A Very Indy Christmas...

We drove over to Indy to Daddy's cousin's house yesterday to celebrate Christmas with our friends Chad and Jill and their kids, and also Daddy's side of the family. The girls had such a great time hanging out with their old buddies--it had been way too long! They also got to meet some of their cousins for the first time. What a fun time the girls had!

The annual "Christmas couch" picture (only on a different couch this time)...

Evan and Carsyn...

Logan really likes Chad...

Maren and her Godparents...

The whole gang: Chad, Morgan, Madison, Jill, Logan,

Daddy, Maren, Mommy, Evan, and Carsyn...

Jason, Logan, and Justin...

Maren and Alex, born only 3 days apart...

Cousins...

Merry Christmas...

What a wonderful Christmas! The girls truly enjoyed their Christmas day this year. They were thrilled with all the presents Santa left for them, especially their Zhu Zhu Pets (hopefully Santa didn't have to wait in line for hours on Thanksgiving night ; )! In fact, they spent a majority of the day in the pajamas playing with all their new stuff. After a late lunch we all headed to the movies to see Disney's "The Princess and the Frog!" It was super-good. I think the girls have a new favorite princess. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

Christmas morning...

Ready, set, open...

Yay! Zhu Zhu Pets...

'Twas the Night Before Christmas...

The girls had a great Christmas Eve. We went to 5:30 mass and the girls were able to wish a lot of their friends and teachers a Merry Christmas. After church we had dinner, opened presents from each other, and watch some Christmas movies. The girls finally went to sleep after about 9:30. Hopefully they'll let us sleep in a little tomorrow.

The girls before mass...

Our family on Christmas Eve...

All She Wants for Christmas...

...is her two front teeth! Logan finally lost her other front tooth. It had been very wiggly for almost three weeks. She just didn't want to let it go. Hopefully the "tooth fairy" still wants it ; )!

Logan minus two teeth...

A Day at the Ballet...

Today we took the girls to see The Nutcracker. It was the Balletmet's production at the Ohio Theater in downtown Columbus. Maren had never seen a full performance of The Nutcracker, neither had Daddy. Maren loved it (secretly so did Daddy ; ). Afterward we had an early dinner at Buca di Beppo--yum!

Who's ready for the ballet?

Outside the Ohio Theater...

Maren and Daddy across from the State Capitol...

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

The girls are really looking forward to Christmas this year. Of course they're still working on their own lists for Santa, but they've also been getting into the spirit of giving. There were many opportunities to help out the less-fortunate through their school and our church, which we participated in. Carsyn was super-excited to turn in all the pairs of gloves and mittens to the "mitten tree" that her class was collecting. The girls were also really anxious to go shopping individually with mommy for each other. Surprisingly enough they've actually kept their gifts a secret!

The girls after mass this morning...

First Snow...

This morning we woke up to a beautiful white covering. Mommy and Daddy were in Indy last night, and Logan was at a sleepover. But, when everyone finally woke up and got home, the girls couldn't wait to get all their snow gear on and play in the snow. We only actually got (maybe) two inches. But, it was wet and perfect for building a snow man and having a snowball fight...even though we practically used up all the snow in the front yard in the process. What a fun start to our Christmas vacation!

Logan...

Carsyn making a snow angel...

Maren...

Snow battle...

Our snowman...

Kindergarten Christmas Party...

The girls had a very successful last day of school for the year. Carsyn's class had their Christmas party. She had tons of fun making reindeer food, an ornament for our tree, and a baby Jesus to put in her "good deeds" manger. Logan's class didn't have an actual Christmas party, but Mommy still made cupcakes for Logan to share!

Carsyn before school...

Carsyn and Lucey at their Christmas party...

Logan and friends...

Carsyn ready for Christmas vacation...

Christmas Parties and Carolers...

Today was Maren's last day of school for the year. Her preschool class also had their Christmas party. Maren was very excited to say "see you next year!" to her teachers and friends. Also, after school Logan's Girl Scout troop went caroling at a nursing home. The girls did a great job, and received some yummy treats in return.

Maren before school...

Logan and friends...

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever...

Well, maybe not the best. But, it was good. This morning Carsyn's kindergarten class put on their nativity play. Carsyn was an angel--she plays angelic very well. She also delivered her lines like a pro. What a cutie! (By the way...if you are not familiar with the post title book "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" definitely check it out. We read it every year!)

Angel Carsyn...

After the play...

Maren really looks up to her big sister...

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas...

It's hard to believe that Christmas is just twelve days away...this year has certainly flown by. Yesterday we took the girls to The Greene to see Santa, but the line was way too long, and they'd already seen Santa at Disney. So, we just admired the Christmas decorations and did a little shopping. The girls also enjoyed some hot chocolate and pastries. It has been pretty cold here the last few days, but no snow yet. The girls are keeping their fingers crossed, but I would rather have a heat wave.

