Santa Letter

So, Hannah wrote her first Santa letter this year. In the past years, I would write the letter and she would try to copy the letters. This year I helped spell the words and sho wrote it herself. She wanted to make sure that she told Santa about her Rupunzel Barbie. At the end she wanted to make sure Santa knew what Elayna wanted since she can't write yet. How very cute is that!

A couple of days later, I told Hannah to keep a look out for anything that might resemble Santa's mailbox. I drove up and down the street three times before she saw the 20ft tall Santa. Once she did, her eyes lit up and yelled "I see it!" Walking up to it you could see the sparkle in her eye. I haven't seen a smile that big in a quite a while! Love it!!!

Shoveling with Daddy

Sunday we had some weird snow. It dropped a couple of inches of powdery snow and then crusted over to create a hard shell. Hannah was very intrigued with it. She asked if she could help daddy shovel. It was tough, but she helped with the entire driveway. She did a great job. When she was finished, she was wet and cold. We came in for a little hot chocolate and watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Amazing how something so trivial as shoveling snow could make her so happy.

Sugar Cookies

This past Saturday we spent the day baking all types of goodies. Elayna wanted to be quite involved, but that meant eating and trying absolutely everything. To keep her occupied I sat her down with a spoonful of frosting...ironically this kept her busy for close to an hour! Hannah on the other hand is starting to understand the concept of measuring and actually is very patient and precise.

One of our baking highlights was sugar cookies. It was the first time that Elayna actually was able to make a few cookies; eventhough her patience runs out quite quickly, as does her attention span. It has developed into a father/daughter type tradition.

By the end of the day we had been baking for over seven hours. We were all tired and the girls went straight to bed. All-in-all it was a great day.

Scooting Chairs

So a couple of days ago Hannah and Elayna grabbed their stools and decided to drag race in the kitchen. I knew that it was probably scratching the floor, but the way they were giggling made both Ed and I chuckle. I grabbed the camera and was able to catch a little of it. This went on for close to ten minutes before they started to tire out. Amazing how cute the two are.

Tree Decorating

We decided that we would put the Christmas Tree up this Thanksgiving break. Normally December is chaotic, so it was either put the tree up in November, or a couple days before Christmas. The only problem with putting a tree up that early is that there isn't many options out there. We finally were able to find a few trees at Home Depot. Hannah was VERY excited to pick a tree. When we got home, we started the task of decorating. As is tradition, Ed and Hannah put all the ornaments on the tree while I take pictures and help keep the baby busy. This year, she wanted to be a part of the tree decorating. She ran ornaments from me to Ed. She even tried to put a couple on herself. I don't think she understood that you actually have to hook the ornament to a branch. Each time she would set it on the tree, it would promptly fall off. She would reply...UH OH! Quite cute. When it was all finished, Hannah asked if she could put the angel up again. She enjoys putting the last thing on the tree.

OH, Holly was actually quite klingy during the whole process. She would almost climb completely into our laps everytime we would sit down, hence, the big head picture!

Matching PJ's

So, we were walking through Costco when Hannah spotted some pajama's for Elayna that matched a pair she already had. When I claimed that Elayna doesn't need ANYTHING let alone clothes (she has inherited so much from when Hannah was little) Hannah's lip stuck out, her eyes got really big and she started to cry. "I just want her to have jama's like mine." How could I say no at that point. Looking at the smiles on both their faces, it was definately worth the $8. PRICELESS!!!!

SNOW!

Well, they said the snow would come and they weren't lying. Went into work for 45 minutes and decided that it wasn't worth it. I grabbed Elayna from day care and came home. As I shoveled a grass path for my mailman, Elayna tromped around in the snow. She did okay until she saw that it wouldn't come off her shoes... After the drama, I took her inside and gave her a nice warm glass of strawberry milk. Hopefully it will let up enough that we can go build a snowman!

