Disneyland!

So, as I mentioned we went on a trip to California a week ago. Christoph had to travel down there for work. Since his plane ticket and the hotel were paid for, we started talking about taking the whole family down. After checking out ticket prices, the trip quickly morphed from maybe, to definitely, to definitely and throw in Disneyland. We were all very excited.

So, off we went. It was a very fun, very exhausting trip. I took advantage of Christoph being at work all day to catch up with friends. It was soo nice to hang out with them, see their kids, have our kids play together, and just talk. Then of course there was Disneyland!

Disneyland was a blast. So, having lived previously in Southern California, I've been to Disneyland before. However, I must say, going with kids is a whole different experience. As an adult, if you go on a low traffic day and are hardcore you can see and do Disneyland in one day. With kids, you could go for a week and not run out of things to do. Out of necessity, the pace is so much slower. Plus, they care about the experience, not just the rides. So, I was a little caught of guard at how little we did over the span of two days, but at the same time I didn't feel ripped off at all. It was so great. The girls absolutely loved it and they had such a great time. And we did do a lot! Katrina says her favorite ride was Dumbo. Emily really loved Pirates of the Caribbean and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
You can see more pictures on Flickr, just click on the picture. We came home exhausted since we were up late almost every night and the kids weren't being very cooperative about their naps, but it was worth it. I would do it again in a second. Lisa, Heather, Amy, it was so great to see you guys. Thanks for hanging out with me!

December Nineteenth

Today we decorated our Gingerbread house. The girls have been chomping at the bit to get it done, but we've been too busy until now. I think they had fun choosing which candies went where. Of course there was plenty of sampling. =) Usually we get our gingerbread house kit at Costco, but this year I decided to try the smaller and more local one available at the grocery store. I must say I like the Costco one better. The frosting that came with this one just wasn't thick enough, the candies kept sliding off. I seriously can't believe that Christmas is in six days. I felt a bit like we weren't going to get around to very many of our traditions, but we seem to be keeping most of them firmly in place.

December Fourteenth

It snowed today! This morning there was a thin layer over everything. The snow was still coming down, but not sticking very much. The girls, needless to say, were pretty excited. On the way to church Katrina looked at me with shining eyes and said, "It's Christmas time, Mommy." That just about sums it up. All the snow had melted by this afternoon and everything was just wet. Then at about 6:00pm it started snowing again, and snowing and snowing! For us, this is a lot of snow. I'm fairly certain school will be canceled tomorrow!

We usually get snow for a couple of days each year. It's just about the right amount for me. Enough to be fun, but not enough to be a hassle. Usually, the snow doesn't come until January, but this year it's come early. Part of me thinks this is really fun, it makes Christmas seem more Christmassy. The other part of me feels a little stressed out. I'm trying to get ready for our Christmas company (arriving Wed) and having two kids not going to school will make that more complicated. I also worked an extra day so I could hire someone to help me clean (yea!) and I'm worrying that they are going to cancel on me because of the weather. I know there's no point in worrying, I'll just do the best I can, but it still sneaks in every once in a while. Snow is so beautiful, I'll just have to remind myself to look out the window and know that will make me feel better!

The Game Is On

It's time to play...

Name...That...Baby!

This exciting, edge-of-your-seat, game is brought to you by the Neumanns. Don't miss out, this opportunity only comes every two to three years. The rules are simple, post a comment identifying which child is represented in each picture. The winner will receive an all expense paid three night vacation at Das Neumann Haus.* Thank you for playing!

Round one:
Picture A:

Picture B:

Round two:
Picture A:

Picture B:

Picture C:

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, 18 years of age or older or the age of majority in their state. By participating, entrants agree to these Official Rules. All entries become property of Sponsor and will not be returned. Void where prohibited. This prize includes a three night stay at Das Neumann Haus with comfortable accommodation for two adults. Children are welcome, but will be accommodated camping style, on air mattress or pack-n-plays squeezed in where room can be found. Das Neumann Haus is open for your convenience throughout the year, excluding major holidays (this is negotiable for family). Three meals a day will be provided with special arrangements for allergies and dietary restrictions. No special arrangements for picky eaters. Travel to and from Oregon is not included. Ground transportation to and from PDX or EUG will be provided. Advanced notice of prize redemption is appreciated. Total ARV of prize is $500

Making Lemonade

We took a little trip down to LA last week. Christoph had some paternity leave and we decided to use it to travel instead of just sitting at home. It was a fun time seeing friends and family, some of which we hadn't seen in years. We also got to meet our new cousin Spencer who is just a couple weeks younger then Micah. It was really fun to have the two little cousins "meet" each other.

