So things have been a little hectic lately! We thought we'd be having a fairly quiet week last week... we spent much of last, last weekend just hanging around and enjoying a playdate with Levi and "Auntie Kari." But, on Monday my father in law, Ralph, went into the hospital with chest pains, and by Wednesday he was in surgery for a triple bypass! So we spent much of last week traveling back and forth to Grand Forks and crossing our fingers. Luckily, Ralph has pulled through the surgery and is already home! And now things are getting (pretty much) back to normal, and I thought I'd just catch up on the blog a bit before things get crazy again with the big Williams "Yankee swap Christmas Party" coming up this Saturday!
Yes, it's been frigid, but we all have our little tricks for staying warm! Sophia and Charlie can often be found snuggling in the sunshine.
We have french toast every Sunday morning before Trav goes to work... last, last Sunday the horses had a hankering for French toast, too!
I think that Clydesdale is keeping an eye on Sophia... making sure she doesn't eat all the French toast...
And on Sunday we had a playdate with Levi and Kari! Doesn't Levi look thrilled to be going outside?!
We pulled them on sleds through the neighborhood...
And even took turns climbing the big mountain in the park!
Yes, this is the big mountain. And, yes, Sophia calls it a mountain! :( Flat-Lander!
After sledding we went to the library, which Levi was much happier about!
This last weekend we were trapped inside quite a bit... the wind chills on Sunday were so bad that Sophia and I literally did not leave the house! We stayed inside cooking and baking all day! We did go out Friday night for my office Christmas party, which was SUPER fun! Sophia was WILD! She was especially excited to wear her special Christmas dress, with the matching doll dress. She has been in the habit of begging to wear this dress every day, and sometimes I let her. She was over the moon to be allowed to wear it out to a party! I love the dress, and you'll be seeing it a lot more in pictures to come! :)
The week before Christmas we spent the weekend at Carmen and Ralph's and attended the annual Williams Yankee Swap party as well as Carmen and Ralph's 30th Anniversary party! Prior to all of the party madness Sophia shared some (very brave!) downtime with the bird...
Hanging with Uncle John at the Yankee Swap
The cake Laura ordered for Carmen and Ralph's party!
Carmen and Ralph!
Playing in the snow! We have had 7 large snowstorms this month, with another one coming tonight! We have several feet of snow right now
Christmas morning! We followed a tradition started by my paternal grandparents: we filled Sophia's stocking on Christmas Eve and laid it in her crib (at like 2 in the morning) and then watched Sophia find it and open it Christmas morning :)
About to unwrap!
After unwrapping presents at home we picked up my parents at the airport and headed to Carmen and Ralph's country house (Grand Forks) for more Christmas!
Carmen and Ralph with all of their grandchildren... number 7 is on the way!
Mom with her new "Sophia bag" (Carmen got one too!)
Next we headed over to Travis' grandparents (Snookie and Cash) for Christmas dinner!
Sophia with her great-grandpa Cash
Finally, we headed over to Grandma Mary's to say hello to Mary and Kathy!
Christmas night we hauled over to Ralph and Carmen's lake house (Bemidji) to spend a couple of days hanging out
Sledding! Sophia LOVES sledding!!!
And snowmobiling!
This one is for blackmail... we can send it to Ralph's Dr to prove that Ralph hasn't been very good at convalescing!
Before our latest round of poor weather we had a couple of beautiful days in Fargo/Moorhead and indulged in a sleigh ride!
Followed by cocoa and cookies
My parents wrapped up their vacation by helping us load our friends' U-haul... they are moving to Alaska! Sad :( But, we're really happy and excited for them! Today we are all snowed in at home, and just baking/cleaning/and packing! My parents fly out tomorrow (New Year's Day) and then life will be back to "normal." Happy New Year!
