The Gingham Owl

A few weeks ago we got a letter from Abi's school saying that she was going to receive the Soaring Eagle award at her school for excellence in her schoolwork. She was pretty excited and so were we!

We had to go in to school early and there the principal would show us the work and she gave Abi a sticker to wear and a pencil.

I was wondering why there wasn't a certificate but we actually got that a few days later.

My mom happened to be spending the night the night before so she was able to come with us.

Abi and her principal.

Some January happenings...

Here are some of the things that happened in January...

I got to go on Abi's field trip with her. We went to a play at Alta High School- where I went to school!

It was actually really fun to go back to my old school for the first time in almost 20 years.

We live right by it but being able to actually go inside was kind of surreal.

They have far fewer and nicer lockers than they did in my day. On the left you see the hallway down to the lunch area. That is where Doug and I met at a dance.

The auditorium looked exactly the same.

Abi and her best friend Charlotte.

Maddy started back up at dance after their winter break.

She has a new teacher now and was pretty excited to be at class again.

And Maddy was really happy to get a package she had been waiting for.

We all have vinyl pop figurines and Maddy was the only one who didn't have one yet.

This was the day she got hers.

Donatello from the Ninja turtles. She was so excited!

New Years Day

New Years Day we woke up at my parent's house. My mom made an awesome breakfast. The girls were beyond excited.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

On New Years 2013 we invited my parents over. I loved when my whole family used to get together every year for a New Years sleepover. But now with all of my nephews and nieces being teenagers, they tend to do their own things.

We had so much fun having them over but I felt bad when they had to drive home so late at night.

So this year, having an even smaller place, I knew it made way more sense to go to their house.

I asked if they wanted to celebrate together again and they said yes.

And my mom had the same idea- we could do it at their house instead and we could sleep over.

The day of Doug had been working a lot and felt like just staying home and finishing up the things he needed to get done and then relaxing.

So the girls and I drove down to my parents house.

I brought along the balloons and money to go in them and my dad blew them up for me after I put the money in. I numbered them and stuck them on their tree.

This is my countdown tradition.

We let someone pop a balloon through the night at different times.
The balloons are numbered so that you have to pick out a number and pop that balloon and keep whatever is in it- usually ranging from 5 cents to $1.

We brought a few games. Abi really wanted to show Grandma our new Disney one so they played it together.

We had yummy food for dinner and ice cream sundaes and played lots of games and watched movies.

Maddy with her balloon.

And her prize...

It was such a fun evening!

At some point I broke out the glow sticks. No party is complete without glow sticks...

And our Christmas crackers because we always open them on Christmas night and New Years Eve.

We also all wear polka dots for good luck.

She loves her Grandpa!

You have to wear your crown after popping your cracker.

We also always open a new game on New Years Eve so I brought it along and let Abi open it.

It is the new Family Edition of Trivial Pursuit with cards for adults and cards for kids.

It is SO much fun!!

Pretty soon Maddy started getting tired and said she wanted to go take a "nap".

(Funny story- at about 4am she woke up and started going out the bedroom door. I asked her where she was going and she acted surprised that I was in there with her. She said she was done with her nap and would go back down to countdown until midnight. I had to break it to her that it was now morning and she needed to go back to sleep. )

The rest of us watched some of the countdown on tv and got ready to toast with some sparkling cider.

Welcome 2015!!!

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

More random moments...

I saw Maddy dancing so I started taping her. Then when she was done I took the headphones to see what she was listening to. Nothing. It was so funny.

We haven't had very much snow this year and in fact right now it is fall/ late spring warm but we had a few days with snow in our yard and the girls took advantage of it.

I did too... by sitting on my bed reading while watching them.

Eating the snow...

Abi came in sooner than Maddy but Maddy was not ready to come in!