Merry Christmas (Eve)!

We've already had such a wonderful Christmas - and the actual day is still almost an hour away. The girls are tucked in their beds, fast asleep, after a wonderful night at Uncle Tim and Aunt Kathy's house, our Christmas Eve tradition. Last weekend, we celebrated in Nixa with presents, stockings (my favorite) and a special trip on the Polar Express. Like the book and movie, kids dressed in pj's take a train ride to the North Pole to meet Santa. We had hot cocoa, cookies, sang carols, visited with Santa and Mrs. Claus, saw Christmas lights. It was perfect, and Evie loved every minute! I have so many pictures to share, but here's a quick one from tonight. If only we could get Nora to look at the camera - maybe a New Year's resolution?! Many more pictures coming after Christmas morning and our trip to St. Louis. Merry Christmas everyone!

Love Professional Photos!

No matter how much I try, nothing can compare to professional photos of the girls ... I'll post our family photo soon - it's on our Christmas card, so I don't want to give it away before it arrives in your mailbox!

Giving Thanks

Thankfully ... our first Thanksgiving (as hosts in our own home) was a success! 19 adults, 8 kids and 2 dogs all enjoyed one another and the amazing turkeys Mark cooked - especially the smoked one, yummy! We were especially thankful this year to have a few new additions - Mike, Ashley and Mabel Bland (Melina's new in-laws) as well as John, Elizabeth, Ashton and Aiden Cowie from St. Louis. Here are quite a few pictures from the day/night, as well as a few from the cookie decorating party the girls and I went to on Saturday. We hope everyone had as lovely a holiday as we did - there is much to be thankful for this year and always.

Mark, the proud chef

My table decor - thank you Kristine for all your help crafting 24 turkeys!



Melina and Matthew arriving early to help set up



Nora and Aunt Elizabeth



The lovely Sallas girls



Mom and her biggest fans



Nora and Mabel at the "kid table"



Evie the big girl - did I tell you she's on day 9 of panties, no diapers!

Mom and Evie at Tim and Kathy's Thanksgiving evening

Evie at the cookie decorating party - she was very serious about her work

Nora, on the other hand, was silly and messy as always!

We'll Miss You Park!

It won't be long before our park days run out for good. Every day seems a tad bit colder; the fireplace is on more, we're heading out for hot chai teas instead of iced ones. The girls and I are resisting this move into winter as much as possible. This week, we discovered a new park and, even though we were the only ones there, enjoyed it for as long as we could stand the chill. What will we do when winter really does show up to stay? Please, please - I need suggestions for good indoor activities! Until then, we'll keep bundling up for the park. Is it too much to ask for warm weather on Thanksgiving? We'll have 19 adults and 10 kids at our house and a little outdoor action for the kiddos would really help!

 

Costumes, Candy, Cousins & More

Favorite picture from the weekend - Nora looking oh-so-cool in her shades and fairy costume.

All the great grandkids/cousins (and Mom too!)

Evie and Breanna trick-or-treating at Great Yiayia's

Angelina and Breanna

Evie reuniting with her BFF and neighbor, Phoebe, for a night of trick-or-treating in the neighborhood

The girls made it to at least 15 houses and loaded up on candy!

Evem Nora scored some candy - you can imagine what a mess she was!

If you can't tell, the girls are fairies - thank you again Reen!

On Halloween Eve, we went to the farm for the last day of the season. Even our cousin Laura joined us!

Here's Evie with one of the cows. Or is that a donkey? You tell me Mom!

Evie with Jordan, Breanna and Angelina at the farm

Evie riding her very first horse - we lied about her age never thinking she'd actually do it! What a big girl!

Mommy with her friends at a party on Saturday - after the girls left with their Yiayia! Thanks again!



The girls with Klaire and Reece. Mom made their outfits - didn't she do an awesome job?!



Falling for Fall

"I feel like I'm falling for fall ..." Please tell me someone else has this song from Nick Jr. stuck in their head! Regardless, the girls and I enjoyed a beautiful, perfect fall day - complete with lots of lovely pictures to share. Enjoy!

One of my favorites from today - Nora lying in a pile of leaves, loving life!



And Evie looks so cute and grown up in this one - notice the leaf stuck in her hair. For once, she didn't care. She was having so much fun!

 

Here are the girls with our neighbor Phoebe, who will be in the same grade as Evie and only lives a few houses up. The girls pretty much stalk each other every day. Best friends in the making!



We started the day at Deanna Rose. What sweet sisters!




This one is just perfect - Evie pushing her grocery cart filled with who-knows-what on the sidewalk in front of our house. We go on "walks" several times a day with grocery carts and baby strollers, usually only making it a few houses before someone needs to be carried and we return home for the real stroller!



Love at the Lake

Mark and I celebrated our six-year wedding anniversary last weekend. We spent Saturday and Sunday at the lake with our friends, the Loreis and the Kolbs and all the kiddos too. The weather - and the company - was amazing, and the girls were so good, thankfully! It was a great trip and an even better anniversary.



Our family




Ashley, Ryan and Reece




Maggie and Mike




The kids loved the boat ride, Evie especially!




They all got along so well. Nora didn't even fight anyone over food!



On the boat, Nora was a bit freaked out.

Pumpkins and Ponies

We had a great last few days - taking the girls to the pumpkin farm and spending time with family and friends. We also received a great surprise from our cousin Reen in California - adorable purple pony outfits for the girls. This gift comes on the heels of another great surprise - the cutest fairy costumes ever for Halloween. Photos to come in just a few short weeks. Thank you Reen! OK, better get back to work. Mark has the girls at the zoo so I can get stuff done, and of course, the first thing I do is post pictures! Have a great week!

Our family at Faulkner's Ranch in Kansas City




My girls in their new pony outfits




Nora going in for a kiss!




Evie and her good friend Natalie in our backyard




Nora and Mommy in the HOT October sun




Nora saying "cheese" and smiling with her first pumpkin