I was a little worried about Micah and a road trip, but all the kids did really well. Micah slept great in his car seat and the girls kept themselves entertained without too much whining. Emily had a blast playing with all her "new" friends.

One highlight for both girls was being able to pick lemons right off our friend's tree and make lemonade out them. It was fun to watch them experience the entire process from start to finish.

Lemons!

 

Picking

 

 Prepping

 

Waiting Anxiously

 

Success!

Thank you to everyone who hosted us and made time to see us and hang out. It was a lot of fun!

Project #2

For the girls birthday we decided to buy them a playhouse. Our yard is not very big, and we thought it would be a good alternative to say, a swing set. Because of weather and other demands on his time, Christoph wasn't able to really work on it until a few weeks ago. It came without a floor, so he had to design and build a base for it. He added on a little deck as an extra surprise. We are also planning on putting a sandbox in the space to the left, but that will have to wait for now. We still want to put some Plexiglas in the windows and stain and seal the deck part, but they can play in it, and they love it! they were both so excited to watch it going up. It was a labor of love from Daddy for both girls and mommy. Emily and Katrina have a fun, imaginative new place to play. Mommy has a place to send them when she needs a little break or the new baby is sleeping. Thanks honey!

Date Night

Last night Christoph and I went to a Newsboys concert with our friends the Divineys. It was a lot of fun.  I have only ever been to one other concert, which was a small affair at the Indio Fair. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I knew it would be loud and I hoped it would be fun. I was thinking about it a few days ago and I have been listening to the Newsboys for 15 years! I guess it's about time I saw them live. They did this little, trip down memory lane, bit where they went through their career and played little clips from their old albums. Talk about flash backs! Anyway, it was a fun night of good fellowship, good food, lots of fun, and a tired me. The baby didn't even seem to mind all the vibrations. Thanks to my great brother for watching the girls.  :)

Oregon Coast Aquarium

This weekend we went to the aquarium with our friends Mike and Becky to celebrate their baby Connor's first birthday. Despite the crazy weather (rain, sun, hail) it was lots of fun. I think Connor enjoyed himself, even though he probably didn't realize he was the cause of all of it. It was so fun to see him attack his cake. Thanks guys for a fun day! Of course I can't resist the opportunity to post pictures of the girls. I'll throw in some random sea creatures so I don't seem obsessed. ;)

 

Visiting the Ducks

Today we met up with Christoph at work, had lunch together and fed the ducks. I've been asked to post some belly pictures, (or as Hollywood would say, pics of the bump) so I took advantage of the pretty outdoors and had Christoph snap some shots. Despite her look of distrust, Katrina had a ball with the ducks. She was so funny yelling, "Come here ducky, come here." She would throw the bread and say "Catch, you're welcome." Emily was like a little machine gun firing off pieces of bread like little bullets. It was cute to see both my girls unconsciously following in my footsteps and trying to make sure all the ducks got a little, instead of just throwing indiscriminately. I love getting out of the house for a little while to sit outside.

Me in all my largeness

Valentines Fun

I just had to put in a quick little plug for Snapfish. They have these cute little free e-cards you can make and send out for Valentine's Day. I had fun making one and sending it out to family and friends. Check it out:

http://www.snapfishecard.com/Projects/view/72647/72652

Snow Day

This past week has been gorgeous and cold. It was clear and sunny every day, a really nice break from the winter rain. Then to top it off, it snowed on Thursday. I'd say we got about an inch of snow. However, it didn't start snowing until about 5:00pm. We had a meeting at our house at 6:30pm. So, between that and dinner Emily didn't get a chance to go outside. At about 9:00pm when everyone had left I was presented with the question, "Can I go play in the snow?" I don't know if this makes me a horrible mother, or an awesome one, but I had to say yes. It was supposed to be in the 40's the next day, there was the possibility of school in the morning, and it was the most snow we had gotten all year. I just couldn't say no. And you know what, we had a blast! It was so funny to see her bundled in her pajamas and tromping around the front yard. All around us was dark and quiet, with just an occasional car driving by. It felt so fun and mischievous to be out so late in our still neighborhood. Kind of like me and Emily were breaking all the rules together. School ended up being canceled the next day, and there was some snow left, so Katrina got to play in it too. Then we came in and drank hot chocolate. It wasn't much snow, but we milked it for all it was worth!

 

 

Photographic Evidence

I just came across the pictures showing that I'm not the only one enjoying our DS Lite. It's fun for the whole family! How cool is it that the New Super Mario Bros has minigames simple enough for a 3 year old and yet complicated enough for adults! Ok, ok, I praised the DS enough yesterday, but I couldn't resist adding these pics.