of Mikulas (St. Nicholas Day) in the Czech Republic a very big holiday, and what seemed to me the beginning of Christmas there. So I told the story of St. Nicholas and the holiday traditions associated with it in CZ while Alex, Princess M, my brother John, and 3 of his kids acted it out for us.
In short, on the eve of Mikulas, the Angel brings down St. Nicholas from heaven by a golden chord, and he goes about looking for little girls and boys. If they've been good that year, they get candy or toys in their boots when they wake up; if they've been bad, they get rocks or rotten potatoes; and if they've been REALY bad, then the Chert (devil) will snatch them up in his sack and take them down to hell. "You better watch out... you better not cry..." Seriously

It was short, sweet, and kinda fun I thought. M made a fantastic Angel; and she loved doing it! My nephews remembered their parts perfectly. And I was so proud of how my St. Nicholas costume turned out (I threw it together that morning. Santa let us borrow his beard for the play.)

Speaking of Santa, he, of course, made an appearance at the party. He told a story explaining the symbols of Christmas and how they all teach of Christ. It was really cool. And can you tell how excited M was to see him there?


He came bearing gifts too. Not only did each child get a candy cane after sitting on his lap, they each got a large plush teddy bear as well. It was a huge hit!


Bribed with candy and a bear, we even got a decent picture of Toddler A on Santa's lap without any tears.

Tuesday Traditions in the Making

Ever since a little before Thanksgiving, we were visiting family here in town (2 of my brothers live here in the Springs as well) and saying what a shame it was that we all live 30min or less away from each other, and never take the time to hang out. We decided to start making an effort to get together every Tuesday afternoon/evening for games and simply getting together. Although we've missed a couple, for the most part, we have kept to our weekly date. And now rather than catching us by surprise, we're now looking forward to it all week.

At some point in one of these evenings, I walked into the livingroom to find Princess M and 3 of her cousins sitting around a card table playing cards.

I think it was supposed to be a version of Go Fish, but it struck me as very funny, because I swear they looked like they were hussling each other in a game of poker. My mind's eye saw this:


Aren't they a little young for that? Yes, yes they are.

Mud Hike & Thanksgiving

The weather warmed up mid-November so we all went out for a hike in Palmer Park. We didn't anticipate that the trail would be completely muddied up from the melting of the snow. We still had a bunch of fun, picnicing on the rocks and slip sliding on the trail.





Due to scheduling conflicts, we celebrated Thanksgiving on Tuesday this year with my brothers' families. The food was fantastic; the family was even better; and we were able to just relax and eat leftovers on Thursday. It was really nice. More time to prepare for Black Friday, right?

My Princess is now 4 years old!

Princess M turned 4 in November. Her daddy came home from a business trip on the morning of her birthday and we spent the day in Denver at the zoo and doing things as a family (with a few surprise gifts for her when she got home.) She had a party with a few of her friends a couple days later. They all got to dress up in tiarras and tutus, and be princesses for a couple hours together. It went really well I thought. And M had a blast! Here's a slideshow of the events.

October Wrap Up

Notice anything different?


We had a little fun with hair dye/bleach. Princess M was thrilled because now we both have "matching" blond hair. Personally I think it looks more orange; which inspired my Halloween costume for this year:


For Halloween we spent the evening across town with Kurt's family. Princess M had a blast trick or treating. She ran so fast (and hard)between houses that she broke the heel off her glass slipper. Oh that didn't stop her in anyway though. She just ran barefoot house to house. (It's a good thing the weather was quite warm this year.)


Toddler A was just thrilled to be able to run free outside. She made a much cuter pumpkin than I did, I must say.