Christmas 2015!

We were in Topeka a lot between Christmas and New Years and we had such a nice time being able to spend so much time with family. Both sets of grandparents had time off and Uncle Joe was in town and we had a wonderful time.

Adell was over and this girls had fun decorating felt gingerbread men and playing with play dough. 

Anna sure loves those doggies. Especially Buster. 

Helping Daddy with Christmas treats.

Gift opening was a little crazy with both kiddos running around. Anna had a hard time with waiting to play with things much like she did at her birthday but this was even more tough. There was more time in between each gift since everyone was opening presents and it made it tough for her to keep focused. 

Daddy with his girls

It was so fun to see how excited the girls got when it was their turn or they were helping someone else open a present. 

Jane just ran around the room and rolled around on the floor. She was pretty cute!

The girls were all happy to be able to play with the new toys once we were all done.

Jane giving Aunt Serena a checkup.

I really wanted a picture of all of us this Christmas even though I knew it would be a challenge. They aren't perfect but I love them and they pretty much capture our goofy family perfectly. 

On Christmas Day we went over to my parents house before heading out to Auburn to see the Copp family. Managed to get this awesome picture while opening presents over there. 

Once again Jane spent some quality time on the floor.

I never got a good picture of the girls in their Christmas dresses but they looked adorable (I know I'm biased).

Lovely in red!

A reluctant snuggle with Mommy.

Jane took to Aunt Loa's husband, Paul, and practically climbed in his lap to read books. She may have made her Great-Grandmother a little jealous.

Jane hadn't napped and was getting a little goofy. she was so happy to be running around outside!

Anna loved it too! 

I wonderful Christmas and some much needed time off for Kevin. We kind of like having him around ;) We hope everyone else had an amazing Christmas as well!

Anna's 1st Haircut

This month we finally got around to getting Anna's hair cut for the first time. I'd been putting it off for sentimental reasons (those curls!) and a lack of time but it had been getting tough to comb so it was definitely time. 

We went to this place in Olathe called Shear Madness that is made for kids and designed to keep them distracted. They even had little T.V.'s in front of each chair. 

I almost wish there were fewer distractions. That place was a mad house and there was so much noise. (It was a Saturday so I won't make that mistake again). It made getting a cute 1st Haircut picture kind of difficult.  

Goodbye curls :(

She was a trooper though (it may have been the promise of ice cream afterward) and she looks so cute. It is slightly shorter than I would have liked but it is so much easier to deal with.  

Overall I'd say it was a successful first haircut!

1st Haircut!

December Fun

We kicked off the month by getting our Christmas tree set up. Kevin was out of town so it took a few days but we managed to get it done. I bought new shatterproof ornaments and let the girls "help" decorate. They loved it.

Anna admiring her ornament

Jane kept running up to the tree and saying "Pretty" and looking at me with excitement. I was a little worried about broken ornaments this year but Jane did so well with the tree. I had the wall and the end table blocking two sides and put sturdy ornaments in the kid-reach zone. 

We went to the Olathe WinterFest to see Santa and the tree lighting. We weren't sure how Santa was going to go this year and it didn't. 

The girls managed to have a good time without Santa though. Spin chairs are great fun!

Hugs!

Auntie Amy was passing through town and we had a great time with her. Jane was particularly taken with Amy this trip and cried for her when we were leaving the next morning. It was nice having an evening out with Amy. Definitely long overdue!

I took the girls to this place in Overland Park called "Pintervention" to do a little toddler time. It was really cute. They read a story, do a related craft, make a fun themed snack, and play games. It's geared more towards 2-5 year olds so I knew it could be an interesting morning. Jane was a little distracted and obviously need a lot of help. Luckily they offered plenty of help so Anna wasn't totally on her own.

Anna absolutely loved it! I probably won't go back for awhile until Jane is a little older. It also costs quite a bit more than I usually spend on kid activities but I really wanted this keepsake since it has their fingerprints and was so absolutely adorable!

Kevin's work had their annual Cookies with Santa event and this time Anna did great with Santa and we actually managed to get a picture!

Jane was much more suspicious of this man with a beard but I actually think this picture is pretty hilarious.

There were several great craft stations and Anna had so much fun.

Jane was attached to Kevin and spent some time giving people dirty looks but she eventually came around and ended up having a good time too.  

Sticker Fun

I didn't get around to Christmas cookies this year but we did take an evening to make mini gingerbread houses. 

This one mainly just ate icing and the candy.

The houses were cute but the girls were on a major sugar high and got to bed way too late that night. It was still fun though!

We went to the Lenexa Community Center for a candy cane hunt (which lasted about 2 seconds for my girls before they were freezing and we went inside), followed by hot chocolate, crafts, and a fun performance by Mr Stinky Feet!

I've been wanting to see Jim Cosgrove perform for some time and I was so excited it finally worked out. Anna and Jane were so cute dancing and it was great!

Thanksgiving

With Christmas only days away I need to get caught up again. Here is a quick overview of Thanksgiving and other random shenanigans from November.

On Thanksgiving day we started out the festivities in Auburn with the Copp side of the family.

Hailie is always so good about playing with the girls.

I failed at a family picture this year and this was the best I was able to get of Anna and Kevin together. Jane fell asleep on Grandma before we ate dinner so there aren't any of her from out at the farm.

Anna was feeling a little more smiley with me after a game of "hide the coaster in plain sight and try to find it".

Selfie attempt.

Our second Thanksgiving celebration was with the Kent side. Jane was feeling cuddly with Grandma.

Anna and Adell had fun playing with Uncle Joe. He's so silly.

Trying to keep the kiddos busy while the grownups attempted to play a game. Another great Thanksgiving in the books!

The rest of the month was busy as usual. Lots of dancing goes on in this house. I love it when the girls dance together. 

We had the stomach flu hit our house. Anna was the first victim. 

We were cooped up pretty much all week and while Anna was sleeping Jane figured out how to climb up on the coffee table.

And the play kitchen. 

By the end of the week it seemed that Anna was better and Jane was in the clear.

We made a trip into Topeka and Jane was super cuddly with Grandma. Little did we know that she would be getting sick that evening and so would I. Then Anna got sick again and followed by Grandma, Hailie, Seth, and Kevin. It was a rough couple weeks. 

Finally everyone was back to normal!!

Jane sure loves bath time.

And Anna loves bubbles! 

I sure love these two!