Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Morning

Kate was extremely suspicious of all the commotion on Christmas morning. I have to upload the video. It's hilarious. Annie jumped right in, of course. After a few gifts, they were both fully excited and invested in the gift opening.

Also, someone's sticky little fingers got ahold of the camera obviously. I didn't notice until much later that there is a big smudge on all the photos from the lens being dirty.

The stocking stuffers were almost more popular than the big gifts.

A unicorn pillow pet!

"Woody and Buzz-Buzz!"

The girls both got these awesome princess Snuggies, but they didn't seem that excited about them. So Matt and I tried them out. They are super warm. And stylish.

Their big gift was this fun dollhouse, which was exciting. But not nearly as exciting as the Tootsie Rolls in their stockings.

Christmas Crafts

In the days/weeks leading up to Christmas, the girls were home all the time with no activities and a lot of our friends were busy with holiday events. So, I had to channel my inner Martha Stewart and do crafts with the girls. One day, we made reindeer tree ornaments. Easy enough, right?

We did the extremely simple version to accommodate Kate, and they turned out pretty cute, I think.

Then, I answered my phone and talked with Erica for a little while. During that time, I told the girls to just go ahead and make more for themselves.

So Kate glued together a pile of sticks and a bunch of pom-poms.

And Annie made this beautiful decoration. It was later discovered Annie had actually glued the whole thing down to the paper underneath, so we're still unsure exactly what to do with it.

They had fun, though.

SNOW!

Every time it snows, we have a bit of a conundrum at our house. Annie begs to go outside and play in it every minute. She loves the snow and being pulled on a sled and making snow angels and throwing snow at people and generally acting like a normal kid. Kate, on the other hand, is decidedly uninterested. She hates being cold, she hates being so bundled up and she hates playing in the snow. Every time I ask her if she wants to go outside, she replies, "Ummmm...No." That's not fair to Annie, though, so out we went yesterday.

Her snow outfit is not that cute, but it was definitely warm and dry.

Steve was out playing, too. His wonderful cousin Josh was in town, and he so nicely and patiently pulled Annie and Steve around on the sled for a long time. Kate freaked out every time I tried to get her to sit on it, too.

Her look of trepidation about the environment.

She actually did play for a few minutes like this. I think she was trying to pretend she was at the beach.

It's fun when Steve joins in, too.

Annie made a million snow angels.

And this snow pile, which she said is the beginnings of a snow man.

To be fair, Kate did request and attempt to make a couple snow angels. She did a nice job flapping her arms, but the second any snow touched her skin, she was done. Each attempt ended in her crying and my pulling her back up to standing.

Kate's favorite part was when we came back inside for hot chocolate and marshmallows.

Beauty Shop

 Annie and Kate love putting every hairclip we own in their hair at the same time. They are quite beautiful. This picture in no way does the amount of clips justice. Many, many more are hidden in the back, on the other side and even underneath!

That's What She Said

"Dad, you are the knight who kills the dragon."

"Mom, you are the queen who sits around."

~Annie, age 3

Santy Claus

Kate did not like Santa. She did wave to him from a safe distance and yell his name, however.

Annie was surprisingly shy with "Santy Claus," as she calls him. She only told him one thing that she wanted, after he prompted her. But she did come up with a back-up plan. She told our Elf on the Shelf what she wanted, so he could relay the message to Santa. She continues to tell the elf the things she wants, as she thinks of them. :)

Annie Wanted to Wrap Christmas Presents

I don't know why I continually engage in activities that are extremely frustrating with an almost 4-year-old partner and an eager 2-year-old helper. But I do. We wrapped some Christmas presents today, after much begging by Annie.

Annie wanted to do this one all by herself. She even cut the wrapping paper herself.

Grandpa Ralls, this one is coming for you.

O Christmas Tree

Matt has been really busy at work, so we just got a chance to get a tree last week. We went and got the tree one day, and then decorated it the next day Matt was home in time. We had to ditch cutting down our own tree this year; there just wasn't time. But the nice people at Jim & Virgil's Tree Lot were quite helpful. The girls were so happy!

It was cold.

Annie dressed both herself and Kate that day. She put on all her favorite things, she said.

Finally, if there was any question of their excitement about the tree and Christmas. From the day we got the tree and put it up:
(As a warning: They are yelling, so it's pretty loud.)

Christmas Tree from Kerri Ralls on Vimeo.

Cookies

The weather kept the girls and I in Cleveland for an extra day last weekend. So, my mom went and got some cookie making supplies to have some fun with the girls. Kate did much better decorating the cookies than dipping and decorating the pretzels. They had a lot of fun, and they made some lovely Christmas treats.

Matt thinks Annie looks like Jackie here.

Katie Bug.

Making cookies is so fun!

