Shadybrook Farms

On Thursday evening after work Jarrett picked us up and we went to see Shadybrook Farms in Yardley, PA. There really isn't anything like a Candy Cane Lane (as we call it in CA) where a neighborhood decks out their homes with lights here on the east coast. This year we discovered everyone goes to Shadybrook Farms to visit the Santa's Village and check out the lights! I can see why... It might be a new tradition! For our Bakersfield friends... imagine CALM's lights while driving your car (goodbye freezing cold) AND even more exciting, there is a drive-up Funnel Cake/Hot Cocoa and Dutch pretzel Stand they will bring it out to your car. Yay for warm and toasty!!

The only thing better than hot cocoa is not even having to get out of your warm car to get it ;)

Here's a few of our favorite light displays...

CBS Christmas Songs

On Wednesday was our Community Bible Study Christmas performance by the children's ministry! Lindsay and Madison were apart of it, and have been singing Christmas songs all month practicing for their 3 minutes of show ;)

"Hi Mama!!"

Here is Lulu singing, and waving to Daddy:

Beautiful big girl

 

Lindsay and her friend Teagan

Madison was her usual precious, stoic self! She was a little unsure of the audience, and froze like a deer in the headlights. Forget about shaking her maracas, she was staring at Daddy hoping he would come and rescue her!  

Here's Madison in all her seriousness: 

Precious Girl!

It is amazing how different the personalities of the girls are! Lindsay is our life-of-the-party (so Jarrett), while Madison is our gentle, serious baby (like me when I was little!)...until you get her alone and she gives Sister a run for her money ;) Love our unique, smart and beautiful little ladies!

First Snow 2013

Weee!! Snow!!

Last Sunday was our first snow of the season, and we had a blast!! It began snowing right after we got home from our church. It was our church's grand opening of its new building and relocation, and we were so thankful the snow waited until everyone got home safely :) The weatherman predicted snow, and we were questioning it until after lunch Jarrett said, "Well I don't think it's going to snow." A minute later we looked outside and tiny snowflakes were falling...lol.

Snow falling... We have zero outdoor plugs so we couldn't do lights, but we saw our neighbors had wreaths on the door and thought it looked festive and put some up too!!

Sweet Snow Bunny!

Snow tastes COLD!

My snow angel ;)

It snowed again all day on Tuesday, and we got 2-3 inches. The snow has stuck around too...burr! Forecast shows it is suppose to snow again on Saturday night! I just might get a White Christmas...

Welcome Christmas Season

Hooray!! Welcome Christmas Season... I got the Christmas Spirit early this year, and was super excited to decorate and celebrate our Savior's birth. We took advantage of Mom being here at Thanksgiving to do our decorating so she could feel like she got to be around both holidays, and we had some extra hands to help out. Christmas decorating is kind of a 'thing' in our family, and we put on our Frank Sinatra CD and pull out the bins from the garage and have fun going through the stuff. The girls get so excited seeing the stuffed animals, books and ornaments and can hardly wait to find the perfect place to put them.

 

Madison saw her old friend Rudolph and gave him a smooch hello.

Buffet village

 

I was super excited to discover The Christmas Tree Store, it's an east coast store that is open year round, but has a ton of cool stuff for each of the holidays. Jarrett and I found these ceramic houses there and I fell in love- I have always wanted a Christmas Village... it was my present this year! Thanks J!

This little tree has some history... its been with me since my first apartment in college! We read the book, "J is for Jesus" by Crystal Bowman that tells the story of how the candy cane got its colors and after that the girls wanted to decorate it this year with a Candy Cane Theme.

Oh Christmas Tree... Not a real one, but still pretty ;)

On December 1st, we wrapped up some Christmas PJ's for the girls to wear this month.. the were thrilled to open a gift early...lol.

 

Both girls jammies came with TUTU's... they were beyond excited. Lindsay asked, "You mean we actually get to sleep in a tutu?!?" There was lots of squealing afterwards. I probably won't be able to get the PJ's off until January...

Sister Love ;)

Grammie's Visit

Mom came for a quick four day visit during Thanksgiving and we had a blast! We ate Thanksgiving, hung around in our PJ's, decorated for Christmas, got to see Disney on Ice and the NYC skyline and even snuck in a date ;) Here are some highlights of our visit...

Merry (Early) Christmas Grammie! We let her open her Christmas present, IPhone covers with photos of Lulu & Maddie.

 

Grammie made Lulu and Maddie Potato Pancakes... she was a fan!

We took the girls to see a Disney on Ice show, "Celebrations". It was in Newark, and we drove past Manhattan and saw the skyline on the clear cold day!

Lindsay was mesmerized!

Lindsay's favorite part involved some glow-in-the-dark fans carried by the skaters.

Madison enjoyed the show, and had fun bouncing between Grammie, Daddy and Mommy's laps. There was one part that was a little intense and she pointed her little finger and told Grammie, "Pooky. I don't why-ket."

 

Grammie and her grand girls!

We love you Mom, thank you for making the long journey out to visit us!! We made some sweet memories, and had a blast! xo K

Thanksgiving 2013

Happy Thanksgiving!! We enjoyed having Grammie come out from California to help us eat all the yummy-ness of turkey, gravy, cornbread stuffing, green bean casserole, candied yams, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie and of course, chocolate lush!

We had enough food for leftovers... for 3 days!

 

We are so thankful for family ;)

Lindsay was my helper even more than last year. She helped make the pumpkin pie and chocolate lush.. Madison's favorite was licking the pudding off the beaters ;) Lulu helped me set the table and it was fantastic having Grammie there to play with the girls while I cooked! We ate, then everyone took naps and then ate again! My kind of day, right?

I missed being home in Bakersfield cooking Thanksgiving with my Grammie (Gigi), but we felt near her while cooking her recipes in the kitchen and calling her a few times on the phone to be sure I was doing it right ;) Love you Grandma! xo

 

Grammie stayed with us for a few days and we enjoyed her company... Jarrett and I got to go on a date to celebrate our 9 year anniversary, and we got to see Disney on Ice... more posts to come!!

Bonfire

The Sunday night before Thanksgiving was a bonfire in celebration of Princeton's football victory over Harvard and Yale. This tradition began a couple hundred years ago, and this is the second year it has happened in the last 20 years or so we thought we better check it out this year in case their luck runs out next year! The girls were excited to see the "Big Fire", and had fun watching the firemen in their turnout gear preparing to light it. It was in the center of campus, and the band played while everyone snacked on kettle corn and sipped hot chocolate. It just happened to be the coldest night of the year (so far) and the car read 27 degrees when we got out at 6pm. Burr!

 

Baby Girl all bundled up in the cold... You can see the band in the stands off to the right.

Lindsay was cold, but had fun dancing to the music (as always) and hearing the band play. The Tiger mascot was running around and the girls were mesmerized, but were a little afraid when he ventured too close. After the Tiger went on to hug some other kids across campus, Madison looked at Jarrett with a serious face and asked, "Daddy, Tiger eat me?" LOL. Of course he said, "Oh No baby, Tiger isn't going to eat you..."  we could hear a few people giggle next to us who heard her.

I guess when this event started, they began by burning outhouses (gross!). They continued the tradition by making a pretend outhouse to burn, thank goodness for folks today.

J took a picture from the roof of his building.. so neat!

Now, "Tiger going to eat me?" is Madison's newest question and inside joke she will ask us (or anyone who talks to her for very long) mainly because she loves the consoling ;)