Sunday, December 27, 2009

Christmas in Iowa

This year we spent Christmas in Iowa with Nathaniel's family. We braved the roads and snow and made it up there on Christmas Eve afternoon. That evening was spent playing games and eating Christmas Eve dinner. Aunt Kaisha and Uncle Jake were back from Florida so we were excited to spend some time with them! Christmas morning Santa came for a visit. The kids were shocked and excited to see Santa had come to pay them a special visit. He brought them stockings and Christmas ornaments! After present opening we spent most of Friday lounging around and moving from room to room grazing on food. Jack and Bella also enjoyed watching Madagascar while we were there. A couple of weeks ago Jack and Bella went up and spent the weekend with Grandma and Grandpa and sat through an entire movie in the movie theater. Very exciting. Jack told us that he watched TV. HAHA!
Saturday morning the kids got to go out and sled in some of the beautiful Iowa snow before we headed back home. When we got home, we had our own family Christmas here where Jack's highlight was his new "Mack" truck (from the movie Cars), Doc (also from Cars) and Optimus Prime. Bella fell in love with her new Barbie, nail polish and little laptop they each got. We've been working really hard on counting and singing the alphabet and these little laptops have lots of fun games to help the kids learn more! Bella already said "S" this morning and pointed to it on the screen. Go Bella! Jacks counting to 11 now without a second thought. I can't believe how big they are getting!
We hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas and has a fantastic New Year. We're so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family in our lives!!!
I have added a lot of updates to the blog today so make sure to scroll down and read them all. This holiday season was just so hectic and trying to keep up proved nearly impossible!




















Christmas with Popi and Nana and Jack and Bella's Christmas program

Popi and Nana had the right idea this year when they decided that they would spend the holiday in Mexico. I have to say that as I sit here in over a foot of snow I am a little green with envy. Before they left for their holiday they came to celebrate Christmas with Jack and Bella. It also happened to be the night of the kids Christmas program at school. We were picture and video taking fools as the kids sang "Shake your fluffy tail feather" and "We wish you a merry Christmas." It was all very cute! Bella really enjoyed doing the dancing and singing. Jack stood on the end and didn't do much but clap with the audience when everything was done. I think he was a little nervous!
After the program we came back to the house and celebrated Christmas with stockings and presents. Jack and Bella got some cool stockings from Popi and Nana with their names on them. I went ahead and ordered Nathaniel and I stockings from the same place so now we have our complete set! You'll notice in the pictures that Bella is wearing something on her head. That's her crown that she got and insisted on putting on....upside down.








Four Wheeling in Iowa

The first weekend in December we headed up to Iowa to see Grandma and Grandpa Norgren. While we were there Jack and Nathaniel rode the new four wheeler that Grandma and Grandpa got. Jack is in heaven when we go to Iowa between getting to ride in the combine, on the tractor, on the mower and now a 4-wheeler! Bella doesn't like the big noisy things and is quite content watching from the window but Jack can't get enough of all of it! Look close and you will notice he is waving in a lot of them.


Wanted to add a picture of Nika. She's Nathaniel's parents old dog and very sweet. The kids love her!




Thanksgiving at the Lake

Thanksgiving this year was an exciting one as we all got to spend it at Popi and Nana's new lake house! We talked to the twins about it a lot on the drive and as a direct result of that, they said all weekend "I'm at the lake!" We had a great time there with our Ohio family, Popi and Nana and Uncle Johnny. Nathaniel and I were able to get most of our Christmas shopping done while we were down there, along with take in quite a bit of college football. We spent Thanksgiving night on the resort at Tan-Tar-a where we had cocoa and cookies and got to see Santa "fly" in via firetruck bucket. There was also a pretty spectacular fireworks display that the kids really enjoyed. We can't wait to go back and spend more time at the lake house (especially when it warms up!
!)


Samantha and Bella watching the fireworks


Jack in awwww of Santa


Samantha and Bella sharing cookies


Jack and I ("someone" stayed in their PJs all day and it wasn't Jack!)


Uncle Johnny and Daddy spending some quality time with the kids and Bolt

Saturday, October 31, 2009

It's that time of year....

Ghosts and Goblins are everywhere! Pumpkin Patches, costume parties and other exciting fall events have been happening for the twins. Jack and Bella headed to the pumpkin patch with our friends Chase and Maia a couple weeks ago. This is a tradition we have honored for the past few years. Jack and Bella are finally getting to the age where they can really enjoy the pumpkin patch and all that it has to offer! The first year we took them they were just 6 weeks old!!



