Outdoor Fun

Right off the bat I must admit that it was "forced" fun for me and I'm not sure that I did get out of my funk until a while after we got back inside, but the girls definitely did have fun. I won't go into the details, but instead just share some fun pics
Katie and I made some snow angels, but she had more fun trying to make snowballs and trow them at me. However, the white stuff was too powdery so she didn't succeed much with those balls

Maya was just hanging out with Daddy in the wagon. Jeff was working with Gordie in pulling the wagon for the girls.

Katie wanted to be part of the "i don't even have to walk" kind of fun and snuggled in with Maya. Well, the snuggling didn't last very long, but both did get some time being pulled.

On the way home, Katie had to walk, but she didn't want to, so I suggested that we just roll down the hill. She loved the idea. The down side - she wanted to roll all the way home (about a 10 min walk) Needless to say, she didn't get to roll it her way and eventually we did catch up with Daddy and she got to ride a bit more.

Christmas in the air

Just a very quick post. As usual we had a busy week with appointments, meetings, visiting, cleaning, and organizing and getting ready for our Liebenzeller Staff Christmas tomorrow. I did want to put up a few pics of our Christmasy home. We finally have enough snow that the outside feels like Christmas as well.

It doesn't show well, but I have a little Snowmen collection. I didn't actually plan to start collecting, but over the years they showed up in gifts etc. so now I have my little snowmen winterland to start my seasonal decorating

Some lights, a nice sign that Jeff bought for me a few years ago and so we get a little quiet evening atmosphere (after 10 p.m. when we can be sure that the kids are actually in bed and sleeping - it's been a struggle the last couple of weeks, but that's a different story)

Our Christmas tree went up Tuesday night. Yes, it is fake, but until the kids are old enough to come hunt for a real tree, this will do.

This is the view from the livingroom

and this is my favorite aspect of our Christmas tree. I can put it behind bars - or more truthfully, keep the girls from climbing it and stealing all the ornaments. I know, it may be lazy of me, but the only place we can put up a tree is where the kids always play, and I just cannot be with them constantly. We do have it open when we are right with them and can teach them not to touch and only to look, but for some reason that lesson doesn't seem to sink in with either one of them very much. So behind bars goes the tree and Mommy will keep the thread of sanity I still have.

Mueti and Vati are here overnight and tomorrow we have a little B-day lunch party for Katie with all the relatives that are in the province/country. (Both sets of grandparents and Uncle Marc). In the afternoon is our Liebenzeller party, lots of fun and activity for the kids. Hopefully not too much.

Diva Girl

So while Jeff and I were in our staff meeting this morning, Andy and Marcel were looking after the girls. Maya had her morning nap for most of the time, but Katie kept the two busy. First they played outside for a bit, but once they got inside Katie played with her FisherPrice salon.Working with sticky rollers Katie came up with a lovely hairdo. I have a feeling that this one is going to be an odd mix of tomboy and princess. So glad the guys thought to take pictures while we were gone.

IKEA SHELF
I'm not quite sure yet if I like this shelf. Yes, the bins are nice to just toss the toys in at the end of the day, BUT they dump out even more easily. And they also work well as stairs, or that's what the girls seem to think anyway. Even Maya will climb up, and if I put a toy or something on the bottom "step" they just pull it down, make a mess and climb anyway.Maya is much more a climber than Katie was, but in this case the older is learning from the little one and both are getting into trouble climbing onto and into things. (I have no idea how I got the last sencence to underline and bold, or how to remove it, so there's no significance to it)
Jeff, caught the girls playing side by side quite nicely. Maybe the separating wall between them is the trick. Whatever works at the time I guess.

I'm off to straighten out my house now that Maya is down for her nap. Wish me luck.

Christmas Mailing

So I finally finished our Christmas picure/card. I designed one with my digital scrapbooking program, but when I checked the pricing it would have been way too much. So Costco got our business this year.

I thank Jeff very much for helping me address, stuff, "lick", and label almost 200 letters. Being a home missionary has a way of expanding ones mailing list.

