Brace yourself, Christmas dead ahead!

We are trying to focus on gratitude this Christmas, teaching our girls (and reminding ourselves) how fun it is do something special for someone else. To this end, Nori keeps blabbing what we got people because she is excited to give. "Daddy, we got you a shirt! It's a shirt!! " or "I'm going to tell sister about the bird puppets I buyed her ". Tonight we are having our little family Christmas followed by a long weekend in Winona. We plan to go to church, although Central Lutheran always worries me because there is a giant 500lb cross hanging over the pastor's head suspended only by thin wires, and I can't help but fear it is going to come crashing down during the Norwegian verse of Silent Night. They always do a Norwegian verse for the 'wegians in their 'wegian sweaters. Pray for me that I control my chocolate covered pretzel eating and that the babies sleep well in different beds.

Stay tuned for a recap of highlights from 2012 and a FAQ post. What, no one ever asks me questions ever, let alone frequently? Well, now is your chance! Otherwise, I will just make them up, sign your name, and I answer them in a way that makes me look awesome.

p.s.
major thanks to Grandma & Grandpa for babysitting this week while our nanny cruises the islands on vacation.

Baby Henny's 1st Christmas!

Jingle Bells!

Not board certified

Never take medical advice from Norelle. Her pal Lo Lo had a hangnail on her toe and Nori instructed her to "pick it".  Lo's toe is now infected. Nori also loves to pick other peoples' nails and scabs, especially her sister who is unable to stop her. She is super fast too, before you have a chance to protest your almost healed scab is gone and you are now bleeding. In other non-medial news, we had to go get her ear re-pierced at Claire's. The original earring back got "crunked' as Jake said which translates into turned sideways. I tried to fix it, but I didn't know my own strength as I pulled the whole earring out and there was absolutely no path for it go back in! Normally your earring holes are scarred open so there is path, but hers was like, all tissue-y and sticky. Luckily, she was a trooper when we went back. She is working really hard on not having the "Gimmies" when we go to a store although she recently bought a gift for a friend and said  "I feel really greedy about that".

Cute as she wants to be

This baby had her 6 month check up! She weighs 16lbs 4 oz and is 25.75 inches longs. She is right in the middle of pack in terms of percentages. Henny is as happy as can be even with two more new teeth. We even bought her a new baby toothbrush. I mean I didn't get get my first toothbrush until I was 9. She loves to eat, especially blueberry yogurt, carrots, and sweet potatoes. Trying to turn her orange in time for the New Year. We love her so much!

Let the festivities begin! Today we celebrate Christmas at my Dad's. Grandma & Grandpa will be here this week as well to babysit (nanny is on vacay) and of course, next week we head to Winona for Christmas. Viva la holidays!

click click click

Super Sisters "swim"  to rescue baby seal

Oh, blogger. I am using the new blog interface which should save me time once I figure it out. At the moment it is costing me time. Just know these are not necessarily the photos I wanted to post nor the order I wanted them in but it's not worth it to redo this post. BTB, as I decode HTML Jake is playing Barbies with Nori and she just declared "I want to be the blond one, her hair is so glorious".

So where was I?  After our Santa adventures on Thursday, we latted at Java Train Cafe with Ang, Liam and Graham. The big kids played in the faux boxcar for hours, only coming out long enough to eat Superman ice cream.

Remember like years ago when is said Nori was 75% potty trained? Well, that lasted for a long time but now Nori is finally 100% potty trained so we took her to the mall for her grand finale bribe...getting her ears pierced!  She got nervous as we walked in, finally wondering if would  hurt. My heart nearly stopped when they put the guns to her lobes.  I fully expected a major meltdown but she did not even cry, she was so brave! Video to come.

Shopping, cleaning, and baking ensued the rest of the weekend.  Missy & I spent six hours baking Christmas cookies including: sugar cookies, corn flake wreaths, cinnamon log, chocolate waffle cookies, spritz, and cake balls (my sloppy cake balls look nothing like Liz's so maybe I should call mine Kake Ballz to reflect their less than beautiful appearance). We were covered in frosting and flour but holiday tradition dictates we must bake!

