Meeting Santa

We had a Christmas Party this weekend and Santa visited. He called each child on stage one by one so they could sit on his lap and he gave them each a gift.

Avery was so excited, but star-struck. She was at a loss for words and almost nervous when visiting with Santa.

Nora was very apprehensive when she first saw him, but when he called her name, she marched up on stage without any hesitation. It was so funny...it was like she was on a mission.

Nora Turns 2!

We celebrated Nora's 2nd Birthday last weekend. Nora LOVES ducks, so her cake naturally had ducks on it.

Our family tradition is to bake and decorate the cake together....it's a lot of FUN! As you can see, Nora dug right into her slice of the cake!!!

Monkey See, Monkey Do!

Nora isn't officially potty training, but she understands the general concept. Plus, her competitiveness tends to make her want to go potty like everyone else.

A few days ago, I heard the girls in the bathroom together and when I peeked in, this is what I saw....Nora going potty like Avery, and Avery reading her a book like me.

Caramel Corn

Now that it's getting cold, I'm trying to get creative and keep the girls entertained. So, we made a big batch of Caramel Corn. It was quick and easy and FUN too!


I have great memories of making Caramel Corn with Grandma Berry when staying overnight with her as a kid.


Here's the recipe of you want to try it!

5 Quarts of Popped Corn - Keep Warm in Oven

3/4 cup Margarine
2 cups Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Corn Syrup

Bring to a rolling boil and allow to boil for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, remove from heat and add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. Pour warm popcorn into a brown paper bag, then pour the caramel mixture into the brown paper bag and stir to cover the popcorn. Place the brown paper bag in the microwave and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove and stir. Repeat this 2 more times. Pour over wax paper to cool.

Indoor Soccer

Avery started an indoor soccer class. We took Nora with us the first night...needless to say, Nora was the first one on the court ready to play.

Avery loves it! She even scored a goal during the game portion of the class.

Fall Leaves

Even though it's sad to see the leaves fall to the ground, they provide good entertainment for the kids and some great photo ops!

Planting Bulbs

We planted some bulbs the other day...hopefully we'll have some beautiful flowers in the Spring!