Glasgow 2010

Well it took a while, but here it is. Ryan, Ed, dad, and I went on our annual hunting trip to Glasgow. It took a couple of days to get up there, but once there the fun began! Ed and I took the high blind watching out both sides of a hay stack for several hours when out walked a nice 5x5. Ed took a shot and the buck fell. Ryan also took a shot at one later that same evening, but it proved to be too far away and lived to see another day! Dad shot his buck the next evening. He and Ed were waiting in a ditch when all of a sudden several does and a couple bucks came out of nowhere and started jumping the ditch they were in. He looked around and a nice 5x5 was approaching. He took a shot and the deer fell. The next morning, I spotted the freakishly big 4x4. I scoped him and as I was about to take a shot, he walked behind a tree and disappeared! I had an angle on all directions of the tree, so unless he was walking away directly behind the tree, I knew he was still there. I finally spotted his antler, he had bedded down behind the tree. I attempted to move to a position where I could get a body shot and he bolted upright and ran away. In the mean time, I found Ryan and the two of us split and chased the deer through the trees. As I was glassing a nice 3x3 buck, I heard movement off to my right and saw 50+ deer running around the trees. I saw my freakish 4x4 and took aim...but he didn't stop running and soon disappeared into the forest. I looked at the remaining deer and spotted another large 4x4 and wasted no time in aiming. I took one shot and he disappeared. Knowing I hit him, I sat there as buck after buck jumped into the forest. Ryan eventually caught up to me and to his luck there was another 4x4 still in the field. He took aim, but the deer never stopped moving and eventually got away. As we walked up to where we thought I shot mine, we saw that it had run 20yds or so and fell over. We called out to our driver to come pick us up and all of a sudden Ryan's 4x4 came running back at us at full force. Ryan ran for the nearest ditch in hopes to cut it off. When he got there he ducked down and started pulling out his rifle. The buck did not see him and almost sat on op of him...needless to say, Ryan also got his 4x4! This was his first big game kill! All-in-all it was a great trip, lots of hunting, laughs and stories to tell. Some are shared for all to hear, but others follow the golden rule "what happens at hunting camp, stays at hunting camp!" :) Here's to next year!

Trunk or Treat

As is tradition, the Jolly family went to the school carnival as themed characters. The past two years we told Hannah what would be a cute costume, leaning her towards the direction we wanted her to go. This year however, she was adamant that she was going to be a princess! Ed and I didn't know what to be to compliment a princess outfit. Two years ago we were Scooby and the gang, last year we were all football players and Elayna was the ball. So, finally it hit us! This year we were characters from Super Mario! The hardest part was getting a costume for Elayna. Turning her into Toadette was much harder than it looked. In the end, she was very cute! Mom made Hannah's princess dress. We tried to make Hannah look as close to Princess Peach as possible. She was very happy with the way it turned out (eventhough she still claims she is Sleeping Beauty).
Once the actual trunk or treat started, Hannah and Lilly (the cat) held hands the entire time! It was so adorable. Hannah walked her through the line to each car helping her pick candy out. By the time we made it through the line Elayna was almost asleep. My kids go to bed at 7 and two nights in a row it has been pushing 8. It is amazing how they both turn into pumkins after 7! Here's to another year!

Carving Pumpkins

Tonight was Elayna's first night carving pumpkins. The veteran Hannah kept giving her positive feedback, and how to's! It was very cute and fun! When Hannah first carved pumpkins, she was hesitant to reach into the pumpkin guts, and didn't really enjoy touching them. However, she eventually did and actually started tasting the pumpkin. Elayna on the other hand wasn't just hesitant, she flat out refused to put her hand in the pumpkin. As we tried to reach her hand in it, she almost started screaming. She did eventually touch ONE seed and the lid. She was more content to lie under the table and play with the pumpkin sticker rather than anything that was ooey and gooey! Once finished, we sat the girls in the living room and took many pictures! They were loving the photo shoot. However, all good things must come to an end and at an hour past bedtime, we took the pumpkins and put them on the table. Hannah, understood and started getting ready for bed, but Elayna was enjoying the CLEAN pumpkin way too much. She threw a tantrum and screamed and yelled for the pumpkin! Of course, I thought it was cute and took a picture of it. With little effort we were able to calm her down and both kids crashed in less than 15 minutes. All-in-all it was a great night. Can't wait to show everyone our costumes tomorrow!!!

