Attack of the green face'd girls

New years Day we went to mom's for dinner, and there we were able to shanghai three cousins, Marianne, Kyla, and Mai Mai, to spend a girls night with us. We put on a mud mask, and tickled backs, and told stories. The next day they had a dress up tea party, and we painted nails and played hide and seek. It is so great to have so many cousins near by.

They all look pretty 'grinchy' to me..
Tea party best dressed.

New years Eve... Josh's B-day!

New years eve is Josh's birthday and so every year he (mostly) gets to choose what we do. This year was fun. First he got to wake up, whenever, go to the gym, then we shuffled him into the car and took him to breakfast at IHOP. Then home for a shower and some down time. Then we packed up and headed to the Childrens Museum downtown, with our friends the Sohms. It was hopping. and for good reason, they had tonz of New Year activities going on, the kids (and me) got to make a new years mask, a noise maker, and a hat to decorate; plus they gave them a another blow noise maker. The kids had fun, and Josh enjoyed just playing with the kids. Then we rushed home got some pot luck food ready and headed for Jorge's, where we they had a wonderful spread, and the girls got to play with some neighbor girls and Tio Jorge. Home at 10:30, and I fell asleep at 11:30... Happy new Year.. yer.. I mean Happy Birthday!

Kinda Scary group!
Making our new years masks!

Showing off our masks!

Eva, as she is trying fill up the car tires, was I think afraid to get of the bike, so no one else would take it, as she plays something else.

You can see josh making the car noises.. brmmm.

Move over Bob the Builder, Bella is a Pro.

This is the house that (bella) Jack built!

Mmmmm... tasty!

Get em' livey!

Josh enjoying the toy as much as Bella!

Tio Jorge really is sweet with our girls!

Cousins and cookies.. and ABBA?

So I happen to have a cousin, Mindy, whom I love to be with, and my kids love her kids, Hali and Garret, so really it is a good day when we can hang out, which has been more scarce since Hali and Bella's school conflict, so it was lovely when they were able to come during the break, and hang out. Mindy brought the movie Mama Mia, since she knew I wanted to see it, and we watched it upstairs and the kids watched a new movie downstairs. FUN! Then we made sugar cookies, since I hadn't done it with the girls before Christmas, while listening to the orginal Abba 'Gold' CD. My girls LOVE the 'money, money' song! Can you say mama mia !

Lots of snow, so let's sled!

So this year Christmas really was a winter wonderland. It snowed and snowed and snowed. Since it was so snowy and our dad was home, the day after Christmas, we thought it would be a perfect time to go sledding. The girls were excited. We were excited. We have a great sledding hill right by our house, and it was hopping with sledders. However, it was REALLY cold. I mean COLD. Eva only last a half hour, and wanted to sit in the car, and Bella only lasted another 15 min. But we still had fun, and got some good pics.

Dad and livey, she had her jammies on, because I think it was really the only thing to protect her legs and feet underneath her other stuff.
Going up..

...and Eva coming down.

Brrr...Cheese!

Face first, gets all the snow right in your face.

Weeeee...

Santa Came!!

Santa ate our cookies... sugar.. Josh's favorite!

Presents before the chillens came down. The radio in the car was playing christmas music.
Our girls must have been good this year, Santa spoiled them. Bella and Eva got a princess jeep to share. Bella got the American girls, Samatha book set (plus a mini samatha doll), and a build a bear set.. where she could make her own teddy bear. Eva got a littlest pet shop set, and a Jasmine doll. Olivia got a rocking horse that makes sounds, and moves, and tub toys! It was a good Christmas!

I wanted to make something special for Christmas breakfast, so I made eggs benedict, grapefruit segments, and OJ, the girls weren't so hip on the eggs benedict, so I made eggs muffins with cheese.

Cheese muffins... Mmm.

Beatles singing.. "Baby you can drive my car.."

Princess!

Playing littlest pet shop!

Sister.. sisters, there were never such devoted sisters!

Ride em' cowgirl!

Livey with her christmas bath toys! Yippee!

Christmas Eve

So Christmas Eve daddy went to work and we were left to ourselves to anticipate the coming night and next day. Luckily, Jana our neighbor has some nieces and nephews who came to play that we know, so they all came over and partied. It was a nice way to wittle away the hours. They played hide and seek and watched a christmas movie, and just generally played hard.

Ellie, Abby, Josh, Isabel, Lily, Eva, Riley, & Isaac.

Bella, olivia, and Eva, just before presents opening.
Just after being at tio Jorge's house for Christmas Eve (another time I forgot to take a pic). Tio Juan's fam, Tio Jorge's family, Esther's fam, and us celebrated, although we missed our poncho weetos, and the traditional food, we still had a nice time.

The girls in the traditional Christmas Jammies.

Kissen livey-lou!

In Bed, waiting for santa!