Christmas Celebrations

The weekend before Christmas we had the Kims over for dinner... we always have a great time with them! From left to right: Gavin, Emily, Melissa, and Lauren.  

 MAWS and DD stopped by the day before Christmas Eve to bring the girls an early gift...

 Puppy dog sleeping bags with their names on it!

On Christmas Eve we went to the Kisors for lunch. Kay and Kali entertained the girls with games and crafts... here is Emily playing pin the nose on the Rudolph. 

Twins times two! From left to right: Kali, Emily, Kay, and Lauren. 

We spent most of Christmas Day at home, opening gifts and relaxing by the tree.

Girls checking out their stocking contents.

Our relatives Carol Ann and Joe sent the girls Stompeez slippers... they screamed with delight when they opened them!

In the evening we went to Grandpa and Grandma Rufener's house to have dessert and exchange gifts. The girls sang some Christmas songs too! We are so grateful to live close to our families so we can see them during the holidays and throughout the year. :)

School Holiday Program and Boat Safety Week

The girls performed in their first school holiday program this year! Here are the students gathering before the start of the program. Lauren is wearing a Santa hat and holding Emily's hand.

The class sang three songs- Jingle Bells, Must Be Santa, and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. Emily is the fifth person from the right and Lauren is the second person from the right. The class did a terrific job, and afterwards there was a dessert potluck for everyone to enjoy.

It snowed a little this past week too! Lauren had fun trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue.

It was also boat safety week at the girls' swimming class. They had to jump into the pool, swim to the safety boat, grab a boat strap, and float on their back.

They also practiced getting into the safety boat. Once everyone was inside, teacher Wendy took them all for a ride through the pool!

A Christmas Carol

Emily singing We Wish You a Merry Christmas. She drew music notes on a piece of paper and wanted to "read the music" while we videotaped her singing. 

Lauren singing We Wish You a Merry Christmas. She was a bit camera shy when Emily filmed her video but later decided that she wanted to be videotaped too!

Santa Sighting and Tree Trimming

The girls patiently waited in line for a chance to visit with Santa! Lauren was a bit shy, so I think Emily did most of the talking. 

 We also finished decorating our tree! The girls did a great job hanging up the ornaments.

Lauren pretending to be Santa and Emily trying to sit on her lap.

Girls enjoying a rare sunny day at the park. 

Riding on the mall merry go round.

Lauren (left) and Emily (right).

Christmas Tree Hunting at Sleighbells

This weekend we went Christmas tree hunting at a place near our house called Sleighbells Farm. The girls had a great time searching for just the right tree!

Lauren with Daddy.

The girls liked this "baby tree".

 Emily, Justin, and Lauren standing in front of our tree of choice!

 Emily (left) and Lauren (right) helping out with the lights.

 The girls were especially excited about the sparkling gold star for the top of the tree.

Our beautiful tree! We are really enjoying it even though we still have to finish decorating it. Lauren insisted on taking a picture too and said it was the best Christmas tree ever!

Happy Thanksgiving 2012

Emily (left) and Lauren (right) showing off their festive school art projects. The girls love Thanksgiving!

Emily (left) and Lauren (right) on Thanksgiving Day, anxiously awaiting the arrival of our guests.

Per usual routine, we had an overabundance of food.

This year we had a group of 17, so the girls and their friend Amanda dined at their own special table.

Aunt Tian and cousins Kali and Kay feasting in the dining room.

This year we had a Thanksgiving pinata!  Turkey pinatas were hard to come by, so we had a Pablo the penguin pinata.  Here is Emily pulling one of the ribbons.

Lauren pulling one of the ribbons...

Scrambling to pick up all of the treats! 

After dinner we played games... ping pong was the most popular choice.

Emily is a very enthusiastic air hockey player... she was working up a sweat! The girls were exhausted by the end of the evening. We are so thankful to have such great family and friends!

Dinner Playdate with Amanda

This weekend we went over to Amanda's house for a playdate and dinner! Emily and Lauren take swimming lessons with Amanda and she is one of their favorite friends.

 Eating fruit appetizers and drinking delicious blueberry tea.

Doing art projects together before enjoying the delicious feast that Amanda's mom Frances prepared!

Butterfly Wings

The girls have been enjoying these cute butterfly wings from cousins Kay and Kali! They like to wear them and "fly" all around the house.

Happy butterflies! Emily on the left and Lauren on the right.

Halloween Festivities

Halloween has always been one of the girls' favorite holidays.  This year, the festivities started the week before!  We took this photo on our way out the door to gymnastics class.  Lauren dressed up as Super Girl and Emily was a ladybug.  

Teacher Jane let the class wear their costumes over their gymnastics suits during the initial floor warm up and routines.

We carved our pumpkins a few days before Halloween so we could enjoy them a bit longer.

Emily (left) and Lauren (right) both wanted smiling pumpkins with teeth.

Halloween shirts and candy corn jewelry!

Girls getting ready to go to school the morning of Halloween.

The class Halloween party was so cute!  Everyone got a chance to show off their costumes.  

 Emily talking to the class about her costume.

Halloween night!  The girls had a blast trick or treating and collected lots of treats.

Our friend Gavin was born on Halloween, so he had his birthday party the next evening at Out of This World Pizza.  The girls always enjoy seeing him!