O Christmas Tree

Meili and Sofie helping decorate the little tree downstairs.

When Sofie was done, all of the ornaments were right at her level...I had to make a few adjustments.

I wish I could get a better picture of this tree, it's so pretty at night!

(Check out my awesome fake fireplace.  Bought it last year because our basement is freezing.  It's fun!)

The tradition in my family that I'm trying to carry on is to eat Christmas cookies and egg nog and decorate the tree while listening to (or watching the videos of) Neil Diamond Christmas songs!

Unfortunately, we decorated the tree pretty early this year and the grocery store only had these awful  red and green chocolate chip cookies. :(

A couple amazingly posed pictures...

I just realized I don't have a finished picture of the tree.  Oh well.  It's the same as last year's.

The Lost Moments of November

I had to go back through my pictures because November came and went so quickly I couldn't remember anything that happened.  Thank goodness for cameras!  Here are some of the lost moments of November!

I made a blanket!

A cute blanket.

It snowed...and stuck for like 10 minutes!

Todd and Roo came to visit.

(I know, they only live in Provo, but still I never see them so they might as well still live in Wisconsin!)

Pretty sure Todd or Roo must have been encouraging this daring leap from the steps.

Meili sneaking into my makeup.

Goulash and Galuska.  I'm a regular Hungarian cook these days ;)

Sofie and her cousin Sierra tore a rose into itty bitty teeny weeny pieces and made a trail from her bedroom to the basement.  I thought it was ingenious.  Kept them busy for a long time :)

For Thanksgiving we went to St. George.  

Here we are soaking up the out of doors before having to shut ourselves in for the bitter winter.

Meili was testing her mom's patience while trying to step onto the pool cover.

Cousin Broden, Mei, Dia, and Sofie enjoying the trampoline.

Derek and Jake shootin' arrows.

Sofie's favorite dress-up at Grandma Blatter's.

Between Grandpa's death, Thanksgiving, and some impromptu drama from mom's work, Derek's birthday was somewhat of an after thought.  The girls were too sick and cranky to leave home alone with Dia or take out, so we ate a boring dinner, ate left over cupcakes from Leonie's birthday party, and went to bed.

Meili's sweet bed hair.  

Sofie said, "Mom, Meili looks like a girl that is like in a band, with a guitar."  

My little rocker chick.

Rare, very rare moment of tenderness between the two ladies.

Another Birthday Bash (and another on the way)

 Happy birthday to our semi-surrogate-daughter-for-the-week Leonie!!

Leo is one of my favorite girls who happens to be an exchange student from Germany that I monitor.  She's had some complication with her host family and had to be removed unexpectedly yesterday and stay with us.  She might not think it was so lucky, but we were lucky enough to have her here on her birthday!  Although it's the strangest birthday she's ever had, it will be one she will always remember!

And it was fun for me :)

Lovely Leo and Diva Dia...

The spread

It was really hard to get a picture where they were all looking, so this will have to do!

It was way short notice and an impromptu party but we got a couple of their friends together for the evening.  Guro from Norway and Susanna from Spain.  

I loved hearing them laugh and talk with their darling accents!

Don't let these lovely ladies fool you, they can hold their own when it comes to eating pizza and cupcakes!

Sofie got all the attention she could wish for.

Roger Sundquist

This last week we met with lots of family under unfortunate circumstances.

Derek's Grandpa Roger had been suffering from (among other things) neuropathy for quite some time.  Recently, however, it had taken a toll on his lungs.  Tuesday morning he was rushed to the ER, then moved to ICU where he was able to breath only aided by an oxygen mask until all the family was able to gather.  After removing the oxygen mask, we were each able to say our goodbyes and be there to escort Roger out of this life and into the next. He was loved by many and would have had a wonderful reunion on the other side!  Grandpa suffered from a lot of pain and illness for most of his life and we're comforted to know that he is free from it now!

                                 

Most of the family was able to make it up here.

Derek was close to his Grandpa and will miss him.  We were fortunate enough to live nearby so Derek visited his Grandpa every week where they would talk golf :)

A few of Sofie and Meili's cousins 

Roger's wife (our grandma) and her brother and sister-in-law

Sweet 16

Dia had a Happy Birthday a few days after Halloween!

She's the big 1-6 these days.

Breakfast time with Dia and Leo (another exchange student from Germany who was staying at my house that weekend.)

Our tradition is to put 16 soda cans on the lawn tied to balloons.

Unfortunately, on a cold day in November they don't last long.  By the time we got home from church and Dia saw them, only a few were still floating. 

With Leo's help, we created a delicious German cheesecake with cherries and Nutella!

And chocolate cupcakes for the ones that don't care about delicious food.

Happy birthday! 

Lots of family to join us

Yes, Dia was sitting in the high chair...

Opening presents!

Sofie luvs

Then Mei got jealous and needed luvs too

I loved her reaction to this present.  "Where did you find this?!"

It's full score sheet music to the best of Sum41, Dia's obsession :)

Guess it's not something you typically find in a Hungarian mall.

Yup, the big 1-6

Initiating Dia into the horrible birthday song tradition