Frostelina Jolie. She is a bit creepy, but we were trying to use things for her face that Callie wouldn't eat. So we ended up with tomatoes, a carrot, and a slice of red bell pepper. Now, looking at this picture, I know that this is just wrong.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
frosty
Here's some pics from our backyard this past week!
Frostelina Jolie. She is a bit creepy, but we were trying to use things for her face that Callie wouldn't eat. So we ended up with tomatoes, a carrot, and a slice of red bell pepper. Now, looking at this picture, I know that this is just wrong.
Frostelina Jolie. She is a bit creepy, but we were trying to use things for her face that Callie wouldn't eat. So we ended up with tomatoes, a carrot, and a slice of red bell pepper. Now, looking at this picture, I know that this is just wrong.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Sledding
It was a bit warmer out last weekend, so we went to check out a nearby sledding hill. It was such a great place to go. It resembled a nice, wide, green run at a ski resort.The conditions turned out to be perfect. It was in the upper 20's with no wind and no crowds, so no one got cold and no one got clobbered. It was nice for all of us to get outside and do something fun! Here are some pics from the afternoon:
>
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Christmas
Christmas was wonderful. Steve's family came up for the week around Christmas, including Robyn and Cory, and it was so fun to have everyone here. Cory had to fly out on Christmas morning for work, but it was nice to see him for the time he could stay!
They got in the Wednesday afternoon before Christmas, just in time for us all to load up and go to Cabellas. There's one located about 25 minutes from our house that we'd never been to, so we took the opportunity to finish out Christmas shopping and let the kids look at all the stuffed animals there. Ava even went hunting with Papa. Good times. After we arrived home and put the babies to bed, we had a wrap-a-thon to get ready for Christmas morning. Go team!
The next day was Christmas Eve, and we had a full day, starting with Jan's Creme Brulee French Toast. Wowsers. That thing is awesome. We also woke up to a lot of new snow on the ground, so the boys jumped into action with snow shovels and the new love of Steve's life: the snow blower. Something about the chore of clearing snow from the driveway with a loud, two-stage snow blower really appeals to males. Which is great, because then I don't have to do it.
So that day we also baked a couple of pies, decorated a ginger bread house (Thank you, Robyn!) and delivered cards and mulling spices to the neighbors. I love that smell!
We went to the Christmas Eve service at our church that afternoon, then came home and took a family pic with Robyn's camera while everyone looked presentable.
Next came a big christmas dinner, complete with china and stemware. The hunk of meat we roasted in the oven turned out ok despite a faulty meat thermometer. I'm glad we didn't ruin things on our first turn to host a holiday meal!
Owen is missing from these photos because he went to bed about 10 minutes into the meal. So it was quiet. More quiet than comfortable, actually, because if we got too loud he'd wake up and start crying.
After dinner, Ava opened one present (pajamas), had some pie (about a tablespoon amount!) and went to bed.
Well, Ava went to bed after she sprinkled the Reindeer Glitter on the front lawn, which consisted of oats and glitter, you know, to lure the reindeer to our house.
The grownups wanted to go to bed too, but we still had a lot of work to do. Dishes, eating more pie, hanging stockings, and setting out the presents. The men built the ginormous electric train that Papa Cooper brought for the kids, setting it up around the base of the tree. Very fun. Owen loved it the next morning. So did Uncle Cory.
Christmas day was so fun. For starters, I go to sleep in a little bit. yes, it's true. When I woke up, there were several grown ups downstairs with Owen, who was sitting next to the train, mesmerized. Uncle Cory was making sure he didn't go Godzilla on the tracks.
Once Ava woke up, things started moving along, starting with the stockings. The St. Louis Coopers brought up all the family stockings, and it was fun to see them all together on the fireplace. Here's Owen digging in.
After stockings, we had to take a break to eat Robyn's famous, homemade cinnamon rolls.
My Goodness. Those things are sick. In a good way.
Then comes the homemade icing on top, which I think consists of butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and more powdered sugar. Oh, baby. I will admit that two weeks later, I ate one of the leftover cinnamon rolls hiding in the back of the fridge. It was still good.
When the feasting ended, we dragged our sugar-coma selves back to the living room to finish gifts. Uncle Cory had to finish his up quickly because he had a flight out in the early afternoon, Boo. But the kids had fun opening the presents and it was nice to lay low all day. Here are some more pics from Christmas.
I love the dress-up phase!!
Papa Cooper got this flashing nose in his stocking and owen was fascinated, so Papa helped him wear it.
Guy time on the sofa.
Snuggle time with Moots!
Steve's gift from me was a batch of homemade buckeyes. These are his all-time favorite treat, so I thought he would appreciate being married to a wife who knew how to make them. He was excited. : )
They got in the Wednesday afternoon before Christmas, just in time for us all to load up and go to Cabellas. There's one located about 25 minutes from our house that we'd never been to, so we took the opportunity to finish out Christmas shopping and let the kids look at all the stuffed animals there. Ava even went hunting with Papa. Good times. After we arrived home and put the babies to bed, we had a wrap-a-thon to get ready for Christmas morning. Go team!
