Shrek The Halls

We don't participate in Black Friday in this house. I don't even like to go to the mall on the weekends. So parking and fighting the crowds at an unspeakable hour of the morning sounds terrible.

Instead, we all slept in and leisurely got ready to drive out to Grapevine to the Gaylord Texan to see the ICE sculptures. With a quick stop at Panera for breakfast we were on our way. We have been told by friends that this frozen exhibit is a "must-see" at the holidays. We didn't want to attempt this last year with such a tiny baby, but thought Kennedy might enjoy it this year.

The theme was Shrek The Halls and featured TWO MILLION POUNDS of ice that had been carved into different characters and scenes from the show. It was incredible!

Incredible and freezing. Obviously, I knew this would be the case. We're going to look at ice carvings. But y'all, it was so cold. 9 degrees to be exact. They hand out big parkas for everyone to wear as they walk through the exhibit. We had Kennedy bundled within an inch of her life and she never seemed to be bothered by the cold temps. Big Poppa tried to send her down the ice slide, but she's too small to go alone and they wouldn't let him go on it with her. 

We also had a great time thawing out and walking around the Gaylord. Its such a beautiful resort and they really know how to do a Texas sized Christmas. Kennedy loved looking at all the lights and decorations. We spent the rest of the afternoon strolling downtown Grapevine and found a winery to have lunch at. Lunch at a winery, twist my arm. 

Bundle up, little lady.  

That's a lotta ice. 

Big Poppa and Grammyflash in front of the big ice Shrek. 

Pinocchio, one of my favorites.  

The luge. No high heels or babies allowed.   

Frozen Shrek family. Apparently there are Shrek babies now. I think I must have missed a Shrek movie or 2.  

 My kind of reindeer. 

Obligatory photo opp. 

Dancer and Blitzin. However, Blitzin was missing something...

Bliztin was missing one of these. Don't worry, I found it for him. 

Thanksgiving Day

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! This was our first year to have family at our house for the holiday. We've had visitors come for Thanksgiving in NY, but we'd all head over to The Marshall house for an expertly cooked bird and trimmings. Ashley is a legit cook. This was the first time Greg and I would be preparing an entire Thanksgiving dinner on our own.

This was intimidating. I can bake. I know that. But I'm not so sure about my turkey cooking abilities. So I prepared the best way I knew how. I called Eatzi's. Wednesday afternoon I went and picked up an entire Thanksgiving meal: roasted turkey, dressing, gravy, potatoes, green beans, rolls, cornbread, pumpkin pie and some sort of chocolate something or other for the non-pumpkin pie fans. Ahem, me.

Thursday morning we picked up Grammyflash and Big Poppa at the airport and headed to the house for lunch. Following lunch while Kennedy napped, they watched football and I got to do a little sewing. Pretty nice little afternoon! We changed into our sportswear and went for a walk to the park to work up an appetite for dinner. Kennedy really loved playing football with Daddy and Big Poppa.

Greg and Grammyflash helped set the table while I poured a glass of wine and cooked (ok, reheated) dinner in the oven and used all my pretty serving pieces. Had you not seen the To-Go boxes from Eatzi's, I might have been able to fool everyone into thinking I cooked the entire thing. Anyway, it was delish. Really, it was outstanding.

After we sufficiently stuffed ourselves it was time to put Kennedy to bed and relax. Greg and his parents watched the Texas vs A&M game (Texas won!) and I drank wine and sewed a little.

We had a wonderful day and got a good night's rest for our adventure the next day: going to see the Shrek ICE sculptures at the Gaylord Texan Resort.

 Grammyflash, Big Poppa and a Little Turkey

Sporty Spice. 

Loves the sportsball. 

Daddy.  

Football with Big Poppa and Daddy.  

G carving the turkey.

Happy Thanksgiving

A hotdog? Really?

We have a meat eater, y'all! It happened yesterday when I gave Kennedy a taste of a hotdog. Don't be fooled - this was not something off MY plate, just from a pack we had at the house. I think hotdogs are all sorts of gross. Anyway, as we do every day I gave her a little meat with her lunch. Normal reaction is to gag, spit it out and say "no, no, no." But yesterday she ate it. She even asked for more. She ate the whole thing. 

The biggest shock came around dinner time when she came up to me and said "mom, hotdog, pees" (hotdog, please). I couldn't believe she asked for it! (Also, she calls me "mom" most of the time now, how mature of her). 

You mean to tell me I have been putting delicious and perfectly seasoned chicken, beef, turkey and ham in front of her for 6 months and all she wanted a microwaved hotdog?! 

Greg and I sat at the kiddie table to eat our dinner last night where she proceeded to eat bite after bite of a beef taco. And today I got her to eat chicken. 

Of course, my little veggie eater now scowls at her green beans and throws a fit when she sees a carrot. Go figure. 

We are also making great strides with a fork and spoon. She insists on feeding herself and it can get a little messy at times. Today I let her feed herself some greek yogurt in her high chair and the rest of her lunch in the playroom. 

Surprisingly, almost all of this made it in her mouth.  

Straight up chicken nuggs on that plate.  

 Chicken nugg in one hand and the Aquadoodle pen in the other. It was a working lunch. 

"eat"

Travel Success

Greetings from New Mexico! 

