Holiday Baking!

Madison and I really enjoyed baking together this holiday season. We made Puppy Chow, Cut-out Cookies, Peanut Butter Blossoms, Peanut Butter Balls, and Scotcheroos.

Decorating the Christmas Tree

The kids had so much fun decorating the Christmas tree. I handed out the non-breakable ornaments to the kids, and I couldn't keep up with how fast they were coming back for more. At the same time, Mike tried to hang the breakable ornaments up high, so we would have some ornaments at the top of the tree. Needless to say, we do seem to have a lot more ornaments at the bottom of the tree. When we were all done, the kids asked if they could put more on tomorrow :)

November

The first weekend in November I spent in St. Paul visiting Erin and scrapbooking. We scrapbooked from 9 in the morning until 11 at night. Lets just say we were determined! While I was there, Mike spent the beautiful Saturday taking the kids to the NEW zoo.

The second weekend in November we had the opportunity to accompany Mike to a work conference at the Wilderness in Wisconsin Dells. During his break from the conference, we enjoyed the three indoor water parks at our hotel.

The third weekend in November, Madison and I got invited to Sesame Street Live with our friends Faye and Haven. I was very nervous that Madison would be scared, because she is afraid of adults in costume and we had front row seats! She was a little scared at first, but as the show went on her tensions eased. I have to say that I also really enjoyed the show!

The last weekend in November brought Thanksgiving and lots of family time. On Thanksgiving, we spent a relaxing day at home and had dinner at Romy's with Mike, Amy, Claire, and my Grandma. Friday morning, Lisa, Jana, and I hit the Black Friday sales, and in the afternoon, we headed up to my parent's cottage. Sunday we came back home to have a Thanksgiving meal with the Van Handel family at my grandma's house.

Carving Pumpkins

One of our Halloween traditions is carving pumpkins. I have great memories of carving pumpkins as a family when I was a kid, and I would love my kids to have those same memories. Madison did great gutting the pumpkins, but Noah was a little more cautious. He did have fun playing with the insides one they were in the bucket. We let both kids draw a face on their pumpkin, and then we cut them out. Mike is the king of creative pumpkins, and this year he decided to create a Mickey Mouse, since it is a favorite of both kids.

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Halloween Party at the Little Gym

Madison attends a gymnastics and dance class at the Little Gym, and this Halloween they threw a party. The party included games, tumble trampoline, obstacle course, crafts, and goodies. Both kids really enjoyed the obstacle course and tumble trampoline. Madison built a pumpkin art project while Noah enjoyed pumpkin bowling.

Mulberry Lane Farms

We made our annual trip to Mulberry Lane Farms on a very, very cold day, but once again, the kids didn't seem to notice. At least the wind was blocked by the buildings most of the time. The kids enjoyed riding the ponies, petting the animals, and taking a hay ride. Noah got to ride his first pony, and I was disappointed I didn't get a good picture of it. He was also obsessed with riding the tractors that are parked around the farm.

Cavanaugh's Carriages

Madison's first field trip of the year was to Cavanaugh's Carriages in Neenah. Grandparents were invited to attend the field trip in honor of Grandparent's Day. Madison was very lucky, because Grandpa Dennis, Great Grandma, and Grandma Sue were all able to go on the field trip with her and Mike. Unfortunately, the day was very cold and windy, but the kids didn't seem to notice. They learned about animals and got to pet them, took a hayride, and picked gourds.