Snow Flurries & Brats

Today was a day to hang out at the apartment and relax. The Packers were playing the Vikings, so we picked up some brats, and planned nothing other than to sit and watch the game.

As luck would have it, we got about 4 hours of snow flurries. It was beautiful! The snow started falling just before the game began. Check out this quick clip of Chris grilling in the flurries. Awesome!

Unfortunately, the Pack lost to the Vikings. :( But we're hoping they will come back and win next Saturday when they meet up again for the Wild Card game.

Chloe didn't enjoy the loss either. 

After the game, we promised Madelyn we could go out again to play in the snow. We weren't sure how great that would be with it being dark and all, but it was not an issue! Light or dark, there's always a way!

  

"World's Largest" Gingerbread Village

We visited the Prescott Resort and Conference Center to see what they tout as the "World's Largest Gingerbread Village. Although it was fun to walk around the showcase and see all the gingerbread houses, I still am having a hard time believing this is the WORLD'S largest gingerbread village.  Maybe the key word is "village?" I'm not really sure, but I do want to research this some more.

After we spent some time at the Gingerbread Village, we went back to the apartment for a little bit before taking a walk to the town square to see the decorations and meet the Andersons for dinner again!

As we were walking to the square, Madelyn kept talking about the "huge" Christmas tree. We couldn't figure out what she was talking about, but when we got to the square and walked around the block, we discovered that Madelyn was referring to one of the tall pine trees. The lights were hung in such a fashion that it did indeed appear to have the shape of a Christmas tree. 

Can you find Madelyn? 

After looking at all the lights and listening to the live music for a bit, we walked over to the Prescott Brewing Company restaurant to meet Maghan, Kirk, and the twins!

Madelyn insisted on sitting next to the babies, and we told her that meant she was in charge of them, but she wasn't falling for it. She had a great time drawing pictures on the Magna-Doodle (supplied by the restaurant), and playing tic-tac-toe with Kirk. Kirk, however, soon realized this was a game as we like to say "where cheaters always win." We all enjoyed their giggles as he patiently tried to start each new game. My favorite quote of the night was from Kirk: "She X'd my O!" I didn't realize I got it on camera until I got home, so I thought I'd include it here...

Thumb Butte

When we woke up this morning, it was 18 degrees outside! Brrr! Madelyn was itching to get outside, but we told her it had to be at least 30 before we would leave. She and Chloe waited patiently, but both made it clear the were ready on several occasions!

Madelyn snuggled by the couch and waited patiently.

Chloe sat patiently by the window watching all the birds outside.

As soon as it hit 30 degrees outside, we hit the road!

We talked to the cleaning lady for the rental this morning, who gave us some good ideas on where we might be able to find enough snow that would be worth a stop. She suggested Thumb Butte, not only for the high probability of snow, but because it was a beautiful drive. So we packed up our snow gear and headed out on our adventure!

Woo Hoo! We found snow!

After a short 20-minute drive or so, we found a good, flat area that seemed to have enough snow for our needs. Which, by the way, we quickly discovered aren't all that much for a four-year-old. It takes very little to impress her, and we love that! :)

The first thing Madelyn wanted to do was make a snow angel.

Click here if you have trouble watching the video on this page.

Daddy even got in on the snow angel action, and while in the process of making the perfect angel, Madelyn thought it would be funny to put some snow in his face... He's a good sport! :)

Madelyn also has a fascination with eating snow. This is something Daddy taught her when she first visited the snow in Williams. It grosses him out now, but I keep reminding him he's that one who started it. ;)

Chris thought to bring the sled with us on the trip, and we were glad he did! Although there wasn't a ton of snow, it was certainly enough for a sled to easily glide. 

Click here if you have trouble watching the video on this page.

Chloe even had fun rolling around in the snow!

Click here if you have trouble watching the video on this page.

  

Impromptu Trip to Prescott

While we were at the zoo on Thursday, we noticed some very dark clouds that looked like they might produce some snow. As we were walking to the car, Chris and I commented on how fun it would be to take a last-minute trip to the snow. As soon as we got home, I got online and started my research. And lucky for us, we found a great little apartment that just had a cancellation.

The Terrace (top-level apartment)

So... I spent the rest of the evening getting laundry done, and things packed so we could spend a few days in Prescott. We were excited!

When we arrived at the rental, we were pleased that it was even better than the pictures! It was the perfect size for the four of us (we even got to bring Chloe)! We got things settled and then were off to see our friends, Meghan and Kirk, who recently had twins!

Madelyn was especially excited to "meet the babies." She hasn't really been around babies yet, so we were also anxious to see her reaction to them once we got there.

I don't have too many pictures (can you believe it!) as we jumped right into catching up because it had been such a long while since we had seen Kirk and Meghan. I did have Chris snap a couple photos with his phone, so here's what we got:

I think we're holding Karlee here...

Madelyn was a bit leery at first of holding them. She wanted me to hold them and then she could just look. Meghan showed her how they would squeeze her finger, and she eventually opened up to the idea of trying that. It was sweet to watch Madelyn with them. She got to help feed them, and even "helped" with diaper changes. Well, she didn't really want to help with that, but she wanted to be around to give her input. ;)

It was a relaxed evening catching up with good friends! Hopefully we'll get to see them again before we leave!
 