The girls at The Greene...

Sunday before mass...

Girls, time to take the Christmas card photo...

...if only it were that easy ; ). Today after school I corralled the girls into the front room to take this year's Christmas card picture. I was hoping to use one from Disney, but nothing stuck out to me. Anyway, after about 20 pics and countless threats of violence (just kidding ; ), this is what we finally settled with...

Girls, look here...

Seriously, would you look at the camera?

Thank you...

Disney World Weekend...

The last time we went to Disney World it was so hot, humid, and crowded, that we vowed never to go back in the summer again. Well, we got our wish--it wasn't crowded, and it definitely wasn't hot. In fact, it was a little on the chilly side. We left on an early flight to Orlando Friday morning. We were checked into the hotel and at Epcot by 1:30...not too bad. The only problem was that it was raining, a lot. It sure wasn't the best way to start out our long weekend, but we tried to make the most of it. The first thing we did at Epcot (same thing we always do) was get our Fastpasses to Soarin'. Obviously it was a lot less crowded because usually they would have all been distributed by noon. Then we headed over to the World Showcase for our lunch reservations at the restaurant in Norway. The girls were so excited to have a character meal, and get to see all the princesses. They were most happy to see Ariel in a beautiful aqua gown that they'd never seen her in before. After our late lunch, we walked around all the countries before going on our favorite ride at Epcot: Soarin'. Unfortunately, Maren is still not tall enough to ride. She was so disappointed. Hopefully, next time. We also spent some time in the Waters area, riding the Nemo ride and seeing the Turtle Talk with Crush show--so funny!

Waiting for the bus...

Rainy day at Epcot...

Lunch with Belle...

Awww...Marie from the Aristocats...

The girls with Santa and Mrs. Claus...

The next morning we went to the food court for breakfast, and then went to the girls' favorite park--Magic Kingdom. It rained a little that morning, but stopped shortly after breakfast. The girls just love every ride at the Magic Kingdom, so it's always hard to decide what to do first. We ended up starting on It's A Small World--always a favorite! We were able to ride almost everything because the lines weren't too long. Maren even got to ride her first "roller coaster!" It was the little Goofy one over in Toontown. She was so excited until she saw what the ride actually did. By then it was too late, there was no turning back. She said, "I was just kidding." But, we convinced her to give it a try and she liked it! The girls were also very excited to get to see Disney's newest princess from the Princess and the Frog. At the end of the evening we ate dinner at Tony's on Main Street while watching the electrical parade go by.

The girls at our hotel: the Caribbean Beach Resort...

Cinderella's Castle...

Who doesn't love the carousel?

Our girls do...

Princess Tiana and her Prince...

Maren's first roller coaster ride...

Sunday we went to Disney's Hollywood Studios. There aren't that many rides for little kids at that park, so we took the girls to the Beauty and the Beast stage show. Apparently Carsyn had forgotten that she'd seen it before because she fell in love with it. In fact, she begged to go a second time. Which actually worked out--Nana took the girls to see it again while Mommy and Daddy got to go on the Rockin' Roller coaster. We couldn't get Logan or Carsyn to ride the Tower of Terror with us this time. However, we all had a great time on the Toy Story ride...still trying to beat Daddy's high score. But perhaps the highlight of the day (at least for Daddy) was eating at the Sci-Fi Drive-In. Every time we've gone to Disney he always wants to eat there, but we'd never made reservations. This time Mommy planned ahead, and we were not disappointed. It was a lot of fun, and super-yummy.

The girls at Hollywood Studios...

Our Sci-Fi Drive-In car...

Monday was our last day and we spent it at the Animal Kingdom. The girls had a blast over at the petting zoo area at Rafiki's Planet Watch--we'd never been there before. We could hardly get them to leave. The goats were so entertaining, fighting with each other. The girls also like Dinoland. We took Logan and Carsyn on a new ride that none of us had ever been on: Dinosaur. Actually, we'd heard that it was super-scary and probably not good for young kids (thanks for the advice Ron and Michelle--maybe we should have listened.) But, we thought 'yeah right. how scary can it be?' Well, it was pretty darn scary. Logan buried her face in her Daddy's chest, while Carsyn cried for most of the ride. Even Daddy admitted that he was a little scared. Mommy, on the other hand, thought it was super-fun! Come on guys, live a little ; )! After a late lunch it was time to get on board the Magical Express back to the airport--back to the real world. Well, we certainly packed a whole lot of fun into four days. What a fun trip!

Logan's goat...

Carsyn's...

Maren's...

We don't want to go home....