Halloween 2014

We had a visit from Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Janet for Halloween again this year, we always love it when they visit! In the morning, while Ian was busy at Kindergarten, Mia's class had a Halloween parade at school.

Mia and her friend Charlotte were both dressed as ladybugs.

Time to trick or treat!

Joe had to match Ian of course.

Aunt Janet helped to carve some fancy pumpkins.

Eating all the candy.

Hoppy Easter!

I'm a week late with this post, but better late than never.  The kids had a great time hunting for the eggs that the Easter Bunny hid in the yard.  The bunny was smart enough to wait for Joe to give the yard the first cut of the year before venturing out to look for the best hiding spots.

4th of July

This year we celebrated July 4th at our neighborhood party.  The day started with a parade, in which all the kids could decorate their bikes, strollers, wagons, and scooters and ride through the neighborhood.  We decorated our wagon, and Ian made a special hat at school. (Mia had a hat too, but she tore hers before we even got it home)


The parade ended at the pool, and we cooled off with some shaved ice.


Ian and Joe took a train ride around the parking lot, but Mia wasn't impressed.


After nap time, we ended the day in typical summer fashion - on the porch with the water table.

Hoppy Easter!

We had a very busy Easter weekend!  On Friday the kids both had egg hunts at school so they could practice for the Easter Bunny's arrival.  They also made bunny ears, but since Ian was too busy to wear his Joe had to stand in.

On Saturday Grandma and Grandpa came for a visit and we colored eggs and made some bird nests.

Sunday morning Ian woke up to find that the Easter Bunny had hidden eggs all over the house!  He and Mia didn't waste any time cracking their eggs open and feasting on the jelly beans inside.






After the hunting was complete, we all got dressed up and headed to Market Table Bistro for brunch.  Mia dressed in her Easter best for the occasion.




After brunch we were all sleepy and stuffed with delicious Easter goodies, so we settled on to the couch to watch a movie.

Valentine's - Part 2

The kids came home today to find balloons and gifts from their Valentine (i.e., Mom).  Mia toted her gifts around for a while until she got bored of them and went after Ian's chocolate.



Last night we went out to dinner after Ian's science class and it was Kids' Night so they each got a free scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert.  Mia really enjoyed hers, and what we couldn't catch on video was the shiver and giggle she did every time she got a big bite.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Christmas 2012 (Long Overdue)

I finally have my act together long enough to put together a post about Christmas and our travel adventures.  We visited the Ferners in St. Louis for the holiday this year, and our trip was action packed.

On Christmas Eve eve, we visited with the extended Meyrose family, where Mia and John became fast friends.




We spent Christmas Eve at Aunt Janet's house for the big present-opening extravaganza.  Mia dressed fancy for the occasion.




Mia and Katie were worn out from all the excitement, so they took a little snooze.


Then Santa brought even more presents for Christmas morning.


Later in the week we visited the Butterfly House.






Ian and Joe went in the bubble with all the cockroaches (yuck!).


Mia decided to stick to the puzzles.


For our last big adventure, we spent an afternoon (in the snow) at the St. Louis Zoo.


The penguins were Ian's favorite.






When we got home to Virginia, Santa had left even more presents under the tree!


And, at Ian's request, here is the annual photo of our gingerbread creations.

Holiday Show 2012

This year our daycare held their 1st Holiday Show.  All of the classes practiced their performances for weeks, and some even made costumes.

Mia's class was supposed to dance to "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" but the performance can only be described as a total disaster.


Ian's class sang three songs.  Ian knew all the words and sang along the whole time, but he didn't seem to be enjoying himself very much.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer:


Jingle Bells:


Feliz Navidad:

Decking the Halls

We've been busy getting ready for Christmas!

Last weekend we went to a tree farm to find the perfect tree.  Ian helped Daddy cut it down and drag it to the barn.




Refueling with some apple cider while waiting for the tractor to take us and our tree back to the parking lot


Ian was a big help with the ornaments


Mia just wanted to pull them off and scatter them around the house


Finished!


Yesterday it was 70 degrees so we headed out to the Winter Walk of Lights at Meadowlark Gardens. Mia rode in the stroller and pointed at all the colors and shapes.  Ian led the way down the path of lights and stopped for a few photos at his favorite spots.