Living Room Redux

The past couple of weeks we have been sprucing up our living room with blue paint, new curtains and a new arrangement. Above is our "before."

And the "after."

I sewed some new curtains and added a little color with rosettes. Matty was a little worried that the flowers might girlify his man room, but the overall effect turned out great.

It is a work in progress and we hope to get some shelves put up in the office area in the near future. Now the vibe is much cozier and livable/lovable.

10 Months on Earth

Monday marked 10 months that Harper Belle has blessed our Earth. I thought that I would let her tell you some "ten monthisms" about herself.

Madison is probably one of my favorite people. She can really make me laugh and smile the most.

Even when I cry my mama thinks I am cute. I am talking more and will let everyone in the house know what I like and don't like with sounds and shaking of the head.

I can get places...fast. I am also an incredible dancer. Imagine Chubby Checker and The Twist, its my signature move.
I am also trying to walk. I can pull up the furniture and walk around holding things and am very close to taking the plunge and really making my folks baby proof the house.

I really like chasing my shadow. It is how my mama entertains herself on sunny days. I also enjoy playing with my toy drumsticks. They taste really good.

I "help" with the laundry i.e. take all the clean clothes out of the basket and put them on the floor. I also really like this game called "I drop it, you pick it up." That's right, they fall for it all the time.

I love to eat. At the moment some of my favorite dishes are peas, blueberries and carrots.
I am most definitely blessing my family with my smile and beautiful, happy spirit. In a nutshell, I am very loved by all both near and far!

The Escape Artist

Yesterday Madison stayed home from school with a tummy ache. Harper was thrilled to have her around even though they were quarantined from one another for a while. We have a new system where we put Harper in the family room with her toys and then barricade her in using the playpen. This has worked like a charm because she is still able to play and move around, but we can manage where she is. That is until yesterday when I went up to check on Madison and came back to find that....

Harper had shed her diaper, found her way to the kitchen and was eating the Cheerios she had thrown on the floor during breakfast. Surprise!!! The Escape Artist is born! It is still unclear how she got out, but we are starting to put some clues together.

Snow!

We wanted snow and we got it!! This was during the downpour we got this afternoon. It is suppose to keep on coming the next couple of days.

Our back steps after shoveling. About a foot of snow total!

We went sledding with Madison's friend, Ramona, this week. It was our first night out and it was so fun!!!

Matty especially loved it!

The walk down our front steps. I have now officially shoveled a bunch of snow. It is a beautiful powder that dusts everything. Luckily, they salt and snow plow our roads throughout the day so it is much easier to get around in. They definitely have the process down and people are out and about constantly. We are getting used to the new climate and conditions and becoming official "Clevelanders!"

Christmas

The girls waiting to come down the stairs to see what Santa brought them!
Harper looks pretty pleased, especially because she is sitting next to big sister!!

Madison and her Dad enjoying the early Christmas morning.

The girls in front of the tree.

Harper checking out her new musical instruments.

Christmas Tree

Last weekend we went on a hunt...for our Christmas tree. It began on this platform in 30 degree weather where we loaded a horse drawn hayride and were "let out" in the wild to find, chop down, and drag back the perfect tree.
* Note the scary saw*

Getting bundled up!

My girls

Trekking through the fields on the hunt...

We found it!!!! A blue spruce...which actually once home was A LOT more prickly than first thought.

Matty and Madison cutting down our tree.

Now it is time to decorate and what a great helper!

Ta Da!!!!!!!!

Another First

Here we go....

Firekissed flushed cheeks

Madison roasting marshmallows

December 1st 2009 has been my favorite day at our new home so far. We built our first fire and spent the whole evening laying on blankets, listening to Christmas music and being mesmerized by the flickering flames. I made a beef stew and we roasted marshmallows while intermittently talking, laughing, crawling, wrestling, and reading. Because of the flash on the camera the pictures don't really capture the dark, warm, firelit feeling of the atmosphere. It was the perfect night.