Aunt Hayley Comes to Town!

It was awesome waking up in the morning to find Aunt Hayley home from the Caribbean. Though she will obviously miss the pirates, we are glad that she is back in the US safe from the Kitticians.
Hayley and I spent some time together in the morning, but Aunt Hayley and Will had lots of things they needed to take care of before they left for California, so Grandma Judy and I played beauty shop together. Not only did I get to put on lipstick, but she french braided my hair like a princess.

Look what a beautiful job she did...

After my morning nap I woke up and got ready for some Sunday football fun with Dad!

I think I make a pretty good looking Brett Favre.

After football was over Grandma and I had some fun painting our toenails before bed. Mom was impressed that Grandma got me to sit still for so long...

While Hayley packed up her stuff for San Diego Hollywood and I bonded with one another. Check out Holly's face- it's just bursting with excitement.

The next morning Grandma Judy left the house before the sun came up, and I was sad to find her room empty; there was no one to help me say hello to the world. Macie and I hung out with our manny Will as Aunt Hayley got her stuff together and Mom cleaned up the house.

I think that Macie is really going to miss Will, they really have a connection.

I helped Hayley do some work on her computer, and then we were off the the airport.

Back at home it was a little to quiet for my liking. I already missed everyone, and had a rough afternoon. Grandma Joanie, Uncle Brad, and Uncle Shawn are driving out here from Wisconsin tomorrow and I am looking forward to a full house once again.

The Fun Just Keeps on Coming!!!!

With Christmas less than 10 days away Mom has been busy getting our household ready for the holidays. Macie and I have been spending lots of time together and thanks to Aunt Stephanie, and her knack for personal shopping, we have matching outfits and have been able to dress up like one another. I think we are pretty cute twins- Mom is worried that once Macie catches up to me in size (which at the current rate, may be soon) that some people may really believe that we are twins.





It is still cold outside, and snow has really begun to fall, so the number of outdoor activities we can still do at home are really diminishing. Just when I was growing antsy, and in need of something stimulating, a box arrived on our doorstep. Mom shouted to me with excitement as she announced that it was addressed to "princess Frankwick." There was no mistaking who that was, of course, and I ran to the box . It was from my Aunt Connie so I knew it would be AMAZING, but never in my wildest dreams could I have wished for a greater surprise. Inside the box was a treasure chest full of princess dresses and accessories. Talk about every little girls dream! One by one I tried on all the dresses. Mom and I spent the whole day having a photo shoot as Macie watched from her swing.

Here I am as a Fairy:

Here I am as a Queen:

And here I am as a bride (Aunt Liz of course):

I am SO grateful to Aunt Connie for all the wonderful things she does for me- she knows just what I like!!!



Aunt Connie's surprise made my week super fun and entertaining. On Thursday night Dad had to leave town for work, so it was just us girls at dinnertime- when Dad isn't around to eat dinner with us, our meals usually get pretty interesting. On Thursday night we had steamed brussel sprouts and beans, and on the following night we ate olives, peas, and other left overs from the fridge (I am pretty easy to please). Uncle Ryan would be proud, I still eat olives just like he taught me!







Dad came back home for the weekend and the whole family went to Holiday Family Night at the rec center on Saturday. There was so much to do- from kitchens and slides, to balls and bikes, I was overwhelmed by all the exciting things to play with. While Macie slept Mom, Dad, and I had a great time together, the jury is still out on who had the most fun...

We spent the remainder of the weekend getting ready for company and before we knew it time had flown by and Grandma Judy, Uncle Will, and Jack and Kahlua were at the house!!! The first morning Grandma started off her stay with some silly antics at the breakfast table. Notice anything odd about the seating arrangements???

Macie watched from her swing and kept trying to sit up and join in on the fun.

She couldn't stop laughing at all the entertainment.

I hadn't seen Grandma Judy in over 3 months, and the two of picked up right where we had left off- having fun! We played out in the yard on the trampoline and even went on the swing set together- check out how high she pushed me on the big girl swing (if you listen carefully you can hear Mom's disapproving voice in the background)...

After Will and Grandma spent a slow day at the house recovering from their exodus from the Caribbean they were ready to experience winter fun in Ohio. Since it was a cozy 35 degrees outside we decided to take them to the Zoo for the winter wonderland extravaganza.

