Winter Break

Has it been a month since Christmas already? Perhaps I shouldn't have had quite so much fun during my winter break. Brandon and I had two weeks off, and we certainly kept busy. I've had a lot of catching up to do at work, but I've finally gotten around to posting some of our Christmas photos. Enjoy!

This is how Sami spent her Christmas morning. She opened the first gift from our wonderful sitter, Manisha, and she sang her heart out while the rest of us dove into the pile.
Lauren asked Santa for doll clothes and toys. Here she is unwrapping a beauty shop chair.

My gift to Brandon was a short ski trip. Needless to say, he was a little surprised, especially since I've never been skiing. Unfortunately, we both got sick and had to postpone the trip. We're looking forward to it in February though!

My parents got Sami this little coupe. What a great big sister...pushing her little baby around.

Lauren got this American Girl from Nana and Papa. She and Ruthie have matching pajamas thanks to my Grandma Garrott.

Joe, Susan, Debbie, Robin, and Dana visited Cincinnati for a few days. We all went downtown to Via Vite for dinner one night. It's become one of our favorite places.

Here's another favorite...Toots! Who doesn't like fried dill pickle chips, free hot dogs, and video games?

My sweet Lauren.

We also visited the Children's Museum during the break. Here they are suspending a ball in a gust of wind.

Our little construction workers. I'm sure we could apply these skills to yard work too. We'll find out in the spring!

Sami spent about 30 minutes going up and down these stairs by herself. "Self Mom! Self!"

The water area was a huge hit. The aprons kept their tops dry, but their pants and shoes were soaked for the ride home. It was well worth it.

"Look Mom! It went down the waterfall!"

Let it Snow!

We had a great time in Boardman with Debbie and Ken just before Christmas. The girls were endlessly entertained by Pap as Mr. Napkinhead. They requested it every time we sat down at the table. Debbie taught the girls to make Jello cookies. Lauren was in charge of the green, and Sami did the red. They were delicious!

Lauren created some of her own shapes. She carefully chose a few of these to leave out for Santa the night before Christmas.

After baking cookies, we took a walk at Mill Creek Park. This picture was taken before the walk, although Sami looked exactly like this shortly afterward.

We started our walk at the old mill. It's a beautiful building next to a waterfall. With the newly fallen snow, the whole experience was breathtaking.

At the end of our walk, there was a clearing where we played in the snow. It was perfectly packed, and we had a blast throwing snowballs and building snowmen.
Ken played the photographer, but should have been in these pictures too. He was essential to the building process! Aren't the snowmen great? It only took us about 15 minutes to make these. Best snow I've seen in years.

The Christmas Ranch

A few days before Christmas, we ventured out to The Christmas Ranch. It is essentially someone's property that has been opened to the public. To say the owners love Christmas would be an understatement. Clark Griswold has nothing on them. Lights as far as the eye can see and lots of little buildings full of Christmas displays. We enjoyed a bon fire, horse drawn wagon ride, and lots of hot chocolate. It was a great night with the family!

Lauren and Kaitlyn love their Papa. This is a great picture of my mom and dad with their four granddaughters. It's a miracle that no one crawled out of the photo!
These pictures don't do the place justice. You simply can't imagine the number of lights covering every inch of the property.
Lauren strikes a pose.

Naughty or Nice?

Santa is not sure either...

Christmas Tree

We set out to find the perfect Christmas tree at our favorite place, The Black Barn. It's a small, family-owned business, and best of all, they deliver the tree. While there, we always stock up on apple butter and homemade candy. Lauren is in the barn, grinning ear to ear as she clangs a gigantic bell.

All bundled up! We love Sami's snowman hat, although she is convinced it is a duck.

Lauren got to stay up late to decorate the tree. What a treat!

Ta-da!

Cookie Time

Lauren and Kaitlyn had a great time making cookies with Nana. We're still not sure how much of the dough actually made it to the cookie sheet.

But isn't that why we make cookies in the first place? It's really all about eating the dough!

Perfection...

Look at the pride on their faces! Beautiful.
Sweet reward... And some to take home to mom and dad. They didn't last too long. :)

Thanksgiving Day

You could say things have been a little busy around here lately. Christmas is quickly approaching, and I haven't even shared our Thanksgiving photos. Better late than never!

We celebrated Thanksgiving at my parents' house with my sister and her family, Grandma Garrott, and Grandma Dimos. Mom made an incredible meal once again, and boy did we stuff ourselves!

Lauren and her cousin, Kaitlyn, were pretty proud of their big girl table. We don't see my Grandma Garrott often, so her presence made the holiday extra special. Dad always ensures his spot next to the babies. Sami can't get enough of him these days. Here's a great picture of 3/4 of the Wellinghoffs. Little Alyssa is 16 months old.
Sami and Alyssa took their turn at the big girl table too. They just might be ready for a meal there next year! Christmas pictures will be coming soon!