It was a fun evening though. We don't often sit and work on something together like this. Focusing on getting addresses right we couldn't necessarily have deep and meaningful discussion as we worked, but enough chatting to have simple fun together.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATIE

My big girl turned 3 today!! Wow. 3 years ago she was less than 1 hour old, and now she's walking and talking and there's no stopping her.
We'll have the "official" birthday party with the grandparents next week, so we'll have a cake again then. But Katie very much understands that birthdays involve cakes and blowing out candles so I made some cupcakes instead

Blowing out the candles - the highlight of her birthday.

Katie asked for a chocolate cake with smarties on it, and I think it turned out pretty nice

As most 3 year olds have it. Katie was mostly just interested in the icing and the smarties

On to opening the gifts. Daddy did a great job wrapping them. He make the one package look like a giant candy. Inside were a new sweater and slippers.

Yesterday afternoon Katie told me that she would like some slippers for her birthday. I figured that I have an evening to make them, so as we watched Toy Story 3 (worth seeing) I knitted away and by midnight had the pair ready to wrap.

She wanted them on right away and they haven't come off, except to go outside to play.
Strawberry Shortcake Divio (Katie's mix of DVD and video) with a Christmas story. (Kids are watching it as we speak, that's why I have time for this longer post)

Very conscientiously I didn't open the package Katie got in the mail a couple of weeks ago from Aunt Mel. Knowing Katie's birthday was coming up I tucked the unopened package in the closet to be opened on her b-day. And wouldn't you know, it was an advent "calender". I guess I should have opened it when it arrived. Oh well, now Katie can open 2 envelopes in a day. We decided not to let her open 10 in one day. (And Mel, I think you are in denial - you definitely are crafty!!)

Maya missed the birthday meal since we were late getting it ready and she was just too tired. When she got up from her nap she was all ready to have her share of the cake.

Maybe I'm a bad mommy, but I just gave her the cupcake that Katie "undecorated" earlier. Obviously Maya didn't care.

Yummy cake!!

Gotta go and feed the kidlets now, so I'll sign off 'til next time.

Baking with Mommy

So, looking at the last few posts, I can see that Maya will have no reason to complain that we took tons of pics of our first born and none of her. In this blog too, is is mostly her again.

Anyway, while Katie was out with Daddy yesterday Maya was helping me make Katie's B-day cake.

Usually either Jeff or Katie get to lick the beaters, but since they were both gone, Maya got her first try. At first she didn't quite understand what she's supposed to do with them. So I held them up to her mouth for a lick and she caught on VERY fast after that.

She must take after Jeff ;) He does a great job licking beaters as well..

...but then again Grosvati isn't too bad at it either. I guess she's just a very good mix of both sides.

Gooey fingers, face and everything. Camera beware!

Watching a show together after supper. They both climbed up on the same chair on their own and sat there together for quite a while. Normally if they're within a foot of each other one of them will screech. I enjoy watching them together nicely.

Busy Week

Before I go into the other stuff, I'll just share a couple of pics to make you smile. Turns out our girls get the best bedheads ever.
Presenting Maya:

I love those still a bit sleepy, snuggly minutes in the morning, though Maya is often ready to be playing and running around as soon as we get her from the crib.

WORK

This is our crazy busy week. We had/have 4 different groups here in one week. Today we have a double hitter (a board meeting and a leadership retreat), yesterday the 17 LMC volunteers finished their 3 day retreat (Sun-Wed), and tomorrow we have the leadership team leave around 5 p.m. and a group of women arriving around 10 p.m. for a 3 day ladies' retreat. Lots of fun! I do feel overwhelmed a bit these days with Katie's birthday, birthday party, Christmas parties, getting ready for our own quiet and peaceful Christmas (ha!), the mission work, and 2 very busy girls. And the laundry, cleaning, refereeing, cooking, and and and. I'm sure all you moms out there know exactly what I'm talking about. It takes a lot of effort to stay calm, look to Jesus for the patience I certainly don't have on my own and then keep working in His strength. "One day at a time" Jeff says. "One minute at a time" is what might just get me through this.

Right now Maya is napping and Jeff took Katie with him to do some running around while I'm at home making sure everything is running smoothly with our groups. Which reminds me, I need to go stoke the fire so I'll sign off for now.