New Years Eve

Happy New Years!

We had our usual exciting New Years Eve! (Meaning- we are inside, in our pajamas, trying to keep our eyes open until 12:00 a.m.) Usually our neighborhood has a block party of some kind but this year they mostly did fireworks. Unfortunately, they usually buy enough fireworks to last until at least Easter. The kids just kinda ran around and played with each other til about 10:00 p.m. (which is VERY late for them) and then they pooped out. Neither one of them was scared of the fireworks this year so that was nice.

Bop & Daddy on a bike ride earlier in the day

Holly Hoola-hooping

The neighborhood gang eating Pixie Sticks Playing with Sparklers

Watching fireworks from the back of a neighbor's pickup truck

Christmas Day

Christmas day was so much fun. It makes it so much nicer when there is family around. The girls had a blast with Grandma and Grandpa. The girls were so much fun this year & really into everything Christmas-y...advent calendars, singing Christmas songs, looking at Christmas lights & watching Christmas specials. I don't know what I am going to hold against Holly now - everytime she was naughty - Santa would come take her stocking away until she was a good girl again. I think she checked everyday to see if it was there! She has been asking about Christmas since the day after Halloween! When we woke up Christmas morning - Holly was riding her new bike around the living room. She didn't even bother to come wake us up! :)

The girls being silly the day before Christmas

The Christmas tree after Santa came to visit.

Holly shooting baskets in the living room

Grandma helping Bop with her new doll (notice the princess attire - even at 6 a.m.)

We laughed our butts off trying to get these two to hold still for a group shot Grandpa playing basketball

Papa came over for a little while on Christmas day

Family shot

The day after Christmas we went to the park down the street to feed the birds.

Baking Cookies with Grandma

The girls had a great time making sugar cookies with Grandma. We had sprinkles everywhere!

The Night Before the Night before

Our neighbors had a little get together tonite in their back yard. It was nice and tame compared to what our neighborhood usually does around Christmas. The kids had fun making s'mores.

Bop & Daddy making s'mores Holly thought the smores were pretty cool...."Cool...I get to play with fire and eat chocolate too!"

Holly's face cracks me up in this picture. Laney had a serious chocolate mustache!

St. Augustine Winter Wonderland

We took the girls down to St. Augustine to the "Winter Wonderland" Friday night to go ice skating & do the Christmas sleigh ride etc. Grandma & Grandpa Maher are here from Missouri & they came with us. The girls had a great time. The ice skating was a joke. They only had men's size skates & the little tiny rink was packed with people. It also had about two inches of water on top of it so if you fell - you were going to be soaked. Holly was SOOO excited to go ice skating & I ended up pretty much carrying her around the rink. My back was killing me. We would just kinda stroll from one wall to the next. Needless to say, we didn't skate very long! There was no room for me to try out my triple axel so I gave up :)

My ice skating pictures are really dark - this is about the only one you can see of me carrying Holly around :)

Dorothy Hammill & Peggy Fleming on the rink - resting.

Riding the sleigh ride. Holly and Allison entertained everyone with their Chirstmas Caroling.

Grandma & BopWatching a movie in the amphitheatre
Anne took such good care of Brooke! She said she wishes Brooke was her sister too. Hmmm - Amy you want another kid???
Goofing around in the Gingerbread housesGrandma & Grandpa chilling out
It "snowed" at the end of the night - which it was actually like soapy bubbles. The girl's had fun trying to catch the flakes.
This is one tired little girly!

Visiting Santa Claus

We went to the mall tonight to let the girls see Santa. Santa wasn't in real good shape. He had a big black eye so he dangled his hat over it. My friend Kim saw Santa in Georgia with no teeth and our Florida Santa has a black eye....did Santa join a fight club? :)

You can kinda see his shiner in this picture

Anyway - Holly asked for a BIG bicycle and Brooke kinda maybe mumbled something. I thought Bop was gonna chicken out on me at the last minute but she went thru with it. She looks absolutely thrilled doesn't she?

Anne & Allison

Anne & Allison came over to play for a while & the girls exchanged Christmas gifts. Paper was flying everywhere! Holly was a little ticked off at me becuase she wanted to go home with them afterwards.

Sesame Street Live

We went and saw Sesame Street Live last week and the girls loved it. I'm sure everyone is jealous that we are getting to see all these rocking concerts....first The Wiggles now Elmo. We might even party it up with Ringling Brothers in January. :)