P.S. I remember when we had to hope and wish for a white Christmas...

Thank heavens for snow shoveling Santas!!!


Cozy inside...


Snowy outside...



With more forecast for today...

Keep the shovel handy...

A path cleared for the dog...Don't think we'll be grilling soon...

Grandma Diane & the girls made this fabulous gingerbread house.

The ginger bread men didn't drop any chocolate chips or chocolate kisses - which was Grandma's favorite part of Shrek the Halls :)

Hi, this is Elliott posting today. We went to the park today. Mommy and O-ey played tennis and I got to chase the balls. We had fun! Sugar and Daddy went with us too, and we also played different things at the park, not just tennis. We played that we were on a pirate ship. And O-ey went to Savannah's house. Mom and I put together my Scooby Doo puzzle, it was very hard to put together, but we got it done. On Tuesday we have our Thanksgiving Day program and dinner at preschool. We have been practicing our songs. They are very good songs. Today we made cookies and they were very good cookies that we made. Daddy and O-ey took some to share with Great Grandma. Daddy and I took some to share with the neighbors. Since this is Thanksgiving week, I thought I should tell you what I am thankful for. I am thankful for:
Rainbows
Books
Friends - Do you like to have friends? Because I hope you do like to have friends.
My family and my mommy and dad

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Love,
Elliott

This is Olivia writing today - my mom said I had to do the blog. I had a sleepover with my friend Kiley on Friday night. Elliott was spending the night at Grandma Diane & Papa Rogers, so it was just us big girls. We played games and put on a show for my mom and dad. These are some pictures of the show. We built a house and a garage and made stick puppets for our show. We also sold tickets for 25 cents a piece. We dressed up and put on makeup. I think the audience really enjoyed the show.

I had a fabulous time in Louisville at the Service Excellence conference. It was a great conference and we had a ton of fun!

Today we went to the Teddy Bear Tea at UNI. We stopped before the tea to check out the Festival of Trees at the Gallagher Bluedorn.

We have been having the most fabulous weather. This is the only trick or treat that I remember when we didn't have to wear coats over costumes. Today they are forecasting a high of 75. I have to stop and remind myself that it is indeed November, and sooner rather than later, it will be time to pay the piper.

In other news (not that the weather is really news), Elliott grew half an inch. It seems like it literally happens overnight. We've been measuring her frequently, and she's stuck to the line we marked in July. This morning I looked at her all sleepy headed and thought, that nightgown didn't used to be that short on her. So in to the measurer we went...

Speaking of Elliott - she was the master trick or treater. She had it down to a science. Trick or treat. Thank you. Happy Halloween. It really took some concentration on her part - she was quite the serious trick or treater. It was adorable. At each door she had her job to do and she was going to make sure that she did all three parts of it.

Olivia went for a few blocks with Chris, and then she was happy to come home and hand out candy to the trick or treaters.

Happy Halloween!!

First tooth out : ) What a big girl!!!

Taking Flight

We were discussing trying to take a trip to Texas soon. We will likely fly, which is something that the girls have not done. Elliott was so serious as she informed me that she's never been on an airplane, but (read in a very earnest tone) she has seen paper airplanes.

Dress Up Dinner

Things you never think you'll hear yourself say...
Don't stick eyeballs on the tissues.

Happy Birthday to bunch of special women!! Aunt Dani, Grandma Deb and Grandma Katie!!!

First day of 4th Grade!!!!

Everyone was excited!!!

Olivia couldn't wait to get the day started.


She reported that they have three new kids in their class - which means that they are up to 17 students - with a possibility for two more newcomers. It's a virtual population explosion.

We had a great vacation in Minnesota!! We left bright and early on Thursday morning - almost right on schedule! We checked into our hotel in Bloomington and then headed to the Minneapolis Zoo in Apple Valley. I think it was the nicest zoo that I've been to. I was a little disappointed that the monorail wasn't running, but it was a gorgeous day for walking. My favorite part was the bears in the new Russian Coast exhibit. They came right up to the glass in front of us, where they were playing in the water. It was awesome to see just how big their paws are. After the zoo we went to Scott and Mary's house for dinner. It was really nice to spend time with the Minnesota Wallers. We want to thank Scott and Mary for their hospitality, Dave and Dean for taking the time to join us, and Perry and Deb for driving an hour in rush hour traffic to be there. We don't get a whole lot of visiting time, so that was very important to us. Of course, we ended the evening by swimming in the hotel pool. The girls really love that. Elliott is fearless about jumping off the side with her floaty and paddling around the pool. Olivia and I worked on swimming underwater like mermaids.

Friday we went to the Nicolodeon theme park at the Mall of America. It was a lot of fun - a good variety of rides. Elliott and I agree that our favorite was the log ride. Of course, I did a lot more screaming than she did!! The ferris wheel was neat too, but we couldn't convince Olivia to join us.