To The North Pole of Course!!!

Okay, so we have watched the Polar Express one or two . . . bazillion times. So we had to snatch up the chance to go to the North Pole ourselves and see the Big Man himself. This train ride was magical.

Nothing is better than sitting in Daddy's lap and enjoying a good ride.

Just watching the world go by.

So we met Mrs. Claus at the beginning of the ride and she gave this special paper so that I could write a letter to Santa. I knew this was extremely important, so I meticulously wrote my letter, starting with thanking him for all the thoughtful gifts. Then specifying what I truly want. Then ending with another Thank You. You never can be too thankful.

Ryker enthralled by outside world.

The amazing family who agreed to join us on our adventure to the far North. (Currently a family of 3 and 8/9.)

Oh, the beauty!

Isn't this breathetaking!

Our family of four after our amazing ride up to the see Santa.

See, the North Pole. (It really is a Pole, who would have thought.)

The two of us meeting Santa at the North Pole. I was weak in the knees with excitement. I almost forget to ask for my heart's desire, but I remembered at the last second, don't you worry.

The whole family with Santa. What an amazingly magical experience!

First comes stomach illness

Then comes dehydration. Then comes a whopping case of pneumonia which lands you in the hospital on IV Fluids, IV antibiotics, breathing treatments, and a couple of chest x-rays.

After our beautiful and ever so wonderful Thanksgiving Day, we all ended up getting some stomach virus. Sorry, Shellie and Landon, we came to your clean germ free home and left it in such a mess. Then things spiralled down hill once we got home. I ended up in the hospital for 2 days and 2 nights. Mommy finally figured out what I really needed to recover and come home was the Fancy Nancy nightgown my cousin had given me early for Christmas. She knew I would really need it soon. But I am now on the road of recovery at home.

Thanksgiving!!!

So after Grandma and Grandpa left, we decided to invite ourselves over to my aunt, uncle, and cousins house for one big festive Thanksgiving. It took a lot of planning and doing, but we went. I of course had to push, shove, and obviously do most of the packing to get this thing going, but it happened.

Ryker and I all ready to go.

Our Pilot at the helm all ready to go.

As much as we like to travel, this view gets very old. That is why Ryker and I have learned the art of sleeping in the car.

AAAHHHH, we were being chased by the Ghost Light! (Or mommy realizing that trying to take a picture of the moon while traveling in a car going 65 mph doesn't work.)

Thanksgiving Morning. It was like the sky was anticipating the Thankfulness that would soon fill the air.

A face that says I am thankful for food.

A smile that says I am thankful for everything.

A hug that says I am thankful for you!

My sweet cousin Ella had drawn my name for the Cousin Christmas Exchange. She could hardly wait for me to get out of the bath so I could open my present. A Fancy Nancy nightgown!

Landon is amazing, and decided to go with a new ever popular trend and FRY the turkey. So here is the boys doing what boys do. (Ryker kept watching out the window, trying to communicate that he was the last male in the house and he couldn't handle all the estrogen anymore. So he finally did what boys do in such situations, took a long nap.)

Can you really have a Thanksgiving Dinner without pumpkin pie? I think if you tried, the Thanksgiving Police would come and arrest you for breaking with Traditional Holiday Law. But we will never know since we will always have Pumpkin Pie.

Oh turkey . . . Oh yummy.

Table beautifully set with all the all the adornments.

The FEAST! It was absolutely superb. Shellie and Landon, THANK YOU!!!

Two fancy cousins after an exciting day full of thanksgiving! What a wonderful day.

A Turkey

Grandma and Grandpa were on their to visit my aunt, uncle, and cousins for Thanksgiving, so we decided to have our own little Thanksgiving Dinner early with them. Do you know that watching the Turkey cook is amazing? Well, it is just in case you were wondering.

Experiment in The Kitchen

It is that time of year that we must make and devour exquisite treats made from the puree of a certain member of the squash family. Daddy's Favorite is Pumpkin Roll. My aunt made this delicious treat and gave my mommy hope that she could do it too. (If you don't know my mommy well, she is domestically handicapped. Honestly, she burned no-bake-cookies. Seriosly handicapped.) Since I am obviously Marvelous, I volunteered to assist her.

Do see that even though I am baking I am wearing posh accessories and showing off my exquisite manicure. You can never be too fancy.

