Merry Christmas!

We have been very busy getting ready for Christmas! We decorated our tree and put up all of our Christmas decorations. The kids picked out new ornaments to add to the tree. We have made a gingerbread house and written a letter to Santa. We took the kids to see Santa, watched Alexandra in her first Christmas program at school and just hosted our first and now to be annual Christmas party! And now we are packing and counting down the days til we leave on Friday for Wisconsin! We can hardly wait. We will be spending both Christmas and New Years up in Wisconsin. To everyone we won't see or be spending the holidays with Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Jaime Oliver's Got Competition

We have the next Naked Chef on our hands! Jamie Oliver is going to have some competition!!

Thanksgiving & Visit from the Kroghs

Thanksgiving Day

The kids with Yia Yia and Papou on Thanksgiving Day.

We just enjoyed a visit from my Aunt Mary and Uncle Jim the week before Thanksgiving. I love that my parents have a house down here, everyone comes to visit!

We had a great Thanksgiving today with Nick's family. My wonderful mother-in-law did almost all of the cooking. All I had to do was make potatoes. It was nice to just relax, so thank you Aleca! The week before Thanksgiving my Aunt Mary and Uncle Jim were down using my parents house. I always love seeing them and we had a lot of fun taking the kids to a farm, the aquarium and the beach. We ate dinner at the beach one night with them and afterwards Alexandra told me that was the best restaurant she has ever been to!

(I put an album of pictures to the right of Thanksgiving, the Kroghs' visit and a few other random pictures.)

Hello!

Me and the kids! - An average day in our life!

Hello! Hello! We are all good here in Florida, looking forward to the holidays! This year we will stay down here in Florida for Thanksgiving and then will head up to Wisconsin for Christmas and New Years! In the meantime I have been busy painting our house and training for a half marathon that I will run in the beginning of December. The kids are both doing well. Alexandra is already anxiously waiting for Santa to come. She is a planner like her Mama and has already made a Christmas list. I am still waiting for words to spill out of Johnny's mouth. In the meantime he keeps himself very busy every day trying to either play with his sister or irritate her!

Halloween Week

My Mom and Dad were here for 5 days over Halloween. Grandma got to go to Alexandra's Halloween class party and Fall Festival.

The day before Halloween we took the kids to a farm where they could ride horses, ponies, take a hay ride, feed horses and pet a bunch of other animals. Johnny was our little equestrian. He loved the helmet!

And he loved the ponies even more. He wanted to keep riding them!

I think Alexandra has found a new love, horses. She looks like a natural and just can't get enough of them.

Superman!

Our trick-or-treaters, they couldn't wait to go!

The cutest kitty kat in the neighborhood!

A comedian, a children's museum and the Florida pumpkin patch

The other day the kids were playing so cute together on the bed I wanted to take their picture. When I said 1 2 3 and went to take the picture Johnny put the blanket on himself. He thought he was quite funny! Then he kept doing it when I tried to retake the picture. Finally I just gave up!

A new children's museum opened up in downtown Tampa. We took the kids there last weekend and they LOVED it!

Johnny got to be a scientist at the museum!

Alexandra practiced her veterinary skills.

Both kids loved the fire truck and especially the fire pole. Even Johnny went down the pole with a little assistance.

We also took the kids to get pumpkins last weekend. Here in Florida a "pumpkin patch" consists of either pumpkins gathered on the ground somewhere for sale or on a table. Not quite the same after growing up in Wisconsin but to the kids it is still exciting.

Halloween Countdown

Halloween is Coming.........we've put up our decorations.......we are wearing our Halloween pjs......
and our Halloween t-shirts......

........been trying on costumes....what will Johnny and Alexandra be?