A visit to see Santa

What holiday season is complete without a visit to the mall to see good ol' Mr. Claus? Daddy was home for the weekend from Phoenix, so he got to join us for the big day!

There was a cute little desk by where Santa was to sit down and write your letter to Santa. We drew pictures for him...and Morgan practiced writing her name.

Then she stuck it in the Santa mailbox so he could see it after he was done visiting with all the boys and girls.

See? Pretty cute, huh?

Then Skylar drew her picture for Santa...

Skylar was pretty excited to mail her picture to Santa too!

Then we got to wait in line to see Santa. We got to the mall nice and early and there was no line, so we were right up front.

Well, Santa was a little late, but luckily one of Morgan's classmates was in line with us so they danced and played chase and did a little ring-around-the-rosy. And Skylar thought that was pretty fun too. They also got fruity Mentos while they were waiting and that was super cool!

Morgan and her new friend and classmate did lots of dancing. But it was more along the lines of Morgan pulling him around the mall. But, hey, that's what girls do-and that's what boys like. And that's what counts. And it kept them all happy until Santa arrived.

Santa called the girls up and Morgan was totally into it. Skylar took one look at him and headed for the door, but after he gave her a giant candy cane they were officially friends again. They both told Santa what they wanted: Morgan-a stationary bike and a yoga mat; Skylar-a book and a baby. It was a fun time had by all.

After the Santa sighting we continued the festivities and had some lunch at Fuddruckers with Morgan's classmate. And this is the perfect age-they get to think they are playing super cool video games-and the parents get out of there for free! Good times! Merry Christmas!

Photo op

Well, we got all decked out in our "Black Friday" best and headed out for some picture taking. It was Skylar's 2nd birthday, so what better time to get a new family picture done. Bryan's parents and grandmother were here as well, so we snapped a few with them too. I think we have a few choices for this year's Christmas card!

Bobcats and Bumblebees

Saturday was not only Halloween, but it was also a home game for us. So, naturally we got the girls dressed up in their costumes and headed to the game. Well, during the 4th quarter Morgan was on TV!!!!! The game was aired on Altitude TV Network and the announcers spotted a bobcat in the stands and were admiring her awesome costume! Bryan's team's mascot is the Bobcats, in case you missed that tidbit. She was a huge hit and the grandmas and grandpas and a few neighbors saw her on TV. It was definately one of the hightlights to our day!

How could you not want that adorable face on your television screen? She was pretty excited and was waving her hands around in the air.

And there is certainly not a cuter bumblebee buzzin' around this town. And the costumes were perfect for the game-the hoods kept them nice and warm.

After the game we had a little Halloween party in one of the meeting rooms at the athletic office. One of the other coaches' kids was a monkey-borrowed from our stash. Which is the costume that Morgan was last year. Grandma Tutu is one crafty lady! And famous now!

No party is complete without a pinata! All the kids had a great time swinging away at the witch's face.

Here is a great shot of all the kiddos and their daddies.

And a great group shot of all of us.

Preschool Party!

Morgan had a Halloween Party at her preschool last week and it was so much fun. We did all kinds of games, the kiddos got lots of fun treats and prizes and it was a great time had by all. I was a volunteer, which meant that Skylar got to participate in the festivities as well. And as with dance class she is always on her best behavior around the older kids. It is exhausting, however, so she followed that up with a 4 hour nap!

Morgan was a bobcat for Halloween and she was a huge hit! Grandma Tutu made her costume and Morgan came up with the idea all on her own. She was especially excited to have the cute kitty nose and whiskers on. The preschool room was a little warm that day, so the hood didn't stay on long.

Skylar bug was suitably a bumblebee this year. She looked so cute! She thought she needed to have makeup on her face too, so we gave her a little nose, which wore off almost instantly. Skylar had a great time playing with all of the preschool stuff. This was a giant bucket of rice that Morgan's teacher had dyed orange for the special occassion.

Who says a bumblebee, Scooby Doo, and a poodle can't play play-doh at the same table?

Morgan's teacher had lots of fun things for the kids to do with pumpkins. They did some pumpkin investigations and this pumpkin was full of holes. The kids got to hammer golf tees into it with a hammer. They thought that was pretty cool.

Skylar LOVES babies! Real and pretend. She isn't picky. She spotted this one in one of the playrooms and immediately knew she needed to be held and fed. So she climbed up on the chair and gave her new baby a bottle and a good burping (or lashing). What a good little mommy she is.

The girls had a fun day and I had a toddler hangover. It is safe to say I would not make a very good preschool teacher. And I admire those that are!

Dancing Sisters

Morgan has been in dance class for 4 weeks now and she is getting more and more comfortable with it. I took a few video clips this last time so you could see how cute they are. "They" you ask? Well, yes. Morgan did not like the fact that I was dropping her off and leaving, and how do you expect a little- almost 2 year old- like Skylar to sit still and watch while 3-5 year olds are dancing around and tumbling about. Yeah, it's not gonna happen. So, super nice dance teacher let Skylar participate this week, and I must say she is really good. For an almost 2 year old she listens very well, and participates more than some of them. One of those being Morgan. Morgan is a perfectionis. I do not know where she gets it, but that's my girl. So you will see a lot of standing around, but she is just soaking it all in. When we get home she does all the moves and tells me all about it. Not Skylar. She just puts herself out there. She's not scared!

Forgive the video. This is a reflection through the mirror. It was difficult to be discreet and if they saw me taking video it would be all over at the Alamo my friends!

Another one of them bustin' a move!

Dancing with the hobby horses. This would be Morgan's all time favorite at dance class! Notice she is not passing up the opportunity to get a good long look in the mirror. She is so her father's child. He would be so proud!

Skylar is usually completely wiped out after dance class. It is hard for her to be that good and listen for that long. Being almost 2 is a hard job. But she knows when to step it up and when to bring her 'A' game!

Morgan has decided that dance class is super cool and told me last time when I stayed to watch, "Mommy, I am just really glad that you were able to stay and watch me at dance class." Yes, my sweet, sweet child. So am I. So am I.

Duck Pond

Every Sunday we get a special treat! Ok, a couple of special treats. The girls only get to see Bryan Thursday night (Friday and Saturday nights of home games) and Sunday nights. Well, okay and wee hours in the morning if they happen to make it into our bed while we aren't looking. So, we make the most out of those special times. Sundays are family night at the football office and they have dinner catered in for us. There is also a duck pond on campus that we found and there are lots of ducks and they are always hungry! So, when the weather cooperates we go feed the ducks before we go feed ourselves and see daddy.

The first time we went the girls were slightly overwhelmed, but now they are naturals and they quack back! Ducks are smart animals. When they see small children they know they will get fed. They watch poor college students walk by and they don't bat an eye (these ducks know), but they see small children and parents and they will hover and quack and sometimes peck at you for the bread. They know who has the goods and who doesn't.

The girls hear, "Quack, quack, quack," but all I hear from these ducks is, "SUCKA!"

It is always fun and the girls look forward to it all day. And seeing daddy and company is always a thrill too. The girls love to see the other assistant coaches and families. Lots of kids on the staff=good times!

And a little video for your viewing pleasure-

Crunching the Leaves

We have been enjoying the beautiful fall weather here and have been playing in the leaves every chance we get. The girls love to hear them crunch and they love trying to "put the leaves back on the trees." Although I have explained the progression of the seasons, they insist, so I let them-cause it's cute.

Fall is fun!

I love fall!

And it was even nice enough to get out the slide. While it wasn't as fun when you don't get to land in the pool, it is still fun to land in the crunchy leaves!

Hope you are all out enjoying your fall foliage too!