I am definitely skilled in the measuring arena.
Oh, the aroma is to die for.

It was truly delicious. Follow the link at the top for this scrumptious treat!

A Sad Day For Mommy, A Day Of Joy For The Family

So that all may now know. Mommy is at work for the very last time tonight. It has been a decision that has taken a lot of time, thought, and prayer. But something we think is best for our whole family. (Really Ryker and I are pretty selfish and we want her to stay home and stop going to work to play with other cute babies.)

Snow is falling all around

So there is a little song we have been singing lately,

Leaves are falling all around,

On the rooftops on the ground.

Leaves are falling on my nose,

On my head and hands and toes.

We have been singing it a lot lately, it is Fall right? But this morning Mommy woke me up singing another version.

Snow is falling all around . . .

What!!!

Flashback Friday: ARGH Me Matey

Recently, my parent's started noticing my eyes would start to wander. No, not the eye wander I gets when I no longer want to pay any attention to them because they are boring old people and blah blah blah blah blah. But the type of wandering that is caused by weak eye muscles. So on goes the patch! I wasn't too sure what to think of the patch at first, but they convinced me it was cool by talking like pirates, make hooks with their hands, and singing Pirate Shanties. After several renditions of Pirates Don't Change Diapers, they finally had me convinced. Then I remembered . . .

I am already a Pirate! I was granted pirateship and given my pirate name by my favorite pediatric resident at Doernbecher Children's Hospital. Little Shark Tooth Alena returns.

It's a Boy Thing

Sometimes a man just gets plumb tuckered out.

Mom is Great . . . She Gives Me Chocolate Cake

Well not exactly chocolate cake, it was donut. But still, the idea of getting a donut for breakfast . . . PURE BLISS!!! I have been tortured with things like sweet potatos, strained spinach, and other unspeakable wannabe food items for too long. Besides I used my amazing negotiating skills and discussed the nutritional benefits of a donut. There are eggs and flour in donuts. Do not those two ingredients make up most breakfast food anyways. My logic baffled her and I of course won. (It also helped that she was exceptionally tired from having to stay up late with Michelle and get up all night to check on at least one us and then get up early with me since I decided to give Daddy an appropriate off to work send off.)

My true American Breakfast.

Waiting for Mommy to really wake up an discover what she had agreed too.

Realizing that she had no strength left to stop me, thus allowing me to enjoy this cakey goodness.

No Longer a Hippy

I have been enjoying growing out my hair. I have been envisioning myself as Samson, and my hair was the symbol of my strength. Then one day one of Mom and Dad's friends came over, and he looked at me and made some comment having to do with hippies and long hair. Samson cool, hippies, hmm.

So one morning after our bath Daddy told Mommy he was giving her the chance to cut my hair otherwise he was going to buzz it off himself. He was not go to have a hippy for a son.

My forlorn face when I realized I was about to have hair "shortened".
Not so sure why my mother took this picture, but she is weird like that.

Daddy confirming that his son's hair was in great need of a trim.

The "after" look, sigh. I was trying to be happy.

Then I saw all this hair on the counter and realized, I was glad no one had resorted to calling me "Goldilocks" that would have been traumatizing.

So I decided it was all worth it.

Happy Halloween

In keeping with tradition of this blog, We wish you a Happy Halloween, and hope you all enjoy your treats in the days (hopefully not just minutes) to come. From the sweetest Fairy Princess and the trusty law-enforcing Sheriff Woody.

Boo at the Zoo

We have been trying out some new things in hopes of finding some great family traditions. Our super awesome aunt and uncle told us about Boo at the Zoo this year. WOW, it was awesome!

This is the first little Halloween creature we found this year. The cutest little Winnie the Pooh ever.

Now we have SPOOKY Pooh-acula.

What a cute little Mommy and Pumpkin Ryker.

We also discovered the absolute joy of the Merry-Go-Round. Why oh why have I never seen one of these before.

Just a bunch of silly parents holding us, their adorable little Trick or Treaters

Now remeber this was a Zoo so here are some of the animals.

Yummy Pumpkin

Lions, ROOOOOAAAAAARRRRRRRR!!!

This was definitely an awesome outing, something that is definitely going to be put on the list of annual family traditions.