Blizzard of 2012

Wednesday night into Thursday we got about a foot of snow and 40 to 50 mph winds.  This tree is deciduous but for some reason never drops it's leaves and it got so weighed down by snow it began to look like an evergreen.  Nothing has broken on it so far.  Maddox liked it because she thought it looked like a cave.

 The girls thought they wanted to go out with me Thursday when I started clearing the drive but Hadlee quickly found out she didn't.  It was much too deep and windy for her.  She clung to the tree until I took her back inside.  Maddox played in the yard a bit a shoveled some.

 Today, 2 days later, now that it's sunny and not windy, we went to the "hill" in Waukee.  Waukee built a horseshoe shaped hill at one of the parks since it's so flat.  It's not huge but it's good enough for my kids and not too much work to climb back up.  Maddox finally likes sledding and even wiping out.  She still won't do it without Jeremy but I bet she will before the winter is over.  Hadlee thought it was okay to sled, and would have done it more had the other two not hogged the sled the whole time.  Guess we need to buy a second one now.  She had a good time though climbing the hill, making snow angels, and throwing chunks of snow around.  Playing in the snow is much more fun when you're not about to get blown away!

Prep for Christmas

Our Christmas announcement!

 Due July 3, 2013... on our 9th anniversary!
Guess who's making trouble again?  Eating the candy off the gingerbread house before our Christmas party...

 We visited our second Santa of the year at Jolly Holiday Lights.  Maddox did talk to him and say she wanted a Barbie.  Hope somebody got her a Barbie.  Hadlee was silent this time around.

Maddox was an angel at the Christmas program at school.  Quite fitting I think!  She did sing and did all the actions.  She just does it all small and quiet.

Thanksgiving

I've got just a couple pictures of Maddox at her Thanksgiving dinner at school.  They sang some songs before they ate.

 This is the face you get when you stick a whole chunk of homemade (they made it at school) butter in your mouth thinking it was something sweet.  Nope, it's butter.

 I don't really have any pictures on my camera but here's evidence of the first annual Friends of Aaron Michael Turkey Trot.  Almost 200 people showed up to run or walk around the lake in memory of Aaron and other infants lost and raising thousands to give to the SHINE program (perinatal and palliative care) at the hospital and Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep (which takes photographs for free for families during the time they have with their children at the hospital).  So much love and support here!

Trouble Maker

Hadlee is ALWAYS into something that she shouldn't be.  

Halloween

The day before Halloween we did a little leaf raking, jumping, and burying.

 For Halloween Maddox wanted to be a scary witch.  She wanted it all black and wanted to be painted green.  Nothing cutesy.  So I asked Grammy to make her the witch costume from Wizard of Oz and of course Hadlee got to be Dorothy.  Hadlee liked trick-or-treating and caught on quickly.  She wanted to go for weeks and still fills her basket with pretend food and says she went trick-or-treating.

Camp Hantesa

Last week I bought I Living Social deal for a 1 night Mommy and Me stay at Camp Hantesa.  I get to go camping again but be WARM at night??  I'm game!  Maddox and I got to stay in a lodge with bunk beds that was heated.  There were a few rooms and about 6 other moms and their kids there.  And don't tell anyone, but before I went to bed I turned the heat up from 60 to a whole 64!  Shhh!  It was just from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon so we got to eat around the campfire, do a craft, play games, do archery and hike a lot.  We only hiked a lot because Maddox loves hiking.  We went on four different hikes, each 30 minutes to an hour.  She can do lots of hikes, just not long hikes.  It was a chilly night and morning but it felt good as long as we were moving and bundled up.  By the afternoon we wore just our sweatshirts and sat around the fire making hot dogs for lunch.  It was a short little trip but a fun time for Maddox and I to be alone together and show her what camp was all about if she ever wants to go when she gets bigger. 

Soccer Season

Maddox played her first season of soccer this fall.  It was 5 games.  Here are a few pictures that make it look like she actually played soccer and didn't just stand back and move out of the way quickly when kids or the ball got near her.  She was good a dribbling the ball from the end of the field back to the middle... only because she got to do that pretty much by herself.  Soccer is NOT her thing.  But she says she likes it and always wants to go to the next game so we'll try again next year and see if she gets any braver.

