Christmas, 2011

We had a wonderful Christmas this year... there was definitely enough going on, but the month of December - though it flew by - did not see ridiculously busy as it sometimes does. It was so much fun to see things through the eyes of the girls - Ella especially - as she can grasp more and more the excitement of the season. It definitely makes it that much more exciting for us as well, and I enjoyed every minute. Here are just a few photos of some of our favorite moments...

Reading the Christmas story...

Always time to give the hair a little twirl...

Our one and only family photo - Ella's preschool Christmas program.

Grandmo and Grandpo

Getting a little tired of the photo shoots by the time it was Papa & Grandma's turn.

Sledding down the Children's Museum slide!

Rethinking the desire to visit Santa...

Finally realized she better talk to him... or risk getting NOTHING for Christmas!!

The End Result.

Christmas Cookies!

Surprisingly brave at the nursing home!

Guess which one did the decorating, and which one did the eating!

I rest my case.

Out of the Loop???

It suddenly occured to me that there are people out there who do not belong to Facebook... So for those of you who may be out of the loop... the girls had a message to share:

Doing Her Thing

 Claire's been taking a little gymnastics class with Mommy. It's been fun - and enlightening to see exactly what a challenge it is to keep this little ball of energy focused on one thing for a period of time. She's trying - bless her heart - but so far I've found that 20 minutes is about the maximum amount of time the poor thing can devote to following any form of organized direction. After that it's all over...

 Guess which one is doing it "right"?

 Ball pit!

 Running and Jumping! Her favorite combination!

 "Peek-a-Boo!"

 

Waiting for stickers... the only time she'll sit still!

1st Day of Preschool

Just a few weeks ago we released our baby girl into the wild. It's really just Preschool... but having her out of sight and out of my control for 3 entire hours, two days a week, is both liberating and terrifying. She absolutely loves it and we love hearing all about her new adventures!

Family "Relocation" - Done Right!

SO... last week, (OK... last MONTH)... we embarked on our 2nd Annual Michigan "Relocation". We were determined to make it better than the last disaster, and I'm happy to announce that we were most successful! It helped a great deal that the girls had matured a year, the napping schedule was far less constricting, and we were better prepared and closer to the beach this time around. The yellow house in the photo above was the place we rented - and it was perfect for us. Just a couple short blocks and we were at a private beach. We grilled, ate on the porch, watched movies, and just did exactly what we wanted... when we wanted to. We had such a good time, that while it was still in many ways a family "relocation", we could honestly call this adventure... a vacation as well. And we cannot wait to go back! Here comes the photo album!

Coloring at the Silver Beach Carousal.

Pizza dough to keep us entertained while we wait for pizza!

A little too much waterpark for such a small girl...

Ella LOVED her bunk bed...

Eating breakfast on a lazy morning...

My animal lover...

"Race ya!"

Popcorn and Cannons... why not?

"Back off sista!"



Best seat in the house.

Getting used to the water...






First taste of cotton candy... for some crazy reason neither of them were fans...

Petting the baby foal.

After a 1.5 year boycott of the merry-go-round... the joy is restored...

Might as well jump!
...and jump some more!

Is this terrifying to anybody else??

Ella Johnson, DVM

The actual awakening...

Berry picking - or eating - with Daddy.

The more accurate depiction.