A little snow

 We have hardly had any snow this winter. However, we did get a few inches last weekend and Kelsey wanted to go out and play in it. She really wants to help shovel, so she got all bundled up and she and Daddy went out to clean off the driveway and have a little fun. Kelsey made snow angels and also liked having Daddy pull her around the yard in her sled.

Our Little Performer

I have mentioned before that Kelsey loves to sing and dance. But as of lately, this child is a dancing and singing queen! Kelsey absolutely loves to perform. Her new favorite game to play is "singer and judge" aka American Idol. Kelsey will come with her microphone and say, "Hello! My name is Kelsey, and I'm 3 years old." We ask her what song she will be singing and her favorites right now are Pretty, Pretty Please by Pink, Rolling in the Deep by Adele, Tonight, Tonight by Hot Chell Ray, and Born This Way by Lady Gaga. She has amazing rhythm and melody, but doesn't know all the words. When she gets to a part she doesn't know all the words, she usually fills it in with whatever seems to fit. These performances do not lack entertainment value either because she gives it all she's got everytime. When she is done singing we will tell her she is going to Hollywood and she jumps up and down. Plus, she is not shy about it at all. This weekend we were at Lucas's birthday party and there was a room full of people. She had no problem at all belting out a song for everyone. At church this morning, she also tried singing the hymns and followed right along. It was so cute! She definitely has music in her!

Twins Caravan

The Twins caravan came to town and we were able to meet Bert Blyleven, Terry Ryan, Danny Valencia, and Drew Butera. It was pretty cool. Matt got to go in the VIP room with the other local baseball coaches. We listened to them all talk a little and got a few autographs (thanks to the Ginskey boys). It was neat to be so close to such big name guys. Butera and Valencia may just be my two new favorite players!

Time with my Dad

We went to visit my dad and Chris for the weekend. After a snowy and icy drive there, we had a very relaxing time. I had not seen my dad for awhile so being with him was long overdue. While there, we were able to squeeze in a Canadian fishing show to see one of my dad's friends. Later, we went to my cousin Jody's for a gathering with my mom's side. We did not get together with them for Christmas, so it was good to catch up. My brother and his family were also visiting, although my sister did not make it due to having sick children. It seems we barely got unpacked before we were packing back up to go home. Before we left, we went through a few more boxes from my mom and dad's old house. It sure stirs a lot of emotions in me. We found some pretty cool stuff, one of which was a bottle of holy water my mom got when she went to Poland. Before we leave, we always stop by the cemetary at my mom's grave. Usually Matt and the girls get out with me, but with all the snow and just having gotten the girls all situated in their seats, I got out myself to stand by her grave. I am not sure if the tears will ever stop when I go there. I see her name and it seems my eyes well up with tears without me having any control over it. Still miss her so much....It is always a reminder of just how precious life is. Never take a day for granted.

Another busy weekend

Weekends...We wait for them all week and they are gone in a flash. This weekend was no different. Friday night we had a nice dinner out with Matt's parents and then Mattey and I went to see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It was very graphic, (a few scenes actually had me looking away), but we both thought it was good. Saturday we went to the Mall of America to meet up with my college roomies. We did a little shopping and ate dinner. It is always SO good to see Liz and Kristen. They are such special friends to us and it makes me so happy when we get to see them. Love you ladies!

While we were there, my sister ended up being there as well so we got to see them for a bit too. Sunday brought church and errands. Later in the afternoon we watched the disappointing Packer game. And here we are--Sunday night. Back to school and another week of work until the longed for weekend arrives again.

Is it really January?

It was 55 degrees today! How weird is that? We have had a pretty mild winter and today was no exception. Kelsey, Megan and Matt played outside when they got home. Megan loved the wagon! She looked like such a big girl getting pulled around. They also played frisbee and baseball. It felt more like April than January. No complaints here! The snow can stay away for my sake. Although I am sure Mother Nature will not let us get off that easy. Here are my sweet babies going for a walk with Daddy :)

Christmas in January

We had another Christmas gathering on Sunday. We got together with the Ebeling crew to catch up and spend time together. There was great food and fun games. However, I think the highlight of the afternoon was a visit from some Belgian horses. Vickie's brother works with someone who has horses and they came to our Christmas celebration. With the mild winter we have had so far, we were able to go for a wagon ride. Who would think that would be possible in January? Plus, Kelsey got to ride a horse by herself. I think I was more nervous than she was. She was so brave and didn't even think twice about hopping on and going for a little stroll. It was a pretty unique afternoon and one I am sure Kelsey won't forgot for awhile. Oh, and sweet Megs slept through it all while cuddling with Grandpa!

10 months

Megan is 10 months! What's new?
She is cruising while walking with her stroller or walker. She goes from sitting to standing with her walker or stroller with ease.

When she sees an open door, she scoots right for it.
She loves Ritz crackers, although she mainly eats baby food yet due to only having 2 teeth.

She is doing really well drinking from a sippy cup.

She says mama, dada, hi, and uh-oh.

Can you see my top two teeth?

She likes playing I Drop It, You Pick It Up, especially with her sippy cup.

She likes to play at her activity center.
When she hears music, she moves her arms up and down as her form of dancing.

She weighs 15lbs. 13oz. as of a recent appt. What a peanut!

She is a lovey, sweet, happy, and perfect little baby girl!

In my Badger gear for the Rose Bowl game

Christmas Break

What a break it has been. I have loved every second of being home with my hubby and daughters. How lucky are we that we got to hang out every day? So what did we do to fill our time?
To start the week, we went bowling. It was Kelsey's first time bowling. She wanted to push the ball down the lane herself the first few times, but after the ball got stuck she tried using the ramp and that made it much easier. Grandma and Grandpa joined us as well.

We watched a few movies. Kelsey caught up on a few of her favorites that have been on the shelf for awhile: Tangled, Tinkerbell, and of course her new Barbie movies. I watched The Help and Mattey and I watched The Hangover II.
We played a lot of games and put together puzzles. Kelsey also played on her Leap Pad and is getting pretty good at using the features. We played the Kinect. We rented the Disneyland game to try it out and see if it is worthy of buying. Kelsey sure liked it. It was pretty cute.

Kelsey had a playdate with her friend Ava. They played Kinect, grocery store, and restaurant. They are good buddies :)

We went to two boys basketball games to support the Huskies.

We went to a waterpark to round out the week. The girls loved it. Megan splashed around and enjoyed the water. Kelsey was so excited to go she had to wear her goggles (which she calls eyegols) in the house. Kelsey even got Mommy to go on a water slide with her. Not an easy task!

Next up was New Year's Eve. We had lunch with some great friends during the day and went to Stacey and Matt's for the evening. The weather was not nice at all, so we were glad we did not have to travel. The kiddos all played well together and Kelsey made it up the longest, although not quite to midnight. The adults did stay awake until 2012 hit. It was a very enjoyable and relaxing way to ring in the new year.

Sleeping beauties for the last time in 2011

I am sad to see the break go. Being together with my family is the greatest gift, and I feel so blessed for our time together this week.  Here's to 2012 and all it will bring!