The only thing better than presents on Christmas....

....are presents after Christmas!


We got Uncle Travis and Gma Kathy's package from California yesterday filled with all sorts of good things....Thank you Uncle Travis and Gma Kathy! You did real good...even if the Little Brat is a bit overwhelmed...this was a good way to break her in to 'reality'...lol

Happy Holidays!

Leah

Extreme Gift Reaction...Christmas Edition!

We really should have been taking video...have you ever witnessed a reaction to a gift that was so unexpected, so over-the-top, or so out of character that it left you speechless, or in hysterics, or both? Well, today we have witnessed one such event. Behold the squirmle. Look into its' terrifying little eyes...taste the fear rising from its' disgusting orange coat of horror-inducing fuz.

Yeah, well, Santa didn't exactly think it was so ghastly either...as he shoved it in the Little Brat's stocking last night...Santa has NO idea that this 'magic little pet' would induce a terror so deep that LB would instantaneously produce a blood-curdling scream, jump over the back of the chair she was sitting in, and run for a far away location out of site and reach of the monstrosity...

So when I finally coaxed her back into the living room, we were able to deduce that the magician's string attached to this furry creatures nose cannot be detected by anyone but the person holding it....so as I dragged the tiny beast across the room and up towards her, she actually thought it was ALIVE....for heavens sake! But she eventually made friends with it though....guardedly....at a very long arms distance...

...but I'm not sure this relationship will survive on such a shaky foundation.

...Lordsy Mercy, this will not be something she will easily live down....or ever live down, for that matter!

Merry Christmas!

Leah

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas to all our friends and family...this is my favorite time of year...especially because of the joy it brings the kids...there is nothing better than the look on their little faces as they witness the joy of the Holiday...

We were up before dawn this morning to see if Santa had stopped over night....to the Little Brat's delight, the carrots were gone as well as the milk and cookies we'd left out the night before...this could mean only good things as we entered the living room where the tree and presents were found...


Her stocking was filled with all sorts of wonderful things...candy, toys, a ballerina ornament, and a tinker bell flashlight she has not put down yet! One of her favorite stocking items was a Pipi Longstocking video though...we watched it first thing and I think she's hooked...good call, Santa!



Santa also paid close attention to her wish list and brought 2 Moxie Girls for her to play with...these are like the younger hipper Barbies of my day...and their heads are much larger too...

..but I just don't get it...WHY is it that every doll that comes into this house must be immediately disrobed and stripped of all it's clothes??? Anyone?

Mommy and Daddy did good with this toy medical set...she's been talking a lot lately about being a doctor for animals so she can take care of them all...Fair Warning: Run Spooky, Run!

..and a couple My Little Ponies to boot..Lucky girl!

But Strawberry Shortcake stole the show...this little house came with more tiny accessories than stars in the sky...most of which are sure to be lost before sunset...

...still, she's been playing happily all morning with it...it's a winner.

...a special thanks to Jesse and his family for the gift and card...that was very kind of you! Randi loves it!

Randi wasn't the only one that scored with Santa though....JR got a pneumatic air gun to make quick work of construction projects, and mommy got a trip to the jewely store (tomorrow) to replace the wedding band I ruined in an unfortunate horse doctoring incident...wahoo!

Hope Santa found you on his 'nice' list as well....miss you all...lots of love and prayers from our place to yours!

Merry Christmas...

The Roehl Family

Christmas Prep Time!

It's a tradition to bake some cookies for Santa and set out some carrots for the reindeer before we head off to bed on Christmas Eve...as such, I pulled out all the stops and broke out my super-santa-freaky-secret chocolate chip cookie recipe for the grand occasion...




It's the Little Brat's job to form the cookie dough into perfectly round balls of Santa-satisfying goodness...she's a master at this...

...and when the cookies are done, we add a glass of milk to wash them down and some fresh carrots for the exhausted reindeer...

....and then it's off to bed....cuz he KNOWS when we are sleeping.

Sweet Dreams!

Happy Holidays,

The Roehl Family

Twice Upon A Time...

