Mini-road trip x2

Last Thursday the girls and I made a trip to see Natalie and Kevin's new house that they worked so hard building over in Preston. It has been a while since we last saw them and it felt so good to hug Natalie. I forgot my camera, but there was lots of fun going on that I will just have to put in words. The house is beautiful and I was so impressed with all that they did on their own. The girls had fun just disappearing to the bedroom to play and we also got in some sledding on Friday morning. We made pretzels (our favorite yummy snack) and smoothies and Natalie even took me on a date to Lava Hot Springs! Being there two days reminded me just how much I wish we lived closer so we could hang out more. The drive actually wasn't too bad. We were all amused that the most challenging part was getting up their driveway! Good thing Kevin and his dad were there to use a truck and pull my car up the slippery snow. Hopefully we will get to hang out again soon.

Right when we got back to Twin we ran upstairs and grabbed a few extra things so that we could head up to SunValley for the night. We went with Donna and Tony to stay at the Condo. The Braun's were playing at the Duchin Room so we decided to make a trip out of it by bringing the kids. Taura watched the kids while we went out to dance and then the next day I finally got to taste Donna's yummy eggs benedict before we went ice-skating at the lodge. The girls did exceptionally well with the ice-skates and Ryan and I enjoyed it as well. It was nice to spend time with Donna and Tony relaxing in Sun Valley.

Roller-skating

Since Ryan had rehearsal all day Sunday, the girls and I decided to spend the day playing. Roller skating and Pizza sounded a lot more fun than staying in the apartment all day. I knew that it might be a challenge taking two inexperienced skaters to a skating rink, but decided it was worth a shot. I got a great work out! Lisa was very independent and did a great job hanging on to the side wall while she practiced shuffling  her feet. Lyra was stuck to me like glue the entire time, but she did great letting me pull her around and even tried to move her feet along like I showed her. They had a very fun time and that's what mattered most. I remember how much we LOVED going roller skating as kids and it is neat for me to now take my kids. 

Get BACK here, mom! 

They were all out of the plastic, over the shoes skates,
so Lyra ended up with a few sizes too big.
She did quite well, considering. She looks so little to me!

Sledding

On Saturday we drove up to the South Hills with Trish and Dan and their kids. The girls were very excited and it was actually warmer up there than in Twin Falls. After going running earlier that morning in 0 degree weather, it was nice to be hanging out in the 20-30 degree range! The hill we stopped at was right before Magic Mountain and at first it seemed like it was going to be way more work than I was willing to put it, having to pull the kids up the hill, but it ended up being really fun. The kids were super fun to watch, they had great attitudes about hiking up the hill and not too scared about sliding down. We had a dutch oven lunch and a fire to hang out by. We were glad they invited us and that we could spend time getting to know them better.   

Paint every day

This little artist loves to paint. When we were trying to get her to come up with a New Year's resolution, she said she will paint every day. I love seeing her finished products. She takes her time and uses every inch of space on the page. She gets a little crazy with her technique. And almost always sings her made up songs as she goes along. Today she was singing a phrase from this song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9yyiy7aqiE&noredirect=1 

It's from a musical we have recently become enamored with, Matilda. The song is called "Naughty" and Lyra loves to repeat the part about "And that's not right! You gotta put it right!" 

A little light reading

Somehow Ryan convinced Lyra to lay in bed with him while he read aloud from Game of Thrones. 

Have I ever mentioned how much I love when Ryan is home on vacation from work? He had a longer than usual Christmas break this year and we have been loving the extra attention. Even with how distracted he has been getting ready for the play, we have still had many relaxing moments.  

Yay, SNOW!

When it started snowing Christmas night I was sure it would be melted by the next day, but it actually stuck around! So we didn't hesitate this morning to pull out the snow clothes and take advantage of it before it is all gone. One of the schools in town, Perrine Elementary, makes the perfect sledding destination for little kids. They got to play on the playground and go sledding on the big hill. It was quite a work-out pulling the two of them up, especially after going to my first Zumba class this morning at 5:30! Ryan even brought hot chocolate to recharge when the girls got cold. Fantastic day! 