Grandma Judy and I got to take a ride in Santa's sleigh.

And we even played around on the slides while Mom and Will kept Macie occupied.

After stopping by the regulars for a visit (snakes, fish, etc.), we walked around the Zoo enjoying all the Christmas lights and holiday decorations. While we were enjoying the scenery Mom heard a jingle noise up in the sky- it was Santa. He and his reindeer had made a pit stop at the Zoo for a quick refreshment before heading back to the North Pole. We went over to the village and saw his reindeer in their pen, and even joined Santa indoors for a warm up and quick hello before his trip home. Before leaving I got to decorate and eat another cookie with Will's help.

Macie and I enjoyed the warmth of the indoors, and she was really fascinated by all the different colored lights and ornaments around the tree.

The following day we went the to Mall to take care of some last minute shopping. Grandma though it would be fun to push me in a cart car, but we were having a little to much fun (running up and down the aisles), and Mom had to intervene.

Mom was fortunate to have Will with us because he was a BIG help. Mom even called him our "manny." He and Macie got along really well, and spent many hours chatting about the ways of the world.

While Will and Macie talked physics (or some other topic too boring to keep my attention), I took a ride on the rocket! So far Macie is all talk and I am all action.

As we were on our way out of the mall Mom made a quick stop to check out some pajamas. During this time I ran through the racks while Will and Macie had another one of their talks.

What a chatty Kathy- She sure is growing up fast!!!

On the way home Grandma and I laughed about all the fun we had. Mom LOVES to hear me laugh, and thinks we should bottle it up and sell it to make people happy.

We spent the rest of the afternoon playing around the house.

Since Macie is almost four months old Mom has decided that it is time for her to be having "tummy time." Unlike me, Macie despises being on her belly, so it has really been a struggle. Usually she screams and cries, but on this particular afternoon she did very well!

Some mornings we wake up to a fresh new coat of snow on the ground. When it is more substantial than a dusting I insist upon getting suited up to play in it. This particular morning 4 inches covered the backyard.

Thank goodness for Grandma Judy being here, because I didn't have to wait for both Mom and Macie to get ready.

After Grandma and I played for a while she helped me make a snowman.

We even made a castle for my princesses!!!

I have had SO much fun with Grandma and Will, and tonight Aunt Hayley will be flying home from the Caribbean (I bet she is sad to be leaving the pirates). I am excited for my new housemates to arrive and can't wait for the upcoming fun all of us will have together!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A very COLD start to December

The countdown to Christmas had begun, as well as our countdown to Spring/Summer.

It is FAR too cold here (as low as 15 degrees), and thanks to a nasty cold, accompanied by a non-stop runny nose, Mom has confined us to the indoors. To keep things entertaining in the house Mom and I play dress up. Check out the great fabric I found in her sewing room- she made it into a dress for me and I pretended to be Aunt Liz and danced at my wedding (I was marrying Uncle Ryan of course.)

I have been helping out a lot in the kitchen. My favorite thing to make is dessert, and Mom and I have been trying new and exciting recipes. Last week we made some chocolate pudding, and boy was it good. After I ate it all by myself Mom couldn't stop laughing at me. I was upset that I wasn't included in the joke- then she took a picture of me and I realized that I was the joke...

After seeing my face I joined in the laughter.

Since Thanksgiving was over and we were counting down the days until Christmas (thanks to Grandma Judy sending an advent calendar), Mom and Dad decided it was time to get a Christmas Tree and decorate the house. When the weekend came Mom dressed me up in my new winter dress and coat for the special occasion. Before leaving the house we had a little photo shoot.

This one is Mom's favorite...

We ran into a fashion problem as we prepared to leave the house- I had NO black shoes. Mom was sad, yet excited, that I had grown out of my old black shoes (sad because she said it was some sort of fashion faux pas to wear white shoes with black tights like that, but excited that I am growing!) Regardless, I think I still look pretty stylish.

Our Christmas Tree outing was not what the family had expected. First off, the tree farms close to our house only had pre-cut trees; there was no petting zoo, no reindeer, or any of the fun attractions that the one last year had. Second, it was just too cold! Even if there were fun Christmas time activities we wouldn't have been able to spend much time outdoors. We left Macie in the car and literally ran through the trees until Mom spotted one that we all agreed would be just fine. Mom and I ran back to the truck as Dad paid. When he got back not only did he have our Christmas Tree but he had a special treat for me, it was a CANDY CANE! I hadn't had one yet, and was really excited to try this holiday treat that is all the hype at Christmas time.

