Christmas Day- The Celebration Continues!

Lauren (left) and Emily (right) uncovering their main present from Santa... a pink retro kitchen set!

The girls love the shiny sink!

Opening more presents with Dad...

Most of the other presents were kitchen accessories... the girls knew exactly what to do and started cooking up a storm!

Our friend Zander from Eugene sent the girls chef outfits! Here is Lauren modeling her outfit.

In the evening we had the Yaps, Kisors, and Rufeners over for dinner, dessert, and LOTS of playtime! Here are the five girls having fun in the playroom... from left to right: Aunty Tian, Lauren, Kali being a wiggle worm in the tunnel, Kay in a purple dress organizing the refrigerator, and Emily going down the slide.

We got a tabletop attachment to convert the pool table into a ping pong table and the girls had a blast while Uncles Greg and Lane observed from the sidelines! It was a fabulous Christmas and we are already looking forward to next year's celebrations!

Christmas Eve Festivities

Christmas Eve festivities began with brunch at the Kisors! Here Kay supervises Emily with the trumpet and Lauren with the guitar while Kali finishes up some last minute Christmas cards.

Kay and Lauren coloring a picture. Kay has excellent crayon skills and was very tolerant of Lauren's scribbles.

Emily opening a present...

Lauren opening a present...

More present opening at the Rufeners in the afternoon!

ZooLights

The girls LOVE holiday decorations, so this week we took them to see ZooLights at the Oregon Zoo! Here is Lauren enjoying the view from Dad's shoulders... if you look closely you can see that she is wearing her favorite Halloween pumpkin socks.

Emily strutting down the lighted pathway...

The girls were so excited to see all the lights... according to the website, there are a million of them!

A random cute picture of Emily with three of her favorite things... sparkly rhinestone dress, colorful bow, and knitted hat from Aunty Kimberly.

And lastly, a picture of a beautiful foggy winter morning taken from our kitchen nook earlier in the week...

Homemade Graham Crackers

The girls LOVE food and eating, so we do a lot of baking and cooking at our house! This week we made homemade graham crackers... Emily was absolutely delighted to join in on the fun!

Lauren joined in too and helped cut out star shapes.

The finished product! Yummy!

Christmas Decorations

We decided to put up Christmas lights this year!

This weekend we went to Lee Farms to pick out a Christmas tree. Emily preferred to walk on her own and Lauren preferred to be carried.

Justin measuring the tree to make sure it was just the right height. We chose an 8.5 foot Noble Fir.

While the tree was being shaken and baled, Lauren (left) and Emily (right) carefully checked out the goats.

Emily (left) and Lauren (right) enjoying warm apple cider donuts in the car while the tree was being loaded on top.

The unwrapping of the tree! The girls were so excited! They are very interested in Christmas decorations this year.

The finished sparkling tree!

Thanksgiving Weekend 2010

This year we hosted Thanksgiving at our house! It's always so much fun getting the whole family together! From left to right: Kaylin, Lauren, Kali, and Emily.

Kali and Kay posing by the table...

There was an overabundance of food which seems to be the usual routine at our family gatherings.

Grandpa Rufener serving Lauren some of Uncle Lane's famous Oreo cookie pie!

The girls had a great time with Uncle Greg! Here is Emily enjoying a swing ride as Lauren eagerly waits for her turn.

Other activities during the holiday weekend included a visit to Pump It Up Junior...

And breakfast at the Murrayhill Cafe! Here is Emily (left) and Lauren (right) playing with crayons as they wait for their french toast to be prepared.

Indoor Play Parks

The cold winter weather has inspired us to try out some of the nearby indoor play parks! Here is Emily driving a car at Safari Sam's.

Girls climbing the cargo net. They both made it to the top all by themselves!

Emily (front) and Lauren (back) making their way through the obstacle course with Dad not too far behind.

We also started going to the Conestoga Recreation Center... it's perfect for toddlers!

Action shot of Lauren making a basket!

Little fashionistas

This weekend cousins Kali (left) and Kay (right) were in the Nordstrom kids' fashion show! Lauren (middle, left) and Emily (middle, right) LOVE their cousins and were so excited to see them all dressed up!

On any given day, if you ask the girls what they want to do they will say, "Park! Park!"

Happy Lauren at the park wearing her favorite strawberry jacket.

Emily has developed a liking for bling! Here she is wearing four necklaces and a bracelet as she prepares to serve some tea to Elmo.

Sun and Swings

Sunny and warm fall days are few and far between! Here is Lauren (left) and Emily (right) enjoying the swings on a beautiful day.

Lauren with her head back looking carefree!

Emily LOVES to swing! Sometimes it's difficult to convince her to try out other activities at the park.

Pumpkins Galore!

The girls had so much fun this year participating in the Halloween festivities! Here is Emily (left) and Lauren (right) pulling the tops off their pumpkins.

The finished products! The girls got to choose the shape of the eyes and nose. Lauren even requested teeth for her jack o' lantern!

Lauren looking excited but serious as she heads out to go trick or treating.

Emily looking smug after receiving her first treat at Maw's house!

Emily (left) and Lauren (right) trick or treating with Dad.

So many pumpkins! From left to right: Kali, Emily, Lauren, and Kaylin.

Post-trick or treating... Lauren (left) and Emily (right) relaxing on the couch and checking out their loot.