Finally, snow!

We got about 8 inches of snow in Waukee!  It had been a long time since we've had a lot of snow so we got out there and ran the snow blower, immediately had to shovel again, and played around a little while.  Maddox was whimpy and didn't last long.  Hadlee liked to drag the sled around and run up and down the sidewalk.  She's too little to walk in that much snow.

 Jessi loves leaping around the snow.  She's fun to watch bounch around and try to find balls that bury themselves in the snow as soon as you throw them.

 This is to proove to my girls (when this blog is in book form for them to see when they're older) that I DO dress up sometimes and not look like a comfy mommy!  My choir had to sing at a formal event last night so I went and partied and left the girls and Jeremy at home.  I was not paying $250 a head for Jeremy to join me. 

Des Moines Staycation

Since Hadlee is sleeping off her fever and throw ups, Maddox is enthralled with playing pretend with her dolls, and Jeremy is off on a 10 mile run I think I have some time to update the blog!  In the fall I bought a living social deal for a local hotel knowing we might need a little vacation from winter.  It was a great deal!  Hotel 1 night, pools, slides, hot tubs, arcade, vouchers for dinner, breakfast, and drinks all for $60!  And the pool was clean and warm (and it was warm when you got out too!)  So fun!

 Maddox will do just about anything with her inner tube.  We made her practice a while without it but then she wore it most of the time in all the pools.

 All wrapped up to sit out for a bit and eat some pizza for dinner.

 After dinner we played in the arcade and won some tickets then got this big sucker and tootsie rolls for the kids with them.  Maddox was guarding that sucker well and wouldn't let me have a bite!

 But Hadlee would give me kisses.  I probably bribed her with tootsie roll.  No, she gives kisses and hugs all the time now.  She's very sweet and loving just like her sister.

 The next morning after our huge breakfast it was back to the pool.  Hadlee's working hard at carrying her ring that's about as big as her.

 Hadlee would go down this small slow slide by herself on her tummy and Maddox would go by herself with her ring.

 Hadlee would go down the bigger slides on my lap and get all splashed at the end but go right back around the pirate ship to go back up and do it again. 

 All 3 of us ready to race down the slides... waving at Daddy first.

 I make a big splash! Poor Hadlee!

The two weeks before this were filled with what turned out to be gallbladder attacks and doctors appointments.  Those hurt, a lot!!  The ultrasound showed I had no stones but the HIDA scan showed my gallbladder to be working at about 22%.  So I've met with a surgeon who's ready to do my surgery when I am.  For those 2 weeks I ate 0-2g of fat per meal so I'd quit having attacks.  It's hard to eat 0g of fat with low sugar!  A lot of bread and pasta and fruit.  By this vacation night I was all better and tried pizza, an omelet with cheese and veggies, chips... basically a bunch of cruddy fatty foods and was fine.  I'm still good most of the time but have gone back to having the occasional bad meal or dessert.  So, when my next attack comes, I'll have surgery.  In the meantime I'm doing pretty well with somewhat of a diet change.

We loved our little and short "vacation" and were not ready to go back home!  It was fun to finally get to swim again and be warm!  Now, we wait until spring!

Stylish Maddox

This is what happens when Maddox chooses her own clothes.  She good at matching colors, just maybe a little too good.

Christmas Vacation

Christmas vacation is almost over (Maddox starts back to school tomorrow) so I guess I should post the few pictures I have.  I was terrible at taking pictures for the holidays.  No New Year's Eve pictures even though we went to a fun game night party with friends from church, and very few Christmas pictures.  None to document the fact that my whole family was together.  And I mean everyone, Suzy's family of course, Jennifer and family, and my parents all at my house for Christmas and dinner and the vacation surrounding.

Maddox kicked of the Christmas break with her program at preschool.  They sang a few songs and did a VERY shortened Christmas story.  The whole thing lasted about 10 minutes but it was cute and had it's usual 3 and 4 year old funny parts.

 

 Here's a few Christmas morning pictures.  Mom and Dad stayed at my house so we all opened gifts together first.  Mainly we watched Maddox open gifts actually.  She was SO excited.  Especially when she opened a gift from Santa.  "This is just what I told Santa I wanted!!" --about Princess Celestia My Little Pony and an Ariel doll below.  Sheer joy!

 Hadlee, on the other hand... this look was her happiest of the day.  By the way, her Barbie's name is Hadley so she had to have it.  Besides, I knew they would fight over Maddox's if one wasn't specifically given to Hadlee.  Anyway, Hadlee was miserable on Christmas day.  The morning was all right, but she was back in bed by 11 because she was falling asleep at the kitchen table during brunch.  She just had a cold, but it was the worst of it on Christmas day.  She spent the day napping, being rocked by an aunt or grandma, and napping again.  I mean, she was REALLY sick and pathetic.  I'm so glad I at least had other people around to take turns!  Thanks Mom and sisters!

 Near lunch time Suzy and Jennifer's family came over and we opened more presents.  Grammy made Emily a coat to match Maddox's so they both had to wear them much of the day.  Grammy should open a business.  That coat gets so much attention and adoration when Maddox wears it to church by adults and little girls alike.

 We all spent the rest of the day playing many new games.  Maddox and Emily tried their hand at Twister Hoopla. 

Everyone's gone home, the decorations are down, we've had a few days of rest, and now life returns to normal.  Darn.  On to an exciting 2012!

Holidays Begin

Maddox had a Thanksgiving dinner at preschool.  As usual, she ate nothing but the cookie and the muffin.  Hadlee and I came to watch and so I let Hadlee eat the rest of her food after they left the tables to go sing songs.  And, as usual, Hadlee ate everything.

This weekend was Winterfest in Waukee.  Santa arrived in town at 4:30 and rode around all the neighborhoods in a firetruck greeting all the kids until he arrived at the downtown triangle (no, it's not the square, it's the triangle here in Waukee) to let kids sit on his lap.  I heard the fire truck siren at the corner so I grabbed Maddox and ran outside to the side yard where Santa waved at her from the cab and said "Ho Ho Ho" over the microphone.  She thought it was pretty cool.  It was a very cold night but we went downtown where we met Suzy and the kids.  Separately neither Maddox nor Emily were willing to sit on Santa's lap.  But once they were together they would do it.  They're both much braver together.  Emily is the only one that talked to him.  Maddox refused to speak or even look at him, just like every year.

 My battery died on my camera so this picture is with my phone.  Hadlee was interested in checking him out, but very quietly and shyly.  Maddox just stared straight ahead.  After this we were all frozen so we went to the community center where they were serving soup, cookies, and hot chocolate and letting the kids do a craft.  It was a cute little night for the little ones.

I don't remember if I ever posted this picture but it's been on my phone forever.  I think it says a lot about Maddox.  It was taken this summer while we were camping (Maddox loves camping) while she was playing on the playground (again, Maddox loves that).  She's wearing her butterfly sandals (which she hardly took off this summer) backwards (because she NEVER could get the right one on the right foot so I just gave up and let her do what she wanted) and a butterfly landed on her foot (loves nature, outdoors, bugs, and animals... she's her mother's daughter)!  So this picture is just full of things and memories that Maddox is and loves.