First Kill!

Well, sadly I didn't get to go bird hunting this year. The season was only one week long. However, that didn't stop the boys from taking the day off and enjoying a much more successful day of male bonding. From what I understand, Ryan took the first bird down just after the got there. Not bad for his first kill! Later, dad was walking and a huge random rooster flew out almost over his head. This left Ed feeling a little jealous (although he will never admit it) and wanting his bird even more now than before. So, dad and Ed headed out on a huge trek through the sage brush to try and get Ed's bird. However, they had no luck. In the mean time, Ryan was sitting on the top of the ridge waiting for them to circle around. Again, from what I understand, Ed and dad made it to Ryan where they briefly talked and turned towards the truck. Apparently, not more than 20 feet from where Ryan had been the entire time, another sage hen flew up and Ed was able to take him down. A successful day for all...and Ryan became a huntersman!

Oh, the random picture is of two sage hens who apparently took off and ran into each other in the air!

Outdoor Girl

Sadly, we didn't make it camping this summer, but we did have many day long excursions. Labor Day we took the girls to the childrens fishing pond near Shelley. Although the pond produced nothing but Chubs (Ed is a pro at catching those!!!) Hannah was proud to say she caught them. The rules of the pond state that the number of poles in the water cannot exceed the number of children present. She loved the fishing!

Yesterday, Ed, Ryan, dad, and Hannah went hunting for the opening day of Grouse Season. I was in Boise so I missed her first day hunting (wipe a tear). That's ok, without the mighty female hunter, they weren't that successful. We will have to post pictures of Hannah's first success later! It was none-the-less a great day for her. We started her right by setting the alarm for 4:45am and hitting the road at 5:15am. Duked out in her orange, she trudged behind dad slowly...but surely. After a long morning of hunting she came home to a two-and-a-half hour nap. I can't wait to take her out!

Queen for a Day

So, last year dad purchased a package at Holy Rosary's annual wine auction. It was "Queen for a Day", which included a personal shopper at Macy's when the store wasn't even opened, facials with Clinique, Lancombe, or Este Lauder, hair styles at Austin Kade, and lunch at Johnny Carino's. We finally cashed in on the prize. Mom, Amy, Mandy and I spent the day living the life! After trying on more clothing than I could stand, I opened a Macy's card and made a "small" purchase (the package included a 15% discount!!!).The facials were subtle yet glamorous. The hairstyles were at Austin Kade, a beauty school. The ladies were extremely nice there and I truly enjoyed my curly style. As you can see, the middle left picture was our pre-makeover look and the top middle was the new us! We were able to flaunt our new style at Johnny Carino's and enjoyed a very delicious lunch. I had a great day with the ladies and I would LOVE to do it again!!!

Little E

Yes, I have two children. This time of year is very busy for Hannah, but Little E is always there to lend a helping hand. Today she helped dad find his shoes, waited at the door and told stories with Hannah and above all, looked beautiful as ever waiting to leave. She is developing at a rapid rate. Although smaller than Hannah was, she is equivalently as smart. She is up to 20 understandable words and seems to be learning new ones regulary. Her newest word/s is Thank You. Although not enunciated perfectly, it is quite obvious she is attempting the phrase. I am very proud of her as well. We are very lucky parents to have such beautiful daughters.

First Day of School 2010

Well, Hannah started her second year of school today. She is in Pre-Kindergarten. Last night we spent thirty minutes trying on all the uniforms she had outgrown. ARG! Luckily we have enough dresses and shorts to last through the school year, we just need to replace her brand new pants with a bigger size. Who knew she was going to jump two sizes in six months. We took her out to dinner at Cafe' Rio aka Rainbow Chairs. She loves it there. After trying to get anything out of her on the day, we put her to bed knowing she had spaghetti for lunch (mainly due to the newly stained uniform shirt) and that she had her picture taken. Otherwise, I can only guess what she did. My overly talkative four year old had very little to say...? I am proud of her.

