Playing at the park

This weekend, it was finally warm enough to go outside and enjoy some sunshine so we took the kids to the park for an afternoon.  Elizabeth spent most of her time on the swing.

Owen played on just about everything but he had to make sure his new dragon (that he bought with Valentine's day money) came along.

It was a fun packed afternoon. 
However, the most entertaining picture of the day came later that evening while Elizabeth was playing with her dolls and her shopping cart.  

I would love to know what she was thinking when we took this picture.  

Touch n' Brush

The Touch n' Brush had been on Owen's wish list for a while but has recently fallen off the list. I actually meant to put this info out there before but I had pretty much forgotten about it.  That is until the commercials started coming back on.  
He used to be so excited.  Luckily now, I think he's forgotten about it.  
Oh, and for the people thinking that it would be a funny gift to get for him; please think twice.

Snow Day, Again!

This past Friday we had snow; a lot of snow.  I can't remember the last time Jackson had this much snow on the ground.  It wasn't just a light covering of the ground, there was a substantial amount of snow.  Definitely enough to get out in it and have a lot of fun!  

Halle enjoyed it.

Here's a shot of the front of our house covered.

Owen took full advantage of it.

Elizabeth just liked eating the snow.

Finally, two snow angels.

Visiting the Jackson Zoo

We took the kids to the zoo today and as always enjoyed it a lot.  They're still working on renovating the zoo but it does not interfere with the enjoyment.  

Recently, they had a new baby giraffe (named Ruby) born at the zoo and we were able to watch the baby run around and play.  

The kids were entertained with every animal they saw.  Especially since we hadn't been to the zoo since Elizabeth has been able to identify the animals and mimic their sounds.  Most of the animals were entertaining and photogenic.  This leopard, however, did not seem to be.

It was an all around good trip and as usual it was topped of with the train ride.

Halle's New Dog Bed

Halle got a new dog bed.  It's a big nice soft bed with her name embroidered on it.  When we put it into place, she loved it!  The kids liked it too.  Here's Elizabeth enjoying the bed with her older sister.

Update: 
I neglected to mention the far superior bed that had previously been bestowed upon her by her favorite Uncle years ago.  If this new bed gives her even an ounce of the enjoyment, comfort, and restful night's sleep that her old bed did then our purchase will have been worth it.

Christmas Day '09

Christmas day has finally arrived.  Time for kids everywhere to be rewarded for faking niceness for the past 364 days (just kidding, kids).  It was a very exciting time.

Owen woke up first and stepped out to see what Santa had left him.  He was greeted with his brand new big boy bike.

Later, after Elizabeth woke up, they went through their stockings then started with the presents.  Owen took over playing the part of Santa as he delivered presents to everybody (he got plenty of practice working with Uncle Burt).  

Finally, it was time to open the presents and the kids wasted no time getting into it.  They sat in their own chairs and opened their gifts as I imagine royalty would do.

Along with the gifts from family that Elizabeth opened, she also got a baby doll from Santa.  She loved this doll and carried with her as she opened other presents and played with other toys.

Santa even remembered Halle.  She got her share of new chew toys so she was very happy playing with her new toys while the kids played with theirs.

After we finished waking up and finished getting dressed, we had lunch with Nonie and Poppie as well as the rest of our family.

Finally, we went to my folks to spend some time with them and let Owen and Elizabeth show their cousin Dylan their new presents as well as get more gifts from the grandparents.

Christmas Eve '09

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house every creature was stirring including this little mouse.

The tables were set with great food and great care while we tried to corral two kids with wild hair.

When dinner is finished kids know that it's time to get pictures with family so let's form a line.  First, family pictures with Nonna and Pop, even though kids want the smiling and posing to stop.

Just one more pic and we're done for a while so the kids sit real still and pose with a smile.

Once we get home and pick P.J.'s to wear, we check and make sure that all stockings are there.

Then, make sure cookies for Santa are plenty.  There were a ton of them there, it seemed close to twenty!

One final story then we all stop and say, merry Christmas to all it's been quite a day!