Snow Day

Uncle B and Aunt Kelsey came to visit us, and we are so glad they did.  I was a little worried that they weren't going to get to meet Brooks until after his first birthday, but Brandon was able to get a little time off to fly out to Wheaton.  And just so they got the full Chicago-area experience, we got a nice little dusting of snow.  

I spent the 20 minutes or so to get the girls suited up, and out we went!

Riley stayed out for about 4 minutes before deciding that the wind was not her friend, and she wanted to go back in.  We snapped a pic before she ran to safety, though. :)

Noelle made her first snow angel.  I think she liked it.  And she is a sweet little angel, that's for sure.

Then we brought the toboggan out.  FYI-- it's much easier to pull uphill when just Noelle is in it, not Noelle AND Riley. 

Fortunately, Riley witnessed how much fun we were having and made a reappearance.  She also, I think, felt that duty called and that SOMEONE had to shovel the snow.  

Uncle B did help her, too.

Then Noelle joined in the game.  It's a shovel-off!

Even Kona got in on the snow action.  She likes getting any attention, but getting to chase a fake duck is up there with her favorite things.

 
Cold is not my favorite thing, but I'll tell ya... it's much better when shared with family. :)

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!!