Henley now claps but only when we sing "Up on the Housetop".  Her clap is kinda a one handed flop and she sometime accidentally hits the other hand but Momma knows what she means. She is not sitting up or crawling but doing something much more amazing... she can swim on the hardwood floors! She does a 360 on hert tummy and propels herself, mainly backwards. But she will find the toys.

Norelle has been a big ball of love, spontaneous saying "I love you, Momma"  and "you are so sweet to me" about 20 times a day. Of course, sometimes she says that because she wants contraband but I don't care. She also loves her sister like crazy, calling her "my beloved baby".  Isn't that sweet?

playing with Graham Cracker

I now eat squash, sweet potatoes, green beans, peas, and yogurt!

Her own fast food Japanese restaurant?

beloveds

Before: clean and organized After: sugar explosion

Santa! I know him!

Nori: "I would like a green bicki and a green dog"
Santa: "Uh what? Um....okay", rolling eyes

a dog! if only it were green!

That evergreen literacy program really works

she has my eyes...and heart

twinsies

my red eye remover must be broken?

Hollidizzle y'all

A very turtle Christmas

Not pictured: 10lb weights on tree stand

There's our tree! Ain't she a beaut? No matter the different varieties we choose, it always ends up looking exactly the same. As in always awesome...until it tips!

Did you see the newest episode of What Not To Wear with the crazy turtle lady from Saint Paul? Okay, so when I took Nori to her first ever ballet/tap lesson (which she loved) guess who was there? Crazy turtle lady's husband and her son! My daughter danced with turtle boy! I knew that someday somehow we would meet someone famous. Turtle dad told me he was not a fan of the transformation and yes, CTL is back to wearing her turtle duds. I should email Perez.



What else? We got our ho ho ho on this weekend. Put our tree up, stockings hung by the chimney with 3M hooks, gingerbread house decorated, and dinner party with Missy, KennaBear, Lo, & Andy (Ho Ho Ho & Ho). I tried my hand at homemade Alfredo sauce and they brought cookie dough. To eat raw! I love it when people get me. Good thing we all wore sweatpants.

reading the Nanny Log to see who was naughty and nice

for every ornament on the tree, three others have been swiped and hidden

3 Princesses and a Bowl of Chex Mix - coming to theaters near you in 2012

Daughter #1

Daughter #2

Lazy Sunday

Gingerbread creations with Papa Bill

"One for the house, one for me"

Ta da! Norelle (on the left) Henley (on the right)

You guessed it. The snow-only diet returns.

Finally, a video moment...

Winona weekend

Going to Winona is like going to Disneyland for Nori. Grandpa is Mickey Mouse, Grandma is Minnie, the hot tub is probably Space Mountain and going over to Gramsie's is like Epcot Center, (more fun than you expect). We ate, visited, did not nap, and cut down our own Christmas tree in Witoka or "up on the ridge" as they say. That ridge is responsible for many a Snow Day. Mickey helped me with my PT and I have now recommitted myself to my transverse abdominus strength program in an effort to get rid of this awesome pelvic pain/back pain. Oh, and groin pain, did I mention the groin pain?

We also caught up with my high school friends both Friday and Saturday night for my 15 year class reunion. I know what you are thinking "Wait, don't you mean 30 years?". On Friday night we got to see everyone's kids for a lasagna supper and Saturday was adults only official reunion. The turn out wasn't stellar but it was cool to see everyone who was there and tell them all about my upcoming reality TV show which will be a combination of Duggars and the Kardashians, wholesome glamour. Perhaps the most telling part of the reunion was the warm reception Jake got from everyone, "Jake Seltz!!" followed by bear hugs and recaps of the glory of days while I stood politely by. He graduated a year before me but I he still knew more people than I did.

Time to go retrain my kids to sleep, make turkey pot pies with the holiday leftovers, and watch my husband hang icicle lights from inside by the fire.

ready to destroy another ecosystem!

her very first hacksaw

riding Minnie

6 months old today!

Visiting Great Grandma Sylvia