Charlie Brown tree

We love our Christmas trees! Matt and I have been cutting down our trees for as long as I can remember, it is a fun tradition and makes great memories. We also believe that in our house it isn't about how the tree looks, it's about the fun time we had going to pick it out and cut it down. Maisy loves the tree. She can't keep her hands off of it and always states how beautiful it is. So here's to another Charlie Brown tree!

Christmas tree

We went and cut down our first tree in Idaho! We drove about 20 miles towards Idaho city and found a good spot. It was pretty chilly but I seemed to be the only who noticed. Maisy threw snowballs for Bodhi and Matt climbed the mountain, cut the tree, carried it down and strapped to the top of the Corolla. My job was to not slip on the ice and take some pictures. Maisy was cracking us all up on the ride home. She was playing peek-a-boo with her hat then giving some of the best belly laughs I've heard in a long time!

bike riding

Maisy has finally got the hang of riding her tricycle. She's a mad woman going up and down the driveway. And when she isn't riding her bike she is chasing Bodhi with it, so it's twice the fun!

Thanksgiving

We had a fun Thanksgiving this year. My mom cam to visit and we had a nice relaxing week. For Thanksgiving dinner we decided against the turkey and made cranberry dijon pork medallians instead. The pork was really good and tender. We also made proscuitto wrapped asparagus, corn casserole and a delicious potato dish. As you can see we had a lot of potatoes, we even halfed the recipe! It was mashed potatoes mixed with chive cream cheese and sour cream layered with mashed sweet potatoes topped with green onions and cheddar. Delicious! Matt and Maisy made red and green pancakes for breakfast. She loves helping out in the kitchen and who doesn't love colorful pancakes?

My mom gave us a Wii for Christmas so we played all week long! My mom beat Matt at frisbee golf the first five games we played and then he pretty much beat us both the rest of the week. We also enjoyed the sword fights on Wii Resort - we laughed really hard. It's kind of like watching people box on Wii sports. I beat Matt many many times. He has started getting better though, I think he is practicing in the middle of the night ;)

Fun with Momo

We baked cookies while my mom was here. Maisy's favorite cookie was the gingerbread lady because she saw it as a princess. After I washed the cookie cutters I set them on the counter to dry and heard a lot of noise and saw that Maisy decided to make a train with all the cutters! She cracks me up. I like that she grouped the gingerbread people and the stars.

Playing in the leaves

Maisy, Danielle and Bridgette had fun playing in the leaves. Bridgette wasn't really into it, but she is good and smiling for the camera! Maisy on the other hand has perfected the look of the goober. I love that goober!

There is also a picture of Matt watching the girls. He entertains them by letting them play in the dirt. They love it!

Castles

Maisy loves making castles! We had fun playing with cans and now I am aware of the fact that we have about 8 cans of refried beans!

European Princess

We have this book called "Just About Everything" and Matt and Maisy were looking through it. This page has different costumes from around the world and she pointed to one and asked Matt what it was and he told her it was a European princess and she quickly responded "I'm not a peein' princess!" He said "no, European" and she said "no, I'm not peeing!"

Singing and Dancing

Maisy performs during halftime of the Ducks whooping over USC. GO DUCKS!!!!

Halloween

Trick or treating was fun this year. We took Maisy out 3 times. Once to a local church that did a trunk or treat, once to the mall and Toys-R-Us and then with her friend Bridgette around the neighborhood. She had a great time, especially at the mall where the ladies at the Lancome counter did her make-up. She puckered up like a pro for that lip gloss. Hopefully by next year she will had learned to say "thank you" instead of "I want more." I think while going around the neighborhood she liked seeing all the different dogs the most. She also loved handing out candy once we got home. Probably because she didn't realize we were handing out all of the candy she had just brought home!

Pretty in pink

Thank goodness we have this little girl to keep us smiling!

She loves the tutu she got for her birthday - she wears it with everything! She was having a good time digging with her shovel and then tossing the dirt at Bodhi.

Seattle

I had a great time in Seattle. While I was missing Matt, Maisy and Bodhi it was so nice to spend some time with my mom, aunt, "uncle" and mostly Beth. I hadn't seen her in a year! We did all of the fun "touristy" things. Pike Place Market, Pioneer Square etc. My Aunt Michele and Uncle Daryl threw a party for my cousin Jake and his new wife Lara at the Space Needle. It was a lot of fun, music, good food and dancing. The night before the party the family ate dinner at Ivar's, which was excellent! Thank you Michele and Daryl for some fun times! I am so glad I got to go on this trip. I have a wonderful husband and family to help me take this little vacation!

More birthday pictures

Here are some pictures of Maisy enjoying some of her birthday presents. The top pic is Maisy playing with the fashion magnets Stacie and Jess got for her. She creates an outfit and then says "oh, it's so cute." The next picture is of her new tutu which she decided would look cute with the Cons while playing with her basketball and golf club. The 1 on the couch is after she opened her gift from my Dad and Vicki. Then she took Tiger for a ride on her tricycle while supporting the Denver Broncos. The bottom photo is Maisy holding up the picture she drew for Momo for her birthday.