Christmas Day 2011

Christmas Morning....is there anything better than that excitement, wide-eyed, squeal of your kiddo on Christmas morning...no, I think not :) Alison woke at 3am wondering if Santa had been to our house and I told her it was still very much in the middle of the night and we should try and close our eyes again....she slept until 6:10 and we actually got out of bed at 6:30!

Santa brought this fun Hello Kitty shirt in her stocking
and it matched his other gift perfectly....Two goldfish! We now have "pets" in our home. Alison is ecstatic and loves Goldie and Scott very much! She's a very responsible pet owner, feeds them morning and night and talks to them!
Daddy was excited to get this BSU wall decor for his office!
Both sets of Grandparents and Great Meme came later in the afternoon to spend time with us and enjoy Christmas dinner. We are VERY blessed that they are always willing to travel to our house so Alison can enjoy Christmas at her house, in her pajamas, with her new toys, ALL day long :)
This might be the most beloved gift of Christmas 2011....this is her paint filly from American Girl that Meme and Papa got her. She loves it dearly and has named her Holly!
We were blessed beyond words this holiday season!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

and all through the house

not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

Our goodies for Santa above and the reindeers below...

and Santa has arrived! Merry Christmas 2011!!!

and she's a WHOLE hand....

bet you can NEVER guess what kind of birthday party Alison had for turning '5' years old....

yes, that's right...a Rapunzel party!!!!!

I let her invite 5 friends for her first friend party. It was a success :) The girls did great, played well, and overall had a good time. Mommy had tons of fun planning it too.

The girls were enjoying snack time here...Chris was playing a little game of question and answer...
Alison had decided last minute that she wanted to go ahead and dress up as Cinderella for the party. We invited our friends to do the same. Cara played along and was Sleeping Beauty!

I let the girls decorate their own crown cookie...icing and all. They had a super time doing that and overall...it wasn't THAT messy :)

and the partygoers...Karis, Cara, Alison, Gabi and Izi!
Thanks for coming friends!

Our November in a nutshell....

Chris' mom's side of the family has a women-only weekend every year at the first of November in Minneapolis. They are super sweet to always invite and include me :) It is SUPER fun and I had to share this group shot of us beautiful women!!!Alison wanted to be a Native American for Thanksgiving this year...her wish is my command!
The little ladies for Thanksgiving brunch which included my brothers AmaZing chili!
Celebrating Thanksgiving....I'm so super thankful for these ladies in my life!

Halloween 2011

Chris was the lone carver this year, Alison and I took the easy way out...painting. I did try a Pinterest find and did make faces using tape and then painted over that...quick, cute, I like it :)Halloween night and we were blessed yet again with gorgeous weather..yay! We enjoyed a new recipe for tortilla soup for dinner and then we were out. Here's Carson and Tyler...our two littlest friends. Aren't they adorable?!
The rest of our trick or treat posse included Jordan, Lucy, and Lydia.
It was a great night with friends...the candy bowl was empty when we got home and Alison's bucket is still nearly over-flowing with goodies!