The Girls' First Christmas

Mia and Emma are so excited on Christmas morning!

It's hard to believe the girls' first Christmas is here!  They definitely knew something was different when they woke up this morning.  We came upstairs and saw the glowing Christmas tree.  When we set them down in front of it, they started playing with ornaments and grabbing packages.  Emma picked up a small gift and shook it like she was trying to figure out what it was.  Mia found one and started banging it on the floor.  They both loved the ribbons and when we showed them how to rip the paper, they loved that too. 

Mia and Emma tear into their package.

Emma loves Christmas! 

Mia loves presents!  The paper and ribbon, mostly.

After the girls' morning nap, Great Aunt Janis and cousin Cary arrived from the even snowier Olympia. We all sat down at the table for a nice brunch - girls included.  They happily ate their teething biscuits until they decided they wanted to sample some other fare.  Grandma Lund snuck them some Christmas cookies to try.  Emma tried one yesterday, so she knew what they were all about and was very excited.  Mia sucked on hers to soothe her gums. 

While the girls napped again, the adults went bowling and played baseball and boxing on the Wii.  We also had a family book exchange this year to keep Christmas simple.  We'd all submitted lists of books we wanted, but we didn't know who was shopping for us or which book we'd get.  This way we all got something we wanted, and it was fun and easy. This could become a tradition!

And the girls gave Mom & Dad the perfect gift - sleep!  We're at a week (and counting) of full nights of sleep.  It's amazing how much more energy we have during the day now. 

Speaking of sleep, the girls were completely tuckered out and in bed by 6pm. Janis and Cary are back home in Olympia. The the rest of us are relaxing in the living room, and will likely head to bed soon. 

What an exciting day - one of many memorable Christmases to come! 

White Christmas

In addition to this being the girls' first Christmas, it is also my first "white" Christmas, thanks to the last week+ of snow. I feel like the last week has been Christmas since we've spent so much time together at home -- decorating, listening to music, and baking. In some ways I think our unusual weather was a little extra nudge to help me slow down and just enjoy the holiday season with my family.  I would normally be out fighting crowds at the mall and post office and staying up late wrapping presents, but this year the snow threw off my routine.  And I have to say, it was a very relaxing and wonderful Christmas! 

While I've enjoyed how pretty everything looks in the snow and how peaceful it is, it will be nice for it to melt so we can get back to normal.  After all, I'm sure there are some great after-Christmas sales I could hit up!

Snowy Christmas Eve

We had a very nice Christmas Eve at home. Grandma and Grandpa Lund and Uncle Pete were with us.  It was snowy and rainy and windy, so we stayed inside for the most part.  The girls loved playing with all their visitors! And those of us over the age of 10 months also had fun playing -- with the Wii. Several games of bowling took place.  

We ended the day with the Lunds' traditional Christmas meal of Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes and lefse.  We were very full at the end of the meal and promptly collapsed on the couch and fell asleep in front of the TV. Here are some snapshots from the day...

Emma convinces Grandma Lund to let her try a Christmas cookie.  She even has that "hand caught in the cookie jar" look on her face.

Emma checks out the cool rain stick Mia is playing with. 

The girls play together on Christmas Eve in their festive outfits.

Mia is on the move!

"Ha!  I got Daddy's remote!  Now I can watch whatever I want," says Emma.

Emma and Mia enjoy their teething biscuits.

Snow Days

Mia and Emma check out the snow up close with Mom. 

The five of us were basically homebound for the last 4 days. And we're still smiling! Well, the adults anyway. Mia is looking up at the tree and Emma is just skeptical about the whole thing.

Our house Sunday morning. More snow was on its way - it snowed from 11am to 11pm!  We estimated 6-8" total over for the last several days.  That's a LOT for Seattle - especially Ballard!

Our front steps and walkway Sunday morning. 

Snow-covered branches in our backyard. 

Braving the Cold

Since we stayed inside most of the day yesterday, we decided to brave the cold, snow and ice to walk down to Market Street. First we had to get all bundled up... 

Mia and Emma bundle up to go out for a walk to fight cabin fever.

Mia is less than amused by her cold weather gear.

Remember that scene in "A Christmas Story" when the kid licks the frozen pole on a dare?  Emma is warming up.

Friday morning shot of the house as we headed out for our walk. There was plenty of snow left over from Thursday but the streets were clear. 

After a little local shopping in downtown Ballard, we take a break for lunch.  Grammy has a hold on Emma (note tongue is still out) while Mia lunges for the camera.

The girls are all tuckered out after our big adventure in the snow.

Teaser Photo

Mia and Emma get bundled up for school.

I finally got our photo program fixed,  but realized I'd lost the USB cord for the camera to import the photos.  We got a new one so now I have no excuse.  There are many photos I'd like to share from the past month, but seeing as it's 10:30pm and sleep sounds pretty good, I'll just post one teaser photo for now.  Enjoy!

Snow Angels

We woke up this morning to snow!   I had to snap a few photos of the girls in their first big snowfall.  We dressed them in their warm, one-piece suits and stepped out into the backyard.  I snapped quickly as it was cold and wet!