Wow, has it really been six months since my last blog post? That's too long! This morning we enjoyed watching the girls open lots of special gifts from family. I really missed seeing everyone and being around family for our usual traditions. Good thing I had the girls to distract me. They were very excited, but also patient with eachother. They did a great job taking turns opening each of their gifts and wanted to make sure we had turns too. All day they played and played with their new treasures and watched Christmas movies. Then we went out to dinner at one of our favorite family restaurants, Shari's.

Lisa has been asking to sleep under the Christmas tree for days now and we finally relented, once Lyra had fallen asleep. Ryan just set up the projector we are borrowing in our bedroom so we can watch a movie from our bed. Fun! I am so glad I get the next two weeks to have Ryan at home on vacation. We were just watching music videos on youtube from a new musical called "Matilda" and dreaming about taking Lisa to see it on Broadway. Maybe spring break? :) 

So glad Rivercrest Apartments has a pool! We go almost every day. It has been fun to see how fearless Lyra is with her arm floaties. (Or as she would put it, arm "ploaties") Lisa learned to swim a couple  summers ago when we first moved here and is usually very confident in the water. They both already have that swimsuit tan line that seems to appear no matter how much sunscreen you lather on their bodies. Cute little fishies.

Lyra's sunscreen face, doesn't matter if you are nowhere near her face

Looks kinda cold, huh? That's cause they insist on going swimming even if it is only 70 degrees out. Sun is shining, pool is open...in their minds there is no question. Must swim!

Last week Donna suggested we take the kids cherry picking at Kelley Orchard near Filer. It was a beautiful day and the kids had a blast filling their own baskets. It is so nice they have a few pick-your-own-produce farms around here. Hopefully we will go back later this summer for other fresh fruits!

Donna's response to me warning everyone I would be obnoxious with my photo taking

Ryan was sweet and held our friend Hugh for me while I watched the girls pick their cherries

And, of course, Cherry Pie!

Our best pie effort to date. We went all out and put in a little grenadine, in addition to the almond extract that gives it its signature flavor. We also brushed the crust with milk before baking, which I don't usually do. Yummy, flaky goodness! Makes me miss my Grandma Marj and her perfect pies. 

So tired!

Contrary to what it appears, Lyra is not bowing down to the TV or Dora. She actually fell asleep this way one evening after a long day. It got really quiet so I looked over and said,"Lisa, what is Lyra doing? Is she sleeping?!" She slept that way for about 30 minutes before I moved her to her bed. For the past 6 months or so her napping has been hit and miss. We usually only give her a nap if she is extremely grumpy, otherwise it is very difficult to get her to sleep at bedtime. On some days, she ends up just falling asleep wherever she is, usually in the car or watching a movie, but it has never been quite in that position before. Looks like she is almost doing a yoga child's pose, which often makes me want to sleep too. 

A little snow

This winter has not brought much snow at all for Twin Falls, so we jumped at the chance to go play in the snow at Magic Mountain a few weeks ago. Donna and Tony invited us to go with them and take the kids on the tubing hills. My first time down the hill with Lyra I felt like I was on a roller coaster the way my stomach dropped, but it was super fun.  I was happy that the girls were not too afraid to try it, although Lisa definitely lasted longer than Lyra. It was nice that they have a lift system that pulls you up the hill in the tube so you don't have to walk up. Afterward we all had hot chocolate before heading home. It was so sweet of Donna and Tony to treat us to such a fun day. 

Halloween Fun

It was nice to be able to accompany Lisa on her Kindergarten class field trip to the pumpkin patch this year. Lyra was very excited to ride the bus with her big sister and do everything the big kids do. On Halloween night we headed over to Maple Street for some trick-or-treat fun and to stop at Carol and Tom's for their neighborhood party. We have felt so blessed getting to rub shoulders with such great folks here in Twin Falls. The girls had a very fun night and we loved getting to share their excitement over the whole thing. 

This is the costume we thought she might wear, but lately she has become all about the pretties.  

So she ended up in the fairy costume Lisa wore a couple years ago

The hair piece for Lisa's Rapunzel costume actually has a braid that hangs all the way down to her knees!