It only took one bite and I was hooked!!! They tasted awesome!!!!

We spent the afternoon at home decorating the tree and putting up Christmas lights outside the house. Here I am putting up my ornament that Grandpa Jerry gave me on my very first Christmas!

Decorating the tree was a fairly quick project, as Mom is very picky about the items placed on it. Although our tree is without any princess or elmo ornaments (to my dismay) I must admit that when it was done it looked pretty great!!!

I love all the Christmas decor around our house, and its only contributing to our anticipation of the upcoming fun!

Even Macie couldn't keep a smile off her face!

The following Day Mom heard some great news- Santa Claus was going to be at the Columbus Zoo! Talk about exciting!!! Mom has been preparing me for my visit with Santa for quite some time, and we all felt like I was ready to meet him (last year I was a little hesitant, even when he came to my house to give me presents). The family bundled up and went to the Zoo. We got there early and made some stops at a few of my favorite attractions.The carousel was warm and cozy inside, and I could have stayed on the horse for hours, but Mom could only last one ride- something about being dizzy, what a sissy...



We stopped in to visit my snake friends, and not only did I get to pet the python again, but my buddy the iguana was on the move (he is usually pretty sedentary). We had a stare down, and I think he was a little intimidated by me.




As the sun went down Mom heard the sound of Santa's sleigh overhead. We immediately rushed to the Christmas village to meet him. There were lots of other kids already in line, so we had to wait for a bit. Even Macie, who was dressed for the occasion, was eager to see him!

As my turn approached I became a little apprehensive about sitting on his lap. Mom assured me that he was a nice guy, and that the only way that he would know what I wanted for Christmas (since I can't write yet) was to sit on his lap and tell him. I "sucked it up" and braved my way over to him. It took only a short period of time before I warmed up to him and we were chatting like old friends. I told him that I wanted a princess kitchen, a princess house, and some princess stuff for Christmas. He asked me if I had been good all year and I immediately replied with a firm "YES" (let's not consult Mom on her opinion- let's just say that we haven't been seeing things eye to eye these days...)

After I was done chatting it up with Santa, Macie sat on his lap with me and we both go to take a picture with him. Macie was really brave, and didn't cry at all. In fact, she liked him SO much that she wouldn't let go of his beard when it was time to go.

I think the two of us took a pretty great picture!

On the way out I got to meet Mrs.Claus and decorate a cookie with her. I was very meticulous when it came time to decorating. I had to use every color icing, and was very precise about the location of my sprinkles.

I had created a beautiful cookie and it looked almost to good to eat...

I said almost. As if there is anything that could have stopped me from eating that yummy cookie- even a one of a kind Picasso wouldn't have stood a chance.






Before we left I gave Mrs. Claus a big hug and thanked her for the yummy treat! The whole family had a great time at the Christmas village, and even Dad dressed up and joined in the fun. Mom thinks he looks handsome with his Rudolph nose.





Although Macie couldn't participate in all of the activities she still had fun watching all of the fun going on around her.





Our trip to the Zoo was a ton of fun, and I hope to go back when my family comes to see me for Christmas.

The last couple of days have been promising. The sun has been out (though it is still COLD), and it looks like our runny noses have run their course. Recovering from my cold has brought back my strength also Mom finally let me hold Macie.

I love having a little sister, but it doesn't look like she is going to stay little for long.

Mom thought it would be fun to see just how big she was getting, so she laid us next to each other.

I sure love my sister; she is my best friend!

Later that day Mom was being silly and trying to get Macie to laugh on video. She laughs a lot these days, but we can never capture it...

As I have said before, being stuck indoors forces us to become creative with our activities. Here is one activity that Macie really enjoys watching me play...

Christmas is rapidly approaching and soon lots of family and friends will be in town for the holidays. Grandma Judy and Will fly into town this coming Tuesday with Kahlua and Jack (the kitties), and Aunt Hayley and Holly will be moving in with us on Saturday!!! I hope they are preparing for lots of upcoming fun...