Merry Christmas

What a great Christmas! I think it's safe to say that everyone got what they wanted this year.

I got yet another visit from Santa. He came over on Christmas Eve before he headed out to deliver all his presents....

Harrison got the Handy Manny toolbench and a whole bunch of tools that he asked Santa for...
Here is Harrison making sure he didn't miss anything in his stocking...
I was so lightning fast opening my gifts on Christmas morning that Mom and Dad couldn't keep up with the camera, the kids and the hungry babies.....we did get this picture of the chaos our living room turned into (this is also one of the only pictures of the babies on their first Christmas....just enjoying being in the middle of it all...)
All the fun and excitement was a bit exhausting for Harrison
And Mommy got what she was hoping for....a VERY white Christmas! Everyone thought she was nuts for wishing for this but she enjoyed it. And at least we were snowed in with a houseful of new presents to keep us kiddos entertained for a few days. Daddy got a nice gift too....he headed out to shovel out the driveway and got help from a nice guy in town who was driving by in his bobcat....he saved Daddy about 3 hours of really hard work --- and it made Harrison's day as he sat there and watched the bobcat the whole time!


Uncle Ryan and Aunt Brooke are coming to visit today and we get to play Christmas again with them....so fun! Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and we wish you a very happy new year!!!

All Smiles

There's nothing like Christmastime to make us kiddos happy little people. And, for me in particular, there's nothing like Santa Claus to make a girl giddy. I tell Mommy over and over again that I love Santa. I think it's pretty clear on my face just how much I love seeing the guy!
Harrison, on the other hand, requires a little more cajoling to got talk to the big man in red. He would only go if Mommy held his hand and he certainly wasn't going to sit on his lap! Mommy did a really good job hiding -- she's actually crouching behind Harrison in this picture of all of us kids with Santa....
And to top off an already exciting day of going to see Santa at the mini mall, they had cotton candy! This picture is an accurate description of how crazy that stuff makes me!
Now, the one lap that Harrison is more than happy to climb onto is his beloved Papa's. He actually fell asleep there the other night when Grandma and Grandpa came over for supper. So sweet....
And speaking of sweet, look at me cuddling with Kennedy the other morning...
And lastly, Mom has been trying to get a few pictures of Kennedy and Madison now that they are giving out all kinds of smiles. They are such happy little girls (aside from their screaming/binge eating fits in the evenings before they go to bed....which mom and dad tolerate because Madison has slept through the night the past two nights and Kennedy is getting close!!!). Anyhow, it is apparently quite a tricky process to capture a two month old's smile on film. These were the best she could get and she made them black and white so you wouldn't be blinded by the bright light -- the flash and the close up made for some pretty bright pictures ;)

Madison:

Kennedy:We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and hope that Santa is good to you!

Christmas Preparations

We've been busy gearing up for Christmas. One of my favorite memories from last year was making the gingerbread house and I asked Mom if we could decorate one again this year. Mom decided to get Harrison and me each one so we wouldn't fight over decorating (avoiding sibling squabbles is at the top of Mommy's wish list each day). Mom commented that decorating gingerbread houses is a lot like pumpkin carving -- a lot of work, mess and kids lose interest long before they are complete. But, we did have a lot of fun and Harrison and I are both proud of our houses -- and we both really enjoyed sneaking lots of candy for our bellies while putting a few pieces on the actual houses!Last week, Daddy had some meetings up in Aberdeen and decided it would be easier just to stay overnight up there than to drive back late and back up again in the morning. Then, Mom and Dad decided to be really brave (and/or crazy....you decide) and take the whole family to stay overnight at the hotel with the fun swimming pool. Luckily, for them, it turned out to be a great idea. We were good kids and the babies did great sleeping up there too. Not sure we'll turn this into a weekly outing or anything, but good to know we can manage some of these things! Here we are all lined up on the bed in our room....Mom wanted to mark this momentous occasion of the babies first hotel stay....(Kennedy is on the left)The babies were content to hang out in the carseats while Mom watched us swim in the pool. The wonderful part about this pool is that it is only 3 feet deep at the deepest end and even better was that Harrison and I pretty much stayed in the part that is about 8 inches deep. Mom had her suit on just in case she had to get in with us, but we played and swam nice all by ourselves. Daddy took us down again in the morning when we woke up while Mom stayed upstairs with the babies. It was a great trip!

We came home and got to work decorating our tree. I started and put all the red ornaments together in one spot on the tree and I think it looks lovely that way. I have even told Mommy very sternly that she is not to touch them or rearrange them while I am away at school. It's killing Mommy just a little bit not to fix my clumping style, but Mom and Dad do sit back at night and admire my work proudly....

Now, you may be looking at the tree and not quite seeing this clumping method of mine as well as you might if you could see the view from the recliner....here:
And apparently, Harrison shows clumping tendencies as well as illustrated here when Daddy was helping us make some Christmas cookies. While I was working to spread mine out evenly on the baking sheet, Harrison worked hard to line his up right next to one another. Then he tried stacking them.... we thought about doing an experiment to see how the tower would bake, but decided not to....maybe next time...
We've had lots of visits with Santa -- he came to Nette's daycare on Tuesday and brought us presents and we get to see him again on Sunday when he comes to town for a visit. I am just as enamored with the guy as last year! We are so excited for Christmas next week!

