Christmas Eve

This is what we did on Christmas Eve :) We all actually went ice skating from 1-3p, but I (Brian) went back at 5p to catch the night session with my camera... then stayed up all night tending the fire and editing this piece.

You can see a bigger version on Facebook, and I'll have a blog post on brianpowell.info tonight.

Mary Christmas!

See more pics here: http://brianpowell.info/?p=3271 

Christmas eve

The Powell grandparents are here, and we took the girls to the local ice skate rink for the first time since we've moved here.  Dad and I both grew up ice skating...but it's been years!

It's been snowing all day, and we just got back to make some hot chocolate and start a fire. Nap time for the girls now.   Perfect :)

The girls loved it  :)   Eventually Corrie switched to the strap-over-your-shoes double bladed skates that Mary had, and she even scooted around on her own.  

a perfect night?

Corrie sat down with her hot chocolate and I quote:  "Ahhhh.. what a perfect night: sipping hot cocoa and sitting in front of the fire!"

I think that robe was one of her Christmas presents that Carrie just gave her early.  Corrie really wanted one, and I think it was inspired by Grandpa Powell(?).  She also likes to take showers now??  Of course Mary has her "hah KOH-koh"too, and a flip phone from the late '90s.

Christmas time

So we are letting Christmas happen here this year.  In other words, we're staying home for the holidays, of which I am so thankful for... thankful for our family who are traveling here instead of us traveling there.  And I'm thankful for the chance to relax and do fun things with the girls while we wait for Christmas to come.  As we were outside yesterday playing "animal tracks" (this is where someone makes a whole bunch of tracks in the snow and hides and then you find them), exploring the big pile of snow at the top of the hill, listening to woodpeckers, sledding down our road and enjoying warm cocoa afterwards... I was reminded what a wonderful time of the year this is.  So thank you family!  Can't wait for you to get here!

Cosmic Bowlers!

Life with Corrie

I just walked in the living room and found this...  all of Corrie's dolls lined up on the couch.

It's a little late but this is a conversation we had one night right before Thanksgiving.  She sure keeps me laughing...

Red kettle online

Did you know that just 2 hours ringing a bell can…

• Prevent a family of four from going hungry for one month.
• Provide a Christmas basket and toys for a family of four.
• Provide a safe, fun, and nurturing place for a child to go after school for one month.

We're planning on ringing actual bells this year, but I started an online kettle as well. My goal is $500 - please consider donating even a dollar! Especially if you're like me and never have cash on you at the stores :\

Back after Thanksgiving

We enjoyed Thanksgiving so much, the food, the family and fun... Uncle Steve and Aunt Betsy, Livy and Haven made a trip out to see us the very next week.  Actually, Steve helped us out and finished up a few projects around the house.  The girls?  We just hung out.

...all bundled up for the first snow :)

...playing play-dough :)

  (Corrie's spider)

We sure had an active house with four under four!  Thank you Powells for coming.  We had so much fun!

Corrie quotes

Some goodies all in the span of 5 minutes, so I could actually remember and record them   :)

"Ok, i'm going to get in the elevator" (the small corner shower in the downstairs bath)

What floor are you going to?

"Number 61, because that's where outer space is"

"we're going to out-our space, Mary"

out OUR space??

"yeah"

You know it's outER space, not outOUR space….

That's the last story, Corrie.   I'm too tired…

"How tired are you, mommy?  Are you as tired as the ocean??"

Something about Mary

A whole post, just about Mary!

She's great.  She loves to sing.



and this...  she's listening and learning the words to this song but for right now she only knows "glows".

 


Mary likes books.  She likes to say goodbye and "I love you" to anyone.  When we can't find something she says it's "up-a-tree".  "Mary, where's your cup?"  "up a tree."  "I can't find my sock..." (mary) "up a tree!"  She's learning to count and sing ABC's.  She says "pretty cool" and pretends all the animals have to go potty.  She must have two blankets covering her at night and sometimes wants to sleep with books.  She is fascinated with the plunger, lids, snaps and water fountains.  She can be a little challenging these days but I know she needs us.  Loves hugging and holding.


Two years old... here we come!

       

the corn maze

I posted this over on my photo blog, but here you go :)

Girls and Dolls

Corrie Quotes

I can't stop loving you... can you?

I don't know what it is.  Is it the morning or the night?
(The morning we rolled back the clocks an hour.)

Sometimes I do bad things like push Mary off the couch... but I don't do AS MANY bad things as Mary does!

halloween costumes

There are a few pics of the girls over on my photography blog:  http://brianpowell.info/

Cutting Down the Tree and Frozen Smoothie Cones

Lovely fall days!

Mary and the moon

The moon is Mary's new best friend :)

The last couple of nights were clear with a full moon, so I took the girls outside to see the moon just above the trees.  You could see your shadow.

