museum!

 Boy, it's going to be super disappointing when Mommy is the only one to hang out with.  We've really loaded up on "fun stuff."  Yesterday, we went to the indoor playzone.  And the day before that, we went to the Dupage Children's Museum, which we hadn't been to in quite some time.  It sure delivered.

Noelle played with light.  Here's the little green in the green lit room.

Noelle loves to color!  And Nana is a good one to help her out with that endeavor.

Of course, the highlight-- for the girls-- is always the water area.  Looking through the water fall...

... splashing unsuspecting kids...

... being silly with Nana...

... and making the wheels spin.

Oh yeah, and we might as well try to catch some water on our tongues, too.  Blech. 

Another fun thing about playing with water-- you get to soak your pants without embarrassment. :)

Riley was in a very pose-able mood.  She was smiling like it was her job!

Silly faces!!!

All the girls

The DCM currently has a train area.  The girls LOVE trains, especially Noelle.  Here's Riley in one of the train cars.

It seems that, for Noelle to be happy, all she needs in the world is a fake train to sit in.  Here she is, right upon arrival.

And here she is, five minutes later.

 And ten...

That kid in the orange really stuck it out, too.  But not for as long as Noelle.  She was going to the end of the line, I tell ya.  I couldn't stop laughing.  The girl sat in THAT SAME location for no less than half an hour!  Notice how you can pretend to drive the train?  That had no allure for Noelle.  What do we do on trains?  Sit and ride.  That's what Noelle did.  Hilarious.

Choo-choo!

Nana, Granddad and LOADS of fun

Christmas number two!!  Nana and Granddad came, and we got to do more Christmas-ing!  First, the kids all got matching pj's, adorable pj's!

Pose for me, Riley...

Here's our tiny Christmas elf!

Noelle really liked massaging Granddad's head.

And both girls liked snuggling with Nana!

But the biggest winners of the day were the splash art boards! The girls completely forgot about their other unopened presents while they played with these.  And they're no mess.  Yes, please.

Nana, Granddad and Brooksy-boy

The girls (and Brooks) got this huge piano, too.  Why they make the default volume settings for noisy toys on extra-super loud is beyond me... but besides that, this toy is awesome!

Finally, after days of waiting, we got to make the Wuggle Pets...

It was pretty fun!

Meanwhile, Brooks was his usual charming self.

Yesterday, the grandparents watched the little guy while Mike and I went to Monkey Bizness with the girls.  I snapped this cute shot before leaving.

Remember the recordable book Great-Aunt Nancy gave the kids?  It's a winner!

Monkey Bizness was a BLAST!!!  The girls loved it. 

It was absolutely perfect for Riley, who was dancing with joy.  She's gained so much confidence at preschool that she now will tear around a place like this, going down slides, playing in the bouncy house, and climbing all over.

Noelle kept gravitating back toward tower-building.

...but she also liked the little treehouse.

Riley was, literally, throwing herself down slides.  I'm so proud of her.  If you had met her four months ago, you would NEVER believe she was the same kid.

We even took a look at the (trashed) art room.

But then it was back to sliding and running and jumping.

Even though Riley is now a champion slider, she let Daddy join her, too.

And Noelle was a fan of the slides, too... as long as she had a lap seat.

Monkey Bizness, you were a delightful surprise.  We'll be coming back!  

And a final "Merry Christmas" to everyone!!

Christmas

 It's now December 26th.  We had a fantastic Christmas.  Loved it.  It was fun, meaningful and exhausting.  That's what it should be. :) 

Just in case I run out of time to finish this post, I want to begin by saying that we are so grateful that Jesus was sent to save and redeem us.

Our celebration began on Christmas Eve, when we headed up to Mike's folks' for a big ol' family shindig.  All of Michael's extended family was there, with the exception of Katie and Luke.  It was really fun, getting to see a lot of family members that we see once a year or so.

Rachel and Matt were there with this little cutie, Noah.  Noah has been walking for about a month now, so he's in that adorable teeter-tottering stage.  And he's a happy dude-- I don't think he cried the whole night, and even when he stayed up really late, he didn't cause a fuss.  Way to go, Noah!  You win some kind of award.

Brooks, meanwhile, was content, too.  He just didn't want to go to sleep.  I mean, really, he hardly slept all day.  You would think that would mean he had a good night of sleep, afterwards.  You would be wrong.

All the grandchildren got bags o' fun from Great-Grandma and -Grandpa Hase.  Noelle loved all the new goodies!  A squishy light-up toy...

... a grow-your-own Santa...

...and a snuggly lion.  All together, now--- Awwwww!

We made an attempt at getting all seven kiddos in one picture.  Relative success, if you ask me!  Riley was gnawing on some chocolate, so she looked like this in pretty much every shot.  Ha!

Overwhelmed by Christmas spirit, Riley spontaneously gave her sister a big squeeze... or we may have asked her to do so, but either way, she was enthusiastic. :)

Noah and his daddy, Matt:

One of the Green/Hase/Seifert traditions is to do a Christmas Eve candy hunt.  The hosts hide little chocolates and candy canes around the house, and the kids go searching.  

 The little ones loved it. 

So did Kathy. :)

Great-Aunt Nancy gave us one of those great, new, recordable Hallmark books.  She reads the whole story.  Love it!

Of course, we made time for some dancing.  What kind of a day is it if it's a dance-free day?

Now is a good time to mention that the absurdly adorable dresses the girls are wearing are from Nana.  Aren't they great?!

Sam's always good for a snuggle! :)

This photo isn't all that great, but I had to include it because look at the bottom left.  Busted, Riley!

The girls got to sleep over at Grandma and Papa's house.  Mike and I headed home for a scream-filled night with Brooksy-boy.  Whew, that kid did not want to sleep! 

On Christmas day, we woke up and headed back to the grandparents' place. 

We opened stockings...

Spent time with loved ones...

 

... and got pretty excited about everything.

Uncle Steve is the best!

Grandma!!

After presents had been opened, Noelle snuck out to have a little alone time, taking care of Hannah's baby.  This is what I found when I went to look for her.  Seriously, is there any cuter thing in the world?

Later, Hannah came to join her.  This is what happened when I asked the two girls to make silly faces.  Perhaps Hannah misheard me?  Ha!

The two of them had some fun, playing together.

And then the older ones joined them.

We went home for naps, and in the afternoon, our family of five opened stockings and gifts together.  I love this picture because it looks like Noelle has just made it through a Christmas war.  Riley just looks like she's in a daze. :)

And Noelle slipped away to do one of her favorite things: snuggle in Riley's bed. :)

 My parents got in last night, after the girls went to bed.  But we've had all day with them, and it's been wonderful!  But we're now at picture 45, so I think that's a story for another time. :)