The HolidayTrain

I heard about the Holiday Train coming to Rochester on the radio this weekend. Ellie is very into trains right now and so I decided to take her. This is a very cool thing and I was glad we waited in the cold today to see it come. Every car was decorated and when it stopped, the door to the main car was opened and fake smoke poured out. There stood Santa singing Rock and Roll. He came off the train and began to hand out candy canes while the live band played different songs. Great idea for a great cause. The funny thing is that Elyana kept thinking that it was the Polar Express train and that she would get to go on it and ride to the North Pole to see Santa. Poor kid, that was a tough one to explain!

Here's a little info about the Holiday Train from their website (http://www8.cpr.ca/English/General+Public/Holiday+Train/default.htm), "The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train hits the rails again this November, visiting over 130 communities in eight states and six provinces. In the last decade, the Holiday Train has helped raise $4 million and 2 million pounds of food for local food banks."





Here's a picture of the Mayor that even stopped by.

Pictures with Santa

Nate lucked out this weekend. While running an errand to Sam's Club with Elyana, there was a Santa sitting there and pictures printed out were only $2! Of course, Mikayla felt left out, after all, she still had to tell Santa what SHE wanted too. So, after our Nutcracker Tea Party, we had to return some Black Friday items at the mall. There sat Santa... So we waited in a long long line and I am thankful that I still had my camera with me from earlier. The mall pictures are expensive. She very much still believes in Santa (although she no longer believes in the tooth fairy...). While waiting in line, she very thoughtfully decided what she'd ask him for. Go figure, it's something I didn't get her!

Nutcracker Tea Party

This Sunday I took Mikayla to the Nutcracker Tea Party. I couldn't believe how cool it was for the price. What a fun excuse to dress up! There were incredible treats on each table and a hot chocolate bar. While we ate, the dancers mingled with the tables. Then they put on a mini Nutcracker performance. The children got to sit right by the stage. After that, they got to dance with the dancers, get pictures taken, and get more treats (really neat ones) that the dancers personally gave each child. Mikayla danced herself all the way into the elevator and to the parking ramp. "Can we do this every year?" she asked. Of course she wants to take dance lessons now. How to work that into the budget and schedule...hmmm.

Midwest Lifeshots Photography

Once again, our friends Scott and Jen Elder took the girls' pictures. Thanks so much you two! Here are just a few I wanted to share:

Update-Cabin Fever

What do I with the kids on cold days or days when the girls are home sick?

Dress Up
Elyana loves creating her own character of dress up. This is her favorite, cat woman/batman/with long green gloves on. She thinks she can really scare you in this getup and when you react, she whips off her mask and reassures you, "It's just Ellie."


Masking Tape Hopscotch
I needed a few minutes just to my self and the girls were super hyper. I quick made this indoor hopscotch with masking tape. It worked like a charm, burned off some energy and bought me some time.


Kleenex Box Collection/Doggie Condominium
Mikayla got into this project when she was sick last (she got the idea from Sophie Stiles). Our doggie condo is really growing. They now have a toilet which grossly is also their bath and water dish.

Cats

The girls are playing cats right now. Mikayla goes over to sit in the box of Leggos. She explains that cats poop in boxes and then they cover it up. "They think it goes away that way," she explains.

A Bad Idea?

Being known for my accident proneness, something inside shouted, "You shouldn't be doing this..."

Nate had to run to Menards, and I headed outside with the girls to start on some raking. Mikayla and I noticed now that the leaves are all gone, a beehive in our tree. She starts to freak out and wouldn't come outside until it was gone. So, I get out our tree trimmer thing to clip off that branch. I knew that it was broken, but used it anyway. The attachment piece falls off, and the tree clipper thing is now hanging in our tree. I still should have probably waited until Nate returned, but I thought if the wind would blow that thing down, it could hurt someone. So, then I get a ladder out. I'm proud to say though, that nothing bad happened, I got the clipper down from the tree, and cut down the nest. I squealed like the girl I am in case there were bees that might zoom out at me. That thing is pretty cool to look at. Nate cut it open so we could all play nature scientists. Mikayla wants to bring it in to school.