Christmas

What a great day! We got up around 9:00 and had a yummy breakfast - rolled up pancakes (an Erling tradition) and then opened presents. It was so much fun to watch the joy on Piper's face with each package she opened. After she opened one present, she had to play with it before we could move on to the next. It was a priceless day.

The calm before storm. Piper opening the first present of the day!
Thank you Auntie Janine for the beautiful nightgown!




Piper got her very own digital camera! She has been walking around taking pictures of everyone and everything.
Daddy got a new quilt. I made quilts this year for some gifts and Doug really wanted one. I had told him that I just ran out of time and didn't get a chance to make one for him - boy was he surprised!
Piper with all her fabulous gifts.
We just want everyone to know how grateful we are to have such wonderful friends and family. We are truly blessed. Thank you everyone for the wonderful gifts. We hope everyone had a great Christmas. We love you all!!!

An Early Present

Piper got an early Christmas present today - brand new bedding for her big girl bed. She is so excited to sleep with all the princesses tonight! Thank you Grandma!!!!

YUM!

We made Christmas cookies today. I couldn't find my cookie cutters so we just had round (ornament) cookies. Piper was in hog heaven. She loved every moment - especially eating the end result.
Getting ready to decorate. She just had to wear one of my aprons.
Working hard getting the sprinkles on.

Pure Joy

It came out today on DVD. As soon as Miss Piper woke up this morning she asked to watch it. We bundled up and went straight to the store. She giggled with excitement all the way home. As soon as we got done watching it, she asked, "I watch Mommy Mia again, please?" The look on her face as the movie started.
Total concentration.

The Joy of Snow

Do you remember when you were a kid how excited you were to see snow when you woke up? Well, Piper was beyond excited. When she woke up this morning and saw the snow on the ground the first thing she said was, "Look Mommy, it snowed for me! I go play in it?" Even though I am not a fan of the white stuff, I couldn't deny her.
After her nap, Poppy Rick invited us over to have sled rides. She just shook with glee. I think she would have rode all night long if we would have let her.

Family

Last night, we spend the evening with Poppy Rick and the kids. We had a great dinner, listened to Christmas carols, and decorated the tree. Can you think of any better way to spend a Saturday night? We are so lucky to have them all as part of our family. We love you guys!

Daddy's Little Helper

She can't help herself. She needs to be involved in whatever is going on at the time. She had to help daddy last night by holding the flashlight.

Gingerbread

Last year Piper and I made a gingerbread house. She was too young to participate, but I thought that it would be a fun tradition to start. So this year when I found this really cool kit, I couldn't wait to make it with her. So today, I broke out the kit and found that it was a lot more to it than what I thought there would be. As we started building, I thought I was nuts for starting this project. I think we got more frosting on the table, floor, and us than we got on the house. I got frustrated, but couldn't give up because Piper was so excited to make a house she was literally shaking with enthusiasm. We kept going. In the end it didn't turn out like the magical house on the box, but I must say, it is better than I thought it would be. Most important, Piper thinks it's beautiful.

Of course, I had to add a picture of my little princess.

Snorta

This is the game to get if you are in the market for a new fun family game. We played this game last night with some friends and I don't think I have ever laughed so hard. Who wouldn't love to hear their friends and family making barnyard sounds?

I Love Her

I love her so much. No matter what is going on, she knows how to make me smile. This is how I found her today. I was cleaning the bathrooms and came to see what she was up to. There she was with Daddy's hat on yelling "Ride em' cowboy" rocking her horse as fast as it would go.