Christmas

Our break started off a day early, due to a blizzard hitting our state. The snow amount was minimal, but the cold and extreme winds kept us snuggled inside our house for 3 days straight. Thankfully, our road was plowed in time to make it to Christmas Eve mass and for the pajama elves to make their yearly appearance. 

We once again enjoyed a magical Christmas with these two excited and sweet ladies. Reindeer food was deployed and eaten, Santa spelled a message with chocolate chips to the girls, and presents were quickly opened Christmas morning.  

We also enjoyed a Christmas celebration with Jeremy's side of the family yesterday, and our celebrations will wrap up on the 31st with my side. The girls so enjoy all time spent with family, and we are grateful the weather cooperated enough to get together!

All that is left now is to sleep a night under the tree!

PJ Twins!

Last week we had a few Christmas-themed dress-up days. Aud loved matching her mom on PJ day! Kate, who does have jammies that also match us, is not a fan of wearing pajamas to school. 

Kate's 9th Interview!

 It's a little late, but here goes:

Here are Kate’s answers to her 9-year-old interview:

Favorite Food:  Noodles
Foods I Don’t Like:   Eggs
Favorite Thing to Learn:  Writing and Reading   
Favorite Color:  Blue
Best Friend:  Rowan, Delaney, Karlie, Rory, Isla, and Katelyn
Favorite Game to Play:  Gymnastics
Favorite Books to Read:  Graphic Novels and Whatever After
Favorite TV Show:  Bizaardvark
Favorite Holiday: Christmas
Things I Do Well:  Gymnastics
Favorite Place to Go:  Grandma’s House
Favorite Thing to Do With Family: Play Outside
Favorite Thing about House:  My bedroom
Favorite Thing to do Outside:  Zipline and play in snow
Favorite Chore:  Making my bed
Least Favorite Chore:  Picking up dog poop
Favorite Song: “2002”
When I Grow Up I Want to Be a: Gymnastics’ Teacher  
Place I Want to Visit:  Disneyland
Favorite Part of Each Day: iPad time
Favorite Drink:  Root beer, 7up, Red spicy water, Dr. Pepper
Favorite Sport or Activity to Play: Gymnastics
Something New I Want to Learn How to Do:  How to do a back flip
Best Part of Your Family:  Cats, my parents, and my sister

End of Basketball

Audrey's season wrapped up on Saturday with one loss and one tie. Even two overtimes couldn't break the tie, so it just ended. 😊

Once again, Audrey showed so much growth this season, both in her skills and understanding of the game. We were so proud of her and excited to see a little aggression coming out!

Way to go, #4!

Happy 9th Birthday, Kate!

Yesterday our sweet and crazy Kate turned 9. She had been counting down for months to her big day, and thankfully, all worked out for her plans! She took adorable cat cookies to school, jumped at AirFX after school, and had two friends sleep over. She had SO much fun, minus a twisted ankle while jumping, and it made our hearts happy to see her so happy.

We love you, Kate! Your weird, crazy ways bring so much joy to our days. You have a fun sense of humor and see the world from a unique perspective. We are so proud of the girl you are becoming and so grateful to spend our days with you. Happy Birthday, sweet Kate!

Christmas Tree

Our tree is up, decorated, and beautiful! The girls enjoyed opening their new ornaments,  a gymnastic medal for Kate and a basketball hoop for Audrey. Once again, Jeremy amazed us all with his strength and lifted both up to put on the star.

We sure love our cozy December nights by our beautiful tree.

Cousins

A couple of weekends ago, we made our annual weekend trip to Galena. The time for cousins to spend together is priceless. Having all six of them under the same roof only happens a few times a year, and it is so fun to hear their laughter. Audrey especially loves hanging out with her youngest cousins, and she is such a good help. She does enjoy sneaking out of the house for awhile to shop with the adult ladies, while Kate enjoys staying back and hanging out with the men.😊

The annual egg hunt did occur inside because of the cold temperatures, but it didn't dampen the spirits!  We had a great time together and look so forward to this weekend every year.

Audrey's 11th Birthday Interview

 

Here are Audrey's interview answers for her eleven-year-old interview:

Favorite Food:  Bacon, Apple, Chicken, and Cheddar Quesadillas
Foods I Don’t Like:  Eggs and Mushrooms
Favorite Thing to Learn: Social Studies and Writing
Favorite Color:  Yellow and Teal
Best Friend:   Natalia, Katelynn, Lillie, Julia, Kaylee, and Kate
Favorite Game to Play:   Beat the Parents, Line Up, and Roblox
Favorite Books to Read:  Graphic novels and Chapter books
Favorite TV Show:  Good Luck, Charlie and Liv and Maddie
Favorite Holiday:  Christmas
Things I Do Well:   Math and Drawing
Favorite Place to Go: On Vacations
Favorite Thing to Do With Family:  Play board games or play outside
Favorite Thing about House:  I like how it looks during Christmas.
Favorite Thing to do Outside:  Ride my bike, do chalk, and riding Dad’s Can-Am
Favorite Chore:   Cleaning my room
Least Favorite Chore:  Cleaning sinks
Favorite Song:  “Son of a Sinner”
When I Grow Up I Want to Be a: Teacher for 2^nd or 3^rd grade 
Place I Want to Visit: a Beach
Favorite Part of Each Day: I like waking up and getting ready for school.
Favorite Drink: Cream soda, Dr. Pepper, or Root beer
Favorite Sport or Activity to Play:  Drawing, Volleyball, and Basketball
Something New I Want to Learn How to Do:  I want to get better at volleyball.
Best Part of Your Family: The pets and the people

Aud is 11!

Happy Birthday, Audrey! Every year seems to go by faster, and suddenly, Audrey is turning 11. Whew. She had some fun celebrations going on for her big day...a small celebration in Galena last weekend, cookies at school yesterday, bowling and a sleepover with friends last night, and presents and her favorite BBQ chicken, cheddar, bacon and apple quesadillas for supper tonight. As she slid into bed tonight, completely exhausted from last night's dramatically fun sleepover, she said how sad she was to have her big day be done.

We are so proud of you, Audrey! Your creativity, tender heart, and kind ways woven with some preteen drama fill our house and hearts with love. Keep believing in yourself, and you will move mountains. We love you, Aud P.!

This young lady declared Audrey's sleepover was going to be the worst night of her life. Thankfully, though, she seamlessly fit in with the big girls and had some fun.

Concert

The two beautiful ladies had their fall music concert on Tuesday evening, and it was such a wonderful concert! Both girls sang beautifully, and it was fun to see their little personalities come out while with friends. It tugged at my heart a bit to have another reminder that this is Audrey's last year in elementary! It seems now the holiday season is officially underway. 

Basketball Girl!

Aud is back playing basketball again, and we have seen definite growth from last year. She knows more about the rules, plays, and routines of the game. She complains a bit about how much they have to run at practice, but overall, she still is enjoying it. We often tease her she needs to pretend it is Kate who has the ball, as we know Aud would be more aggressive with Kate! 😀 Two tournaments down, three to go. Go, Pirates!