The next day was Christmas Eve, and we had a full day, starting with Jan's Creme Brulee French Toast. Wowsers. That thing is awesome. We also woke up to a lot of new snow on the ground, so the boys jumped into action with snow shovels and the new love of Steve's life: the snow blower. Something about the chore of clearing snow from the driveway with a loud, two-stage snow blower really appeals to males. Which is great, because then I don't have to do it.
So that day we also baked a couple of pies, decorated a ginger bread house (Thank you, Robyn!) and delivered cards and mulling spices to the neighbors. I love that smell!
We went to the Christmas Eve service at our church that afternoon, then came home and took a family pic with Robyn's camera while everyone looked presentable.
Next came a big christmas dinner, complete with china and stemware. The hunk of meat we roasted in the oven turned out ok despite a faulty meat thermometer. I'm glad we didn't ruin things on our first turn to host a holiday meal!
Owen is missing from these photos because he went to bed about 10 minutes into the meal. So it was quiet. More quiet than comfortable, actually, because if we got too loud he'd wake up and start crying.
After dinner, Ava opened one present (pajamas), had some pie (about a tablespoon amount!) and went to bed.
Well, Ava went to bed after she sprinkled the Reindeer Glitter on the front lawn, which consisted of oats and glitter, you know, to lure the reindeer to our house.
The grownups wanted to go to bed too, but we still had a lot of work to do. Dishes, eating more pie, hanging stockings, and setting out the presents. The men built the ginormous electric train that Papa Cooper brought for the kids, setting it up around the base of the tree. Very fun. Owen loved it the next morning. So did Uncle Cory.
Christmas day was so fun. For starters, I go to sleep in a little bit. yes, it's true. When I woke up, there were several grown ups downstairs with Owen, who was sitting next to the train, mesmerized. Uncle Cory was making sure he didn't go Godzilla on the tracks.
Once Ava woke up, things started moving along, starting with the stockings. The St. Louis Coopers brought up all the family stockings, and it was fun to see them all together on the fireplace. Here's Owen digging in.
After stockings, we had to take a break to eat Robyn's famous, homemade cinnamon rolls.
My Goodness. Those things are sick. In a good way.
Then comes the homemade icing on top, which I think consists of butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and more powdered sugar. Oh, baby. I will admit that two weeks later, I ate one of the leftover cinnamon rolls hiding in the back of the fridge. It was still good.
When the feasting ended, we dragged our sugar-coma selves back to the living room to finish gifts. Uncle Cory had to finish his up quickly because he had a flight out in the early afternoon, Boo. But the kids had fun opening the presents and it was nice to lay low all day. Here are some more pics from Christmas.
I love the dress-up phase!!
Papa Cooper got this flashing nose in his stocking and owen was fascinated, so Papa helped him wear it. 
Guy time on the sofa.
Snuggle time with Moots!
Steve's gift from me was a batch of homemade buckeyes. These are his all-time favorite treat, so I thought he would appreciate being married to a wife who knew how to make them. He was excited. : )
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
is the tree half full or half empty?
Thanks to Owen, our tree is a bit naked on the lower half. But on the other hand, there are twice as many ornaments as usual on the top half. All of the fragile ornaments had to be moved above his reach. We left some of the more durable ones on the bottom branches, but these are removed constantly by him throughout the day, so I've resorted to just leaving them under the tree on the tree skirt. His interest in the tree has started to wane a bit, so that helps. Plus, he actually obeys the words "No, no, Owen" pretty well for his age. I'm amazed every time that works. He hears this when he is about to climb on the hearth, splash in the dogs' water bowl, or rip leaves off our house plant. Today Ava and I added some candy canes to the tree, and Owen got in on the action as well. Most of his attempts ended up with the candy cane sliding down to the floor, but he got the general idea!
He's sizing up the task.
He's excited to contribute.
Reaches for it...
and releases the candy cane. It slides to the floor.
Here's cute, serious Ava.
Really concentrating here...
Then she hams it up for some pictures. 
So then mommy gets in on the action. This has been another happy holiday contribution in our house:
In the $5 bargain bin at Walmart was this compilation DVD of songs from all the classic, creepy children's Christmas movies. From the Island of Misfit Toys to Frosty to an eerie version of the Little Drummer Boy, it has all the favorites. It brings smiles to our faces. And finally, Steve ripped out the kitchen sink tonight in preparation of our coutner tops being removed tomorrow. yipee! Goodbye, black sink! Goodbye, moldy, gnarly counter tops! We will not miss you! Well...maybe for the 4 days that we will have no sink or counters...but after that, we will not miss you!
Owen assisted on the plumbing portion of this chore.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)