Play Date with Lily

Madelyn has been asking for a LONG time to have a play date with Lily, and we finally got something organized! We thought since the weather had been so nice, we could spend some time at the Wildlife World Zoo. We love this zoo because it's small, and you can get up close and personal with most animals.

Yesterday, we got to see the baby white tiger on the news, so Madelyn was especially excited to see him in person! While we waited for Lily and her family to arrive, we headed over to the baby animals. There was a baby jaguar and a baby porcupine, but we really liked the baby white tiger best! He was so playful!

Madelyn was quite anxious to see Lily; she could hardly stand it! She must have asked about every minute or so when she would get there. When I got the text from her mom saying they were there, I didn't tell Madelyn so she could be surprised!

Lily's whole family came to the zoo so it was fun to get to know everyone. The girls ran around and had a great time (no big surprise there).

One of my favorite animals is the giraffe, so when I saw the feeding exhibit (as always) we had to stop in to say hello. Madelyn likes the idea of feeding the giraffe, but once she gets up there, she usually gets a little freaked out. Although, I must say, she did a really good job this time, with a little help from Daddy!

Here's a short video of the giraffe feeding:

Click here if you have trouble viewing this video.

The girls enjoyed the playground and the petting zoo! There were two new baby goats that they found to be especially cute (and were too little to chomp on your clothes like the big ones do)!

We ended our visit in the aquariums where we all got to see some great sea life!

Once we made our way through the last aquarium, it was time to say goodbye. Boy, was that ever dramatic! Madelyn has always been sensitive, and the tears tend to come very quickly. It was a sad thing (and kind of funny at the same time) to watch Madelyn and Lily hold on to each other, crying.  It was a sweet moment, and we're hopeful we can plan another play date soon!
  

It all started with a simple wish...

So... it was about two months or so ago when Madelyn began adding pictures to her Christmas Wish List book. Soon after this ritual began, she received a catalog in the mail that had all kinds of toys. She spent a good hour or so going through the entire catalog, taking time to really investigate each toy to decide whether or not she'd like to add it to her book.

When she came upon the "Kid Safe Make Up Kit" she freaked out. And when I say freaked out, I mean, jump up and down, run around the house screaming about how badly she "needed" it! When she calmed down enough for me to examine the picture, I looked at her and said, "No. You're too little for makeup." We have had a long-standing rule at our house that makeup is for dance recitals and Halloween. Madelyn quickly dropped her shoulders and fell to the ground in the dramatic fashion she has so easily perfected, and sobbed. Of course, she also paused between cries to look at me wondering if I had any sort of reaction. I did not. I told her she could add it to her book, but that it was not likely going to happen. That gave her just enough hope that she smiled and quickly cut out the picture and added it to her wish list.

About a month later, Auntie Kristin inquired about the things Madelyn wanted, and I told her she could get her the makeup kit if she wanted. Getting this gift would undoubtedly make her the hero of Christmas, so she agreed. ;)

Madelyn continued to ask about the makeup kit all the way to Christmas, and I kept telling her no, so imagine her surprise when she open the gift! She couldn't wait to use it!

Her cousin, Owen, was excited to help her get started! I found this to be especially cute, and definitely wanted to include some pictures for when he's 16 because I'll think they will be perfect to show his girlfriend. ;)

Remember: You can click the slideshow to see larger images. 

As you can see from the slideshow, they had a good time together, and I was quite impressed with Owen's ability to show Madelyn "how to" apply makeup.

Then I got a turn. And so did Daddy. I think Madelyn had the most fun using Daddy as her model. She started calling the area "Melody's Makeup Shop" and sometimes when you sat down, she would say things like, "Oh, excuse me. I'm not open yet." or "You'll need to wait for a minute while I clean up from my last customer." Even though I wasn't truly fond of the makeup idea, it has been really sweet to watch her have so much fun!

My only concern is this:

It started out like this...

And ended like this...

  

December 25

Madelyn didn't think this day would ever come! Today's box (which was substantially larger than all the others), had a candy necklace and two candy bracelets in it. I didn't realize Madelyn never experienced such awesomeness, and her excitement could hardly be contained! She devoured it so quickly that I didn't even get a good picture for you. But that's okay. I promise you, she enjoyed every piece of it. :)

Remember: You can click on the slideshow to see larger images.

Madelyn said on several occasions, "This is the best Christmas ever!" Of course, we were happy to hear that. I think she spent the entire day taking time with each new present. She did, however, have a couple favorite toys, one of which I will post about later.... ;)

  

December 24

I added this to the advent calendar because I can remember my parents letting us do this each year on Christmas Eve. We thought it was so cool to open a present early, and I wanted to share that tradition with Madelyn.

My initial thought was for her to pick one from under the tree, but we made a shift in our plans and the family ending up getting together at Auntie Kristin's house for dinner. This gave Grammy the opportunity to fly to Indiana on Christmas morning. Since she was going to be gone for Christmas breakfast, Grammy thought it would be fun for the kids to open their presents while she was here. So... this was perfect for today's activity (and...Madelyn got to open more than one gift!)