Kennedy and I flew in last night...and boy are our arms tired. Sorry, couldn't resist. Anyway, we had a fantastic flight! Thanks to a nearly empty plane and the sweetest flight attendants ever, Kennedy got to enjoy the luxury of her own seat. She was such a good girl, never cried, just sat and colored, snacked and charmed all the flight attendants. I brought with me an entire bag of new toys and books to keep her occupied. Aquadoodle for the win. This kept her entertained and quiet for a very long time. We also got to test out our new 'leash' in the airports. Worth. Every. Penny. She loved being able to walk about and completely didn't mind being tethered to me. It also made my job of wrangling the toddler, pushing the stroller and slinging around the diaper bag much easier. Travel success.

After a mandatory teeth cleaning at my mom's office (no cavities, standard lecture on flossing more), Kennedy and I went over to Sam and Kaylie's house for lunch. Kaylie and Kennedy are only 4 days apart and we love to get them together whenever I am in town. A special treat - our friend Jamie came with her twin baby girls, and "Favorite Auntie Ro" came to play as well.

Rosalie/Favorite Auntie Ro brought the girls Mrs. Potato Head toys. They were a hit.  And she was smart to bring them the same thing as "sharing" is a quite unpopular concept to a 16 month old.

I  had to keep a watchful eye on Kennedy with the babies. As much as she loves her baby dolls, she is a tad rough with them. She slings them around the playroom, stuffs them into the doll stroller and occasionally runs them over with her car. At first, I think she thought the twins were dolls but she was so distracted with all Kaylie's toys that she kept her distance...for the most part.

 Elmo leash. Looks like Elmo is in a Baby Bjorn.

 Lilly and Paige. 

Or possibly Paige and Lilly. 

Sweet baby girls.

"There are some eyes under the ottoman."

Kennedy and Kaylie

Kennedy and Kaylie as Potato Heads.

Scarf Weather

Its finally seasonally appropriate to break out the scarves. I love a good scarf and even made myself a polka dot ruffly one this week. I ended up with enough extra material to make one for my minnie. She looks so cute all dolled up with her layered pearls and polka dot scarf, paired with a velvet track suit. Casual yet fancy. 

We had friends over today to play at the house. Kennedy and Emily parked themselves right in front of the TV to watch a little Elmo while lunch was being prepared. All the kids played and played and hopefully all took nice long naps this afternoon!

After they left, Kennedy kept going to the door and saying ah-side, ah-side, ah-siiiiiide. Which means she wants to go outside. I thought it was the perfect time to try out the toddler leash we will be using in the airport next week. Since she wants to walk everywhere, getting her in the stroller can be a challenge and our usual bribes are no longer doing the trick. I can't just let her walk on her own, she's too fast and darty. So we are borrowing Emily's 'leash' for our upcoming trip. She really didn't seem to mind it at all!

Pearls. Polka Dots. Pigtails. 

Elmo!

Tethered

Just walking my girls.

Kennedy for a Day

Ever wanted to know what it was like to be Kennedy for a day? Wonder no longer. 

7:30 (ish) - time to wake up. 

Having milk and checking the morning headlines in bed. 

She spends a little time playing in her crib before we get up, put on a fresh diaper and head into the kitchen for breakfast. 

Toddler brekkie: blueberry pancakes, berry medley, bananas, yogurt and milk. 

Mommy brekkie: cereal and OJ mixed with super foods. Looks awful, tastes just like OJ. Promise.

"mah cak peese"

Translate: Mommy, when its convenient for you I would like some more pancakes, please. 

9:00 (ish) - pop in the jogger for a little run/walk combo around the neighborhood. Surprise! Today its freaking freezing outside. 

After our neighborhood stroll we come back, get dressed and play a little before dirtying the first outfit of the day. On this particular day she was playing with some new toys. One is a little holder for the iPhone and the other is her shopping cart. She can play independently while I get dressed, straighten up the house and get ready for the day's activities. 

 "eyes. eyes. eyes. eyes."

12:00 (ish) - time to meet our friends for lunch and playtime. This week we met up at Willowbend Mall for the new H&M opening. The crowds were unbearable and totally stroller unfriendly, so we ate lunch and made our way to the Loony Toons play area.

Toddler lunch: tri-color pasta with butternut squash, apple sauce, green beans and milk. 

Mommy lunch: Chic-fil-a 

Catching a snooze in the car on the way home. 

2:30 (ish) - Naptime. Or on some days its more like "baby plays quietly in her crib" time. 

No nap today, just hanging out in her crib. 

 Time for Mommy to do a little sewing. 

4:00 (ish) - Snack time. Either we play at home or run errands in the afternoon. This day we headed to Nordstrom for the half-yearly sale and picked up a new pair of trainers for Kennedy. 

Snack on the go: milk and a carrot/mango squeezie pack.

6:00 (ish) - Time for dinner. On this night, Greg was working late, so it was just us girls. Kennedy ate while we watched a little Baby Einstein sign language. 

Toddler dinner: mac'n'cheese with broccoli (and chicken, shhh), green beans, corn and milk. 

6:30 - post dinner we play around the house, pick up from the day and start to unwind for the evening. Normally, Greg helps pick up while I keep Kennedy entertained, but on this day, I was on my own. 

 Really into baby dolls right now.

Ooh, the Lilly Resort catalog is out. Don't mind if I do.  

If the gate wasn't up she would be in the dishwasher. 

7:30 - Time to get ready for bed. We do bath, brush teeth and read a story every night. We're creatures of habit and we try not to break routine unless we absolutely have to. 

 Bubbles!

 Cleaning the toofins.

"rock"      "book" 

Sound asleep. 

Time for Mommy to pour a glass of wine and make a nutritiously balanced dinner: grilled cheese and sweet potato fries.