It's been a great Christmas Eve so far! My dear husband brought birthday cinnamon rolls to bed for me, then I was off to the hospital for an ultrasound!!! The punks appear to be growing big and strong still....and were very active, as usual :) Codie measures in at a whoppin' 1.7 lbs and Sophie is a petite 1.4 lbs...here are their best shots:

Codie James

~5 1/2 months~

Sophie Rose
~5 1/2 months~

I'm luvin' the top lips...I just want to pinch them...their daddy throws an overbite in his get (horsey terms, sorry!), so we'll have to wait and see the extent of their affliction...lol

Happy Holidays!

Leah

East Coast White-Out '09...

We've hit a new record for snowfall in December here in Virginia....nice to know we are going to have a white Christmas this year....enjoy some pics from around the farm under cover of snow!

My snow angels...

Air-Mattress sledding...we're a resourceful bunch!

...and we finally got to complete that snow man Ginger sabotaged on the first try...

Snow Ponies!

..and Snow Puppies too!

Glad she opted to taste the WHITE snow...as opposed to 'you-know-what ;)

Happy Holidays!

Leah

Santa Claus, sort of...

There's been a minor 'twist' to our annual Santa Claus visit...we NORMALLY catch Santa Claus each year before he hops on his big red fire truck and takes a ride in our Spotsylvania Holiday Parade....we've done it for 3 years now, and LB loves it because there are no lines (like at the mall) and she gets as much one on one time as she likes....this year, however, inclement weather postponed the parade a weekend and we had a conflicting commitment to attend our first Nutcracker ballet....still, I took a detour through downtown Spotsy after LB's ballet class and this is what we saw as people were prepping for the big parade!

...so we stopped for a photo op...but something just wasn't right...even LB notes Santa does NOT have brown hair....I simply explained that everyone, even Santa, goes through a crisis now and then...and perhaps he died his hair brown to appear younger and hipper these days....not sure I was very convincing, but she did take a pic with him for the sport of it....

...and then we were off to see the Nutcracker! I've gone 33 years without so much as even reading the book, so I was really looking forward to the experience myself...LB and JR were just as excited....but when it was all said and done, I think I can go another 33 without issue...even LB lost interest at about intermission...I guess we just aren't a 'classical ballet' kinda family...it will be interesting to see where LB decides to go with it all...she sure does enjoy her current ballet class...only time will tell!

Happy Holidays!

Leah

LB's got groove!

My best good first-born punk had her first 'formal' piano recital this week....

..she played her little heart out...

Behold the fabulosity!

Happy Holidays!

Leah

Twice Upon a Time...

It's been a month since my last update on the progress of our twin pregnancy....Lordsy Mercy, how time flies when you are having fun! Since then, we have learned the genders of our precious little punks...one boy, and one girl....cuz I'm diplomatic like that....we are trying on our favorite names now:

• Sophie Rose
• Codie James

They are VERY active about 20 hrs out of each day...as you can imagine, it was a wee difficult to get good ultrasound pics in such a cramped environment...Codie is on top, and measures just over 10 oz....his little sister Sophie is down low and positioned to be the first to enter the world...she measures just over 9 oz...they are positioned 'head-to-tail' if you will....as such, every time we would attempt a face or profile shot of little Sophie, Codie would do a butt plant on her head and she would squirm away....

Yes, it has already started....

The Little Brat got her first experience feeling the punks wiggling around...it was very exciting to her, and I think also a little weird...but in a good way...I think...she wants to keep a hand on my belly at all times now!

Here is a shot of my twin belly at 5 months and 1 week....if you compare to last month's pic, you can really see it filling out....it FEELS so much bigger than this picture depicts though....like MAC truck big! Anyways, stay tuned! Only a few more months to go.....

5 Months

Happy Trails,

Leah

Just in case you are wondering....

...how big my belly is these days...to a 4 year old anyways. Here is the Little Brat's interpretation. That's me in blue....that's her and her daddy squished almost off the picture to the left and right of me...Now you see how she got her nickname 'BRAT'.

Happy Trails,
Leah

First Snow!

..it's been a while since we had snow before Christmas....what a nice treat!




The kids were outside immediately to construct their first snowman of the season...



But alas, their plans were soon thwarted by the abominable snow monster...aka: Ginger.

Oh well, half a snowman is better than none!

Happy Winter,

Leah