Remember: You can click on the slideshow to view the larger images.

  

December 23

This is by far one of our favorite traditions! There's just something so special about being up north (especially in the snow), and enjoying the holiday festivities. I always say it would be so much fun to be up north for a week during Christmas, but that's fairly unrealistic, which is why I think I look forward to the Polar Express so much. ;)

This year, one of Madelyn's friends, Eva (and her parents, of course), decided to meet us there! That was an extra bonus for us... having a bit of adult conversation and beverages, mixed in with some great times with the girls!

I'm trying something new in this post... I am adding a slideshow from my Picasaweb album. Hopefully it works. :) You can click in the middle of the slideshow to see larger images.

  

December 22

This one was an extra special treat for Madelyn! She rarely gets the opportunity to sleep in our bed , so the idea of snuggling up with Mom and Dad made her smile!

 

December 21

Who doesn't love ice cream?! For the Nielsens, it's one of five staples you can always find in our house, but it was still a special treat for Madelyn to create her very own "Christmas Sundae."

As I started to take pictures, Madelyn quickly told me to stop. She said she preferred to make a cooking show video. Okay. Sounded fun enough, but we had no idea that it would turn out the way it did. It's a little long (winded), but Chris and I both laughed at her raw "talk show" talent. We don't watch many cooking shows, so I'm not even sure where she got her idea, but look out Food Network, here comes Madelyn!

  

December 20

This morning was a new day with a new attitude. We believe in fresh starts, even after the worst of days, so today was as if yesterday never happened. :) Madelyn was cute when she opened today’s advent door. Right before she pulled it open, she pointed to yesterday’s date, cocked her head, and flashed a rather coy smile as if to say, “Can I just see what would have been?” I said, “You can open it.” I think she was a little surprised that it was empty, but she turned back to me and said, “Good thing I turned it around today, right?” Indeed, sweet girl. Indeed.

We love sitting by the fire and making s’mores, so I knew this one would be extra exciting! We even invited Madelyn’s friend, Isabelle (along with her mom and sister) to join us after dance class! What fun!

 

 

December 19

So, today was the first day Madelyn did not get anything in her advent calendar. We were in a hurry to get off to school, so we didn't think about checking the calendar. That actually ended up being a blessing because I didn't realize I'd be picking up a monster at the end of the day.

I know that this is a crazy time for little ones, and there are a lot of fun activities at school, and probably more sugar than usual. Top that off with finding out that 15 of the 16 teachers you have grown to love will not be teaching you after Christmas break, and you get one emotionally distraught kid. Man. That just doesn't even do it justice. Let me paint a prettier picture...

When I picked Madelyn up from school, the first thing she asked was to show her new "barbie" to one of her teachers. I didn't have it with me so I told her we'd have to show her tomorrow. She held it together while we were still in the room, but as soon as the door closed, the tears started flowing.

I asked her why she was so sad, and she really just wanted to show her doll to her teacher. Being the mean Mommy that I am, I told her we had to wait until tomorrow because we'd couldn't walk all the way back across campus.

Once I got her buckled into her seat, she started screaming. While screaming, she was turned around in her carseat, watching us pull away from the school. She started yelling, "I want my teachers! I need Miss Ashlynn! TEACHERS!" Her arms were outstretched in case anyone was watching so they could rescue her.

I kept driving. I didn't say a word.

The next thing I knew, there was a shoe coming toward my head. And then another. And then a headband. And then a barbie. A left-over breakfast bar. A blanket.... I had no idea there were so many items in the backseat. And now they were all in the front seat.

I stayed quiet, trying to keep my composure. When she realized I was ignoring her, and that shoes in my face weren't doing the trick, she used the ultimate defense. Her words. She began shouting such things as "I hate you!" "I think you're stupid!" "You are in trouble!" (that one made me laugh because I was thinking, boy if she only knew how much trouble she was in when we got home). Although it bothered me that she was saying these things, I forced myself to be quiet.

As we turned the corner on our street, she was still noticably upset, and as a last straw, she told me she was going to hit me when we get home. And indeed, as soon as I parked the car, she unbuckled her seatbelt and took a good swing at my shoulder.

I got out, opened her door (still not saying anything), scooped her out of the car, and walked into the house and put her in her room, on her bed. I left her in there to cry for a while, and after she settled down went in and talked to her.

After talking about her awful behavior, I asked her if she thought she was on the naughty or nice list, and she looked at me, with tears welling up again, and said, "I'm on the naughty list now. I need to say sorry to Santa." HA! That's really all I needed. But then I quickly said to her, "You need to say sorry to more than just Santa." She said, "I'm sorry, Mommy. I am just feeling tired, and I that's why I wasn't very nice to you." I told her I would always love her, even when she's being naughty. She replied, "And I will always love you. Even when you're an angry mommy." Oh, that kid. I do love her so.
 

December 18

Okay, so "homemade" might be a stretch since the dough was pre-made, but we did add Madelyn's favoirte toppings: cheese and pepperoni.