Camping

Earlier in September we camping one last time for the season at Lake Anita.  It was a beautiful weekend for camping, the weather was perfect.  70s during the day and 50s at night.  We took our bikes and rode on the 4 mile paved trail that goes around the lake.  Maddox rode the whole loop herself!  It took a while, but she did it.  One night we went out and counted all the deer we could find on the roads around the lake.  We found 10.  Maddox got to sit in my lap and drive the car for that.  She needs a little practice.  This is the first time Hadlee got to sleep in a sleeping bag and she did great!  No more squeezing a pack n play in the tent with us!

First Day of School

Maddox finally started school today!  She excited because all the public schools started mid August so she's been asking for a while when she gets to go.  The first thing she told me when I picked her up was that she made a new friend, Calista, who promptly came over and gave her a hug goodbye.  I was glad to see that, as shy as Maddox can be.  She's been wanting to invite friends over and have sleepovers so maybe now we'll make some friends to do that!  Maddox is in 4 year old preschool at Westview Church again.  Next year it's the real thing, kindergarten!  Wow!

Boating

Our friends, Ryan and Mandee, asked us if we wanted to go boating with them last Monday.  Of course we did!!  Unfortunately due to weather it was a short trip.  But I did get both the girls on the tube once.  Maddox mostly liked it and smiled most of the time.  Hadlee cried most of the time which we ignored and kept riding until Maddox was getting choked by her vest.  Good times!

Adventureland

Jeremy's work gave us free tickets to Adventureland so one really nice and cool weekday went took the kids.  We were there for about 10 hours!  We rode all the rides we could with Maddox, then rode them again.  She loved it and is getting so brave!  Next time we decided we had to take cousins or neighbors with us because we are NOT very good at riding some of the rides she's doing now.  Barf!  None that day, but it was harder by the end of the day!

Here they are hanging on tight to the teacup ride.

 This ride is similar to the one Maddox rode in Mall of America that she hated and was scared to death of.  It took me a lot to talk her into riding this one.  I told her I'd ride it with her and that usually makes everything okay.  She then spent the whole time trying not to smile because she liked it but didn't want me to know I was right.  We rode it 3 times.

 Daddy won Maddox a big pink polka dotted Scooby Doo and Hadlee a couple of stuffed fish.

 I even talked Maddox into riding the log ride and the river ride!  The log ride neither girl really liked because of the hill at the end. I wish I'd bought the picture they took of us, it was hilarious!  But the river was okay for her.  We missed most of the big water so that helped.

We had so much fun that day!  I love taking the girls to new things and pushing them to try new things.  They're growing up so much!!!

Princess Adventure

Through the conservation department Maddox went on a princess adventure one day.  She got all dressed up and went to basically and interactive learning time at a state park.  They learned about bugs, read a book about bugs, did a craft, then went to catch bugs, and finished with a snack.

 Hadlee spent the time climbing trees!

Hadlee's Big Week

This summer Hadlee go to do a week of Toddler Tumbling through the city.  I dropped her off and she stayed with her class for an hour doing movements and a little tumbling.  I forgot to take my camera the last day when they got to show us what they learned.  She kept saying "Mommy, take my picture!"   I swiped another mom's camera and pretended to take a picture but then she asked to see it.  Can't trick her! When we got home I took her picture with her participation award.

 A few days later we found out that Hadlee won the library summer reading drawing for a bunch of play dough toys.  Maddox was bummed that she didn't win but I had been putting both their slips in for the same toy since that's the one Maddox wanted.  She said she wanted it to be her name that was drawn.  Oh well, you stil got all the stuff, kid!

Taste of Hope

At the end of Bible school weeks (for 2 weeks, 3 sessions, over 1500 kids) we have Taste of Hope.  It's just a day of free fun, games, food, bouncy stuff, music, usually fireworks (although not this year because of the drought).  Just a long day of lots of fun.  It starts off in the morning with a 5K, or smaller race for the girls.  They had to do their stretching before the race.

 Maddox waited for an hour to get her face painted.  Gorgeous right?  Better be for that wait!

There's one big church service that night and the kids that were there got to go up and sing a couple bible school songs.  I love the songs and dances we do!  It's so much fun I was doing them too.  I worked at bible school this year so I learned them also.  We sing things like Party Rock changed to God is Rockin in the house tonight... or I'm Sexy and I Know It changed to God loves me and I know it...  And the dances are like an aerobic workout--great for cleaning house to!