Once Upon A Dream

We started our PA vacation at meme and papas....they gave us too many gifts. They were all very nice. Some of the favorites were this ice skating rink for the back yard, a new doll house full of furniture, and Christmas jammies that had bathrobes. I think these were our first bathrobes ever. Thanks meme and papa!

Meme celebrated her 60th birthday while we were at her house. We took her out for dinner, and the girls gave her some pictures that they made for her. Gabby used the fingerprint art book from Aunt Mandy and Uncle Steve to create this picture.

Scenes from the night...
I think we got everyone!

yeah...it was a hoot!
Gabby tried to stay up. She was full of energy at 11:31pm...15 minutes later...it was a whole different story. She just missed it! Maybe next year.

Here are a few shots of the kids playing the "find the pickle" game...collecting their cash, and Dad as the 2009 Pizzelle contest winner. Congrats....see you at the playoff in 2010!

We have been getting tons of snow. It has been great to play outside...shovel...and fall on the black ice.

Aunt Virginia passed away on Friday. She was the sweetest lady.
We will miss her very much.

Virginia Wicks
April 30, 1916-January 9, 2009

The girls had gift cards from Build a Bear that we used after Christmas. They had a fun time picking out their animal shell, stuffing the animal, making a wish and putting the heart into the animal. They picked out little outfits for their new friends, and gave them an air bath. They loved it, and surprisingly the stuffed animals haven't been tossed into a corner yet.

I had a Barbie pool when I was little that I played with all the time. My baby sister, Amanda, actually sat in the pool one day when she was around a year old. I wish I had the picture of that. The Barbie pools of today are much different, but still just as fun. Any little toy or animal can swim in this pool. This was a toy that they got at Christmas that they play with a lot.

We have been enjoying our replenished art project collection since December. Gillian actually got these little Crayola scribblers last Christmas, but we just finally opened them. Uncle Tim gave the girls a ton of craft/art supplies for Christmas...and these little ceramic planters were part of that package. After they paint them, there is a whole planting process for wheat grass. This entry will be continued......

Grand Daddy and Nana Karen came for an after Christmas visit from California. We got to spend a couple days with them down in Staten Island. The girls had tons of time to dress up like princesses and play. They made Valentine cookies for everyone, and helped Aunt Lena to blow out her great big candles. Gillian had trouble reaching that high. They also got Valentine gifts from Bella....they gave her lots of hugs and kisses.

Gabby played a few hands of Slap Jack with Nana Karen.

While we were in PA over the New Year break, we drove to Altoona, PA to see the Lights on the Lake. It was amazing. There were acres of light displays that you could see as you were driving through in your vehicle or you could take a carriage ride. The girls liked the tunnels of lights the best. They also had nativity displays and the twelve days of Christmas.

We went back to PA last week for Aunt Virginia's funeral. Here are a few family pics from our short trip. The Houndstooth photo with Aunt Mandy is sure to be a classic.

Aunt Lena, Uncle Tony, and Bella got Gabby this archery set for Christmas. She has been practicing with it every day. It is a lot of fun, and she is really getting good at hitting close to the bullseye. Daddy likes to play, too.

We painted a couple of ceramic planters from uncle Tim about a week ago. The girls put their finishing touches on the planters, and yesterday, they planted the wheat grass that will grow inside. The dirt came prepackaged in these tiny discs. We had never seen anything like it. You had to remove the netting around the discs and add a 1/2 cup of water. The discs expanded and fluffed up into perfect potting soil. The girls then planted their wheat grass and set their cups up by a window. To be continued....

The bug has left the building.....Thank God!

4 family members + 5 days of sickness = Extreme cabin fever

Tomorrow we're going sledding.

It was a fantastic day to hit the sled riding slopes. It was so much fun for the girls. Gillian wanted to do it all by herself. She really wasn't into riding with us which we insisted upon at first. We used our sleds from Grammy and our tubes from Santa, and they all worked great. We can't wait to go again!

Dave and Gabby playing chess over the weekend.

This is a fun way to combat cabin fever.....

Here is a chocolate treat that Aunt Lena sent us in the mail....we are finally getting around to making it....ummmmmmmm