2 Month Check Up

The twins are officially on the charts! They went to the doctor today for their two month check up (Mom is eternally grateful to Grandma for coming along for logistical and emotional support....it was shot day!). Both girls have definitely been eating. Kennedy tipped the scales at 9lbs, 10 oz and Madison weighed a whopping 10 lbs, 2 oz. We are so proud of our girls! They went from less than 3rd percentile to somewhere between the 25th and 50th percentile for height and weight. Yea!

Mom was trying to catch the girls in the act of smiling, but Madison was too intrigued with the camera to smile and Kennedy decided to be silly and stick out her tongue....so no smiling, but at least you can see for yourself how they've grown....

Madison

Kennedy

Reagan's First X-Ray

Yet another first for which there is no spot in the baby book...I tried to be a daredevil and jump down the last couple steps to the basement. Obviously, it didn't work very well. I landed funny on my foot and was in lots of pain. I was able to go to sleep last night but woke up this morning and still couldn't put any weight on it without crying. So off we went to the doctor. I actually enjoyed myself (once I had been sufficiently convinced there is no shot they can give you for a hurt foot). I was thrilled with my wheelchair ride and found the whole x-ray experience fascinating --- and I got a sticker!. And the highlight of the day for Mom....finding out it was just a sprain and I should be back to normal soon!

Meeting Mrs. Claus

Cold weather = footie jammies! Harrison and I are so excited that it's cold enough to pull out our footie PJs and thought it was pretty neat that all four kiddos had them on the other morning. We insisted that Mom take a picture of us...We've been helping Daddy string up Christmas lights -- we'll post a picture of the house all lit up once we're done. We think we're pretty helpful, but I'm not sure Daddy totally agrees with that statement. We tend to get a bit tangled up -- but it sure is fun!
We headed over to the Dakota Sunset Museum today for the Christmas Tree Extravaganza. Various groups in town decorate trees and they're up for display around the museum. They ask the kids in local daycares and the school to color pictures to decorate one of the empty walls. Harrison found his picture all by himself and was so proud to show it off to Mom and Dad. I had two pictures on display (one I colored at Nette's that I called an easter egg -- apparently it was actually a christmas ornament ball -- and one that I colored at preschool. We didn't take any picture of them though...sorry....I let Harrison have the fame in this category)
The best part of the day was when Mrs. Claus came to read the children a story. I was just as excited to see her as I am when I see Santa and I gave her a great big hug.

I even let her hold my babies...She promised to go home and tell Santa what a nice girl I am!
(you might have to click on the picture to see it bigger, but Madison is wide awake and really checking out this lady who is holding her!)

We also managed to get our family picture taken this weekend -- you'll have to wait to see that one but Mom and Dad seemed pleasantly surprised at the experience. Their expectations were quite low with 4 small children in tow, but we actually think we got some good ones! Us kids are really working hard to stay off of Santa's naughty list!

The Shaw Invasion

What a perfect start to the holiday season....we had such a wonderful Thanksgiving and loved having so many people to celebrate with. On Thursday, Pops, Gams, Amy, Scott, Abbey, Jen, Kevin and Bobby all flew out to South Dakota to spend the weekend with us! This was Pops and Gams' first trip to South Dakota and I think they actually liked it here :). It's hard not to like it here when they get the chance to hang out with all of their grandkids at once and meet the new babies, I guess....We decided to have Thanksgiving out at Papa and Grandma's shed so that there would be a nice place for the adults to eat and a huge place for us kiddos to play. This turned out perfectly. Grandma made a yummy meal, everyone had a great time and Harrison and I got to show off all of our new toys to Abbey and Bobby. We took them for rides in our cars....

And we even brought our bouncy house over to the shed for an extra energy-outlet....another great idea....

They put the kids table out in the shed too (mom forgot to take a picture of the pretty adult table inside)...
Mom couldn't resist taking this picture. By the end of the day, all the excitement had worn me out pretty good and I had a moment that led to a brief time out. I sat on this chair crying and Abbey had to run over to check on me. She sat down next to me to console me and then smiled when she saw my mom with the camera.
On Friday, we had the Baptism for Madison and Kennedy. Sitting still and behaving for all that was a little tricky for us kids who were still so happy to be together, but we managed okay. Luckily, the priest invited us up to watch up close so we could all stand around the baptismal font.
Here is Madison being baptized....
and Kennedy's turn
A family shot
And a picture with Fr. Kopel...
Gams bought the Christening gowns....aren't they gorgeous???
Friday night, Jenna and Luke (with the aid of Chelle and Rick for bedtime -- thank you!!!!) were brave enough to come over and watch the 4 big cousins while everyone else went down to Pierre to see the Christmas tree display (and Daddy's desk) at the Capitol and then they went out for a nice dinner. Aunt Jen took a little spill in the driveway and ended up with a twisted ankle.... what a trooper, she went anyway. They had wheelchairs for people to use at the capitol so we gave her a ride around to help her stay off her foot for the night. Here she is with the babies in their stroller....

Saturday, we took everyone "downtown" for the Parade of Lights. We had a blast running around the back of daddy's pickup waiting for Santa (and screaming out to him when he came).

Here is the float that Nette and Avery made for our daycare. They won the contest last year and took 2nd this year. Congratulations! They had a basketball hoop on the float and the sign on the back said "Nothing but Nette" -- so cute!

My favorite part of the evening.....giving Santa a hug. I just love that guy!
Everyone had to head home early Sunday morning. I was devastated to say goodbye to Abbey and everyone else. Mom is sad she didn't get to take more pictures of everyone. And we are all hopeful that it won't be long before we see each other again!