Happy Birthday Liesl

I am breaking into my sisters blog to post a picture of Liesl since it has been way to long since her last post and she promises me she will start up dating more than once every 6 months so I, her sister who is half way across the country and misses seeing updated pictures of her niece soooo... much, can see what she is up to and how she is growing more often (no pressure!) Nana sent me this picture that I am posting of Liesl opening presents on her birthday. She had a special day at Auntie Lisha's cabin swimming around like the little fish that she is. Happy Fourth Birthday Liesl. You are growing up so fast! Love, Auntie Manda

Illumination!

Glo Sticks!!! So, Erin Pep must be the best sciences teacher ever, for she came up with the brilliant idea of glo sticks in the bathtub! We hit the lights and glowed up the tub the other night with Liesl and her cousin Cal. I think I could have taken photos for hours they were so fun, but Liesl politely asked me, "Mom, when are you going to be done with the camera?". So I put it away and we just played and played and played. It is kind of like the luminescence in the ocean, but in the comfort of your own home (not that I would object to a trip to the ocean). Here are some of the far too many photos!

Spewing magical fairy water!

Cal is transfixed by the beauty, as were we all!

Whoa!

Cal is part fairy too!

Spooky.

Ooooooh. Alicia these would be great as light sabers!

Here is an overhead shot of the tub and our little magicians.

Winter Solstice already! We had our annual party last night to celebrate and to get us through the longest night of the year. We began our evening with some sledding. As we all slowly gathered at one of our favorite parks. The sledding was bumpy and most of the adults will have bruised bums today, the kids did not seem to mind. We had a great idea of lighting our hike home with glow sticks but soon found out they don't glow in our MN cold! Oops, so much for that idea. We got home and quickly warmed ourselves with steamy beverages and fortified ourselves with tasty treats. After relaxing and eating to our tummys' content we headed to the living room for a beautiful solstice story. The story is about the sun dying and then returning on the solstice to bring us the light once again. We ended the story by placing our Sun/Star on the top of the tree so the sun will hopefully return to us again. It was a lovely evening with even lovelier friends. Welcome back sun!!!!

Deb reading to us all.

Rosy cheeks!

Playing amonst the fairy lights.

The Cuneos join the party. A little hike does a mom good when she is due in 1 week!!

Keeping warm together!

The "big" girls.

John and Isla, recovering from the sledding hill.

Deb, checking on Doca. The little guy was happy as a little snowman all sausaged up in his warm clothes!

Up the hill once more!

The gathering.

CraftTime!

It was a great day for doing crafts. Peps brought over an array of craft goodies to share and Alaina brought oranges and cookies! Believe it or not the oranges were the first thing to go (and the cookies were really good!).
This is the finished project of a glorious felt wreath.

We tag teamed and every child did manage to make a wreath in some way or another. It was a whirlwind of activity and I don't believe there were any tears! That makes a mom's day.

Where has the time gone!!

SNOW!!! We have been waiting and waiting for a little snow. Liesl immediately wanted to pull out the skiis. We are looking forward to many more snowy ski days this winter.

Time to hang up the lights while the weather is still warm....ish.

Gram and Pop Pop (Dave's parents) came out to visit this fall. It was great timing for fall yard clean-up. I don't know how many bags of leaves we had this year but it was over 20! We had amazing weather and spent most of the week outside playing.

This is the process of making Liesl's Halloween costume. She had been saying she wanted to be Charlotte from Charlotte's Web for about a month. So we got busy and after more than a little effort and many trips to Micheal's we fashioned spiderwebs and legs with a purple body and black legs. So, Halloween arrived and Liesl found some pink pajamas in her bin of clothing. She promptly decided that she was going to be Wilbur instead. She wouldn't even try on the Charlotte costume (otherwise I would have a picture here). So she wore pink pajamas, no tail, no snout, just pink fuzzy pajamas. She was Wilbur, she told me to wear overalls so I could be the farmer and Dave was instructed to wear brown and have a big belly to be Templeton. I will now wait until Halloween day to make a costume, or better yet go to Target.

Liesl and her friend Isla looking out the window for trick or treaters.

Our beautiful pumpkins.

Just being a goof ball!

The Fashion Show!

We like to call this one "Carrie Bradshaw".

Little Irish Lassie.

Auntie Alicia went through her bins of dress up clothes from her two very fasionable girls the other weekend. We were the lucky recipients of the fashion show in a bag. Liesl loves to put one on right after the other run into the room to show one of us and run out for her costume change. She might do well in theater (at least in the quick change). With all of these outfits what in the world will she be for Halloween? She changes her mind daily. Perhaps she will be a model and change outfits all day long over and over and over. Thanks Auntie!!!