Actually, eating frosting is so fun!

Enjoying.

Don't they look delicious?

Christmas Crafts

Last week, in a moment of insanity, I decided to make chocolate covered pretzels with both girls. I planned on giving some of the treats to Annie's preschool teachers. Annie is actually quite good at baking and dessert-type projects. It is one of my favorite things to do with her. My mom got her her own little apron last year, and she has a few little kid-sized kitchen utensils. Kate, however, is not quite as talented in the kitchen. She's only two, so she's got plenty of time to grow into it.  I won't lie, though. By the end of this little foray into candy making, I was frustrated and yelling at Kate.  The final product was delicious, though. And Kate seemed happy enough!

Getting ready!

Everything is neat and clean and innocent!

Decorating. Notice the corner of Kate's tray. That is a giant pile of sprinkles. Nearly our entire supply of sprinkles was gone after this. And Kate sneezed on her tray.

Annie did slightly better. She mostly licked chocolate and sprinkles off her fingers.

It was fun, though!

And don't worry, I made a batch myself and gave those clean, normal looking ones to Annie's teachers. :)

Pratice For Santa

Annie convinced Kate to sit on her lap last night. Once she got her on, she proceeded to pretend to be Santa and make Kate tell her what she wanted for Christmas. Kate's Christmas list consists solely of things Annie thinks she would like -- including ballet slippers, tights, a dollhouse (for both Annie and Kate), and a toy lamp. Kate seems less than excited sitting on Annie Claus's lap, so we can just imagine how thrilled she'll be to visit the actual Santa Claus!

Yes, Annie is patting her on the head. She is saying, "Hi Sweetie, what do you want for Christmas?"

Even a role reversal, did not make Kate happier.

Annie's School Picture

Annie's very first school picture. She spilled blueberry-pomegranate juice all over herself just after she got her picture taken. Good thing the smart teachers had snack time after pictures :)

It's a picture of a picture. I'm too lazy for anything else. That's why it's a little fuzzy.

Just For Fun

Before we left town, Callista and I took Bella, Annie and Kate to see Tangled in 3D. Surprisingly, Kate wore her glasses the longest! The girls were all great during the show and had a lot of fun. Annie was so sweet and cried when she thought Flynn Ryder was going to die. (He did not, and she cheered right up).

Cool girls in their glasses after the show.

Cece's Baptism

Our last event in Cleveland was a very special one. Our good friends Jason and Callista asked me and Matt to be their daughter's godparents. Sweet little Cecelia Iris was born in October, and hopefully her behavior is an indicator of how our third daugther will be. Cece was a perfect angel during the baptism and at the party after, and her big sisters Bella and Lucy were quite good little hostesses for Annie and Kate. We love spending time with the Puchs, and we wish we could do it more. Thanks for inviting us to be a part of Cece's special day! We are honored :)

Matt, Kerri and Cece.

Jason, Matt, Kerri, Callista and Cece.

That is a lot of estrogen. I don't think Callista nor I would ever have guessed that we would have (soon to be) SIX little girls between us! Matt and Jason are lucky guys.

After the baptism, Annie and Bella were soaking in some of the holy water. Literally.

Because It's Too Cute Not To...

The night before Thanksgiving, Annie had a sleepover with Ella at Aunt Carol and Uncle Matt's house. So, Matt and I just had Kate. Kate was a little sad Annie wasn't around, but she quickly realized she could soak in twice the usual amount of attention. As a result, she really turned up the cute. We took this video of her playing with Sydney (our long lost dog). She's saying "Drop it, Sydney!!"

Kate and Sydney from Kerri Ralls on Vimeo.

Happy Thanksgiving

We have a lot to be thankful for this year, and we spent all of Thanksgiving being grateful, eating and visiting.

First, we went to the Ralls family celebration.

Ella, Annie and Madelyn with GG.

I don't even know if there's going to be room for one more with GG and Pa next year! :)

The kids' table. Minus Adam, who is the youngest and was relegated to a high chair near the adults.

Grandma and Grandpa Ralls got each family their own Elf on a Shelf, and Grandpa read the kids the story so they'd know that they need to be good this Christmas season or Santa will know!

After that, we headed to Aunt Cathy's house for her usual fantastic holiday dinner.

Kate and Maggie.

Maggie and the girls. They really liked Maggie and did not leave her alone.

Making silly faces at Aunt Cathy.

And then again with Uncle Jack.

Brian had no idea what he was starting when he started flipping and swinging Annie around. Obviously, this was so much fun!

A little Ring Around the Rosy with Aunt Cathy.

And lest Brian get any sort of a break, it was back to him to flip around some more. If we lived in Cleveland, he wouldn't even need a gym membership!

The girls were thoroughly tired out after this long, fun day. Thanks everyone for hosting us!