Now, Mary runs up to me and says 'Noom!?'   'I go??'

We go outside to see the 'noom', she points and says 'up-a-tree!'  (the moon was just above the trees). When we go back inside I tell her to say 'goodnight, moon'.   She says "nigh'nigh....I love you, bye!"

Corrie Quotes and Stuff

(after learning about cough drops)
Mom?  I need a sneeze drop.

See my smile?  I think it's crooked.  I think it's because I sucked my thumb too much.

"(574) 259-FUNN"

"_ and _ dreams don't come true because God' knows they're not polite"

The petting zoo was ours!

The girls and I headed to an indoor inflatables place after Corrie had a great week of no accidents at night!  How come kids don't complain that they're sore the next morning after climbing, jumping, running and sliding?  I sure used a different set of muscles that day trying to keep up with Corrie and making sure Mary wasn't too scared (that means mommy had to do lots of things with her :)  Here's them just jumping...



Mary does whatever Corrie is doing these days.  I would post some pictures but either Mary runs away from the camera or Corrie tries to get in EVERY picture.  having fun here, powell's  

Bubble Hats

Bubble hats are in this season.  Corrie and Mary show how to wear them.

Fabulous!

Corrie quotes

Carrie: "Corrie, when you grow up and have babies I hope they ask you LOTS of questions..."
Corrie: "Why??"

getting home from church...

Corrie: "Mom, you know how we always have carrots and potatoes and stuff for lunch?"

(yeah..?)

"Do you think maybe we could have something DIFFERENT for lunch today?"

Corrie asked if she could pray for mom last night when she was sick.   

"OK, Dear God...."

"Wait -  I'm gonna pray to Jesus, cause he's faster!"

Trash Truck

Kids love boxes and so do I.  It's not often that we get a big juicy box to do whatever we please with so the one our new TV came in quickly became a trash truck.

  Mary backing it up.

Room for two?  Why, of course!

Trash goes in the back.

All set to go!

clotheslining it

Did you know that having a clothesline for some reason makes laundry fun?  I'd been wanting one for a while and finally just hung up a line between the only two trees that were close enough in our yard.  I love all the different loads hanging up... lights, darks, pinks... (there are three girls in this household!  now i can wash a whole load of reds, roses and pinks :).    My favorite is hand-made dresses fluttering in the breeze. 

And the reason I know it's fun?  Because Corrie asks to put up the laundry too.  I wound the extra rope around the limbs of the tree and she got busy.

Yes, those are her undies blowing in the breeze.

   

corrie stories

[at lunch]
Corrie: "look at what I drawed, dad" (practicing the letter A,a and coloring an astronaut)
Me: "oh nice.. what's an 'ast-ro-naut'??"
Corrie: "you know like when they float around in space and someone holds onto them like Curious George"
Me: "Oh, really?"
Corrie, to mom: "haha it's so silly that dad doesn't even know what an astronaut is!"


[another day]
mom (from another room):  "Corrie?  What are you two doing?"
C:  "Nothing mom!  We're being haved!"

happy 90th to great grandma Elsie (Peterson)

Mary and some homemade pudding

You know it's good when it ends up above your eyebrows:

Back to School

Well, it is August and in honor of all the back to school hoopla this month we give you Corrie... spelling.

"Mom! I spelled 'snot'!" (She was so excited.)

acting it out...

This is the sign for NO.

This is 'heaven' :)

Heaven is up, I guess.

Meanwhile, Mary gets all arts and crafty.  Drawing on yourself is always much more fun than drawing on the paper.  We detect a little left-handedness already in her :)

Dancin'

The girls and I got to take a trip up to my mom and dad's for a day and a night.  More pics to come but we had a really good time... i mean, a really good time :)

Corrie quotes

"I tried to get up, but all my  bones were asleep!"  (on trying to get up in the middle of the night to potty)

"Mom, did you hear God!?"  (after hearing a loud man some distance away)
"I thought I heard him talking in the wind..."

"Mary's voice is Horace"  (hoarse)

Playing in the rain

Thank goodness we had big and little sis umbrellas... then again that didn't last very long :)

A one quote post (it's that good)

tonight during bathtime corrie says...

"Oh!  my bottom's poofy!...  (giggle)  ...it's because I've been wearing it ALL THE TIME!"


sometimes she just makes me laugh.

Pictures from St Louis

Some from our recent trip to Barnhart, which included 'zoo-ing', fireworks, grandpa's slip 'n slide, lots of good food by Karen, naps and babies babies BABIES!

 the driver.
 

watching sea lions.

train ride :)

 cousin love = cute!

For the car ride Mary treated us all with her singing.  Aaron Espe is a musician from Colorado that we like.  Corrie asks for "Small Town" often in the car and Mary really likes this part...