Cycles!

Slides!



Donkeys!


Bella wouldn't ride the tractor ride so Jack had to ride alone. He loved it!


He also loved the big kid slide! The kid has no fear. All boy.


Playing with their buddy Chase!


We also got lots of use out of our costumes this year at parties. Jack and Bella's school had a big carnival with tons of different things to do. They got to decorate bags and eat a dinner of hot dogs and chips! There was face painting, haunted "rooms" and lots of game rooms with great prizes! We really enjoyed the party as well as the neighborhood parade. Our neighborhood puts this on every year. Basically kids in the neighborhood all dress up in their costumes and parade in the street for a couple blocks. Then we return to the start for a healthy snack and juice drink and mingle with the neighborhood kiddos. Lots of fun!!!


Neighborhood kids!


Close up!


Hot dogs at the school party!


Decorating bags!

Finally come the trick or treating pictures!! The little monsters got to trick or treat with their bud Carson who just moved back from Paris! We had a lot of fun and Carson was a great teacher for Jack and Bella. They caught on very quickly and loved running around the neighborhood. Popi and Nana came and watched Jack and Bella trick or treat too and spent the night with them while Nathaniel and I went to a grown up costume party later in the evening. Overall it was a great October. Lots of fun activities with good friends!! The big news is that Jack can now officially count to at least 8 on command (sometimes 10) !! GO JACK!!!


Ready to hit the neighborhood with our pumpkin flashlights! Thanks Carson!


Enough with the pictures already!


The first house....


Teamwork!!!

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Omaha.... Somewhere in Middle America!

Just like the words from the old Counting Crows song, we were in Omaha this weekend! We made the trip up Friday night for a weekend full of events. Saturday we headed to the Henry Doorly Zoo with Uncle Jason, Aunt Catie and Baby Lily. We got to see lots of exciting animals. The Omaha zoo is pretty amazing. It's a very nice zoo with lots of fun things to do. They even have an aquarium building where we got to see NEMO!!! A real, live Nemo. It was very exciting for the twins!! Aside from the zoo I got to sneak in a little shopping at Aunt Tina's stores and we got to have dinner with Aunt Tina, Uncle Dave and Nana. Good stuff!
Sunday was a big day for us...... Recently our friend and family member Sharon was diagnosed with breast cancer. Sharon is John, Jason and Tina's Mom. She has always been a part of family gatherings and special events so this news hit us all hard. Cancer can lead to helpless feelings for the one diagnosed and for the surrounding family members. I decided that the only thing I could do to help Sharon (since the Doctor's have to cure her) is run for her in the Race for the Cure and raise as much money and awareness as I could. The race was this weekend and was an eye opening experience for myself and other members of our family. 20,000 participants flooded the streets of downtown Omaha adorned in pink hats, scarves, t-shirts, shoes, shorts, hair and anything else that can be made pink. Some people walked and some ran. There was a one mile family fun walk. My Mom (Gloria), Tina and John walked the mile and pushed the twins in the stroller. Dave, Matt, Cindy, Kara (my sister-in-law) and myself all ran the 5k race. Jason and Caitie pushed Lily in the stroller and my mother-in-law, Colleen walked the 5k as well. What a crew! You learn in times like these that family is so important and that you can really depend on them to come through for you. It was the best thing I have done or been a part of since I married my husband and had my 2 beautiful children. I fully intend on participating and raising funds for causes such as this one for many years to come. I was able to raise $375 and I thank each and every one of you who donated to my run. It really means a lot!!! Sharon is currently in the middle of a 20 week chemo treatment plan which we pray, every day, will help her to heal and get to 100% again. It is in God's hands and I know he will not let us down!

"Other things may change us, but we start and end with the family. "





Big boy!


Jack loved the fountains so much he wanted to climb in!


Bella ran right up to the gorilla statues and did that. Cute!


The whole family in the rain forest.


Colorful fish were a favorite


So was the octopus which Jack promptly called a snake


NEMO!!!!


The back of our race shirts. "In Celebration of Sharon and Jodi" Jodi is Sharon's niece and Tina, John and Jason's cousin who is also battling breast cancer. What a great cause!


Pre-race picture. 39 degrees! Buuurrrr..... *chattering teeth*


Pre-race apple!


We LOVE apples!!


Mom, Tina and I, post-race


Kara and I, post-race


Sharon and Baby Lily (her Granddaughter) at the brunch we had after the race.


The WHOLE crew!!! Good job everyone!!