Fishing at Roberts Gravel Pond

A week ago we went to Roberts Gravel Pond. Ed has a new goal to catch every sport fish in the state of Idaho. When we arrived it started raining and blowing! Being the prepared mom, I had a sweatshirt for Hannah, but forgot one for me. Before we could get the lines in the water, there was a "hook tying meeting" for the boys. Luckily for Ed, he caught the Yellow Perch, might I say MASSIVE. Even Hannah was able to haul one of the beasts in. All-in-all it was a great day, cold, but none-the-less memorable.

BTW, we have caught many of the Idaho sport fish already, but Ed wants to start over with a picture proof to go along with the chart. This Massive Yellow Perch is a perfect way to start the pictoral representation!!!

Swimming Lessons

Hannah finished her summer of swimming lessons. She moved up the ranks quickly. She started the summer unable to swim effectively to being able to swim halfway across the deep end. She also successfully jumped off the diving board, and swam to the edge without assistant. When I saw her approach the edge I was on edge. As she jumped off I felt my eyes water, I can't believe she is doing all this at 4.

Lagoon

August 14 we took the girls to Lagoon for their first time. We spent most of the day swimming. However, we were able to take Hannah on some rides and she is FEARLESS!!! She would ride everything if we would let her!!! As the day wound down, we headed back to the hotel where I took Hannah swimming...she is swimming so well! After the weekend I realized how big my little girl is getting! Not to mention Elayna who rode her first solo ride...the carousel.

Reunion

Well, Hannah and Darius were finally able to play again! It has been almost a year since the two of them played with each other. Hannah and Darius have been friends since they were 6 months old. Yesterday we invited them over for a pool party. This pool, quite amazing if you ask me, has two separate sections, a deep and shallow side as well as a slide in between. The rainbow on the top has a sprinkle that squirts everywhere when a hose is hooked up to it. Aunt Amy and Uncle Ryan gave it to the girls for their birthday's. There were very few incidents, Hannah only dunked Darius once! All three kids (Elayna thought it was too cold) were freezing at the end of three hours, so we brought them in and watched Aladdin, a nice rest time from a very exhausting day! We finished the day with chicken kabobs, rice and salad. By 7:00 my kids were turning into pumpkins. A nice warm bath and a drink of water and they crashed.

Learning To Ride

Hannah was no stranger to bikes, she just hated them! Finally, two weeks ago we decided it was time to face our fears and learn to ride! Big grandma and Grr bought Hannah a new "big kids bike". Hannah was very excited...at first. She started out hesitant, but slowly started peddling. As you can see in many of the pictures, she didn't look at the road as much as she looked at her feet. This proved tragic when she started turning unexpectedly and over corrected landing in the middle of the street. Her knee was scraped up pretty bad and she refused to get back on. We managed to convince her to at least ride the bike back home, where she promptly parked it. The next day, Ed and I knew we had to get her back on it, or her fear would remain. We rode around to my in-laws house (approximately 8 houses away) and it took us almost 30 minutes. Never-the-less, we made it without any accidents. With a successful ride behind her, she was starting to enjoy being on her bike. She is getting faster and faster. She has had another crash, the handle bars came down on her chest leaving a bruise, but she picked herself back up and got back on without incident. She now understands that everyone falls once and a while, but we should keep trying and never give up. I am so proud of her!

Playing

A couple of weeks ago, we went to Stevie and Lily's house for a BBQ. While there we were able to eat some fresh fruit and vegetables out of the garden, harass a couple of chickens, and play with their pet duck Lucy (who may actually be a Lou). The girls loved playing with Stevie and Lily and running around with all the animals! We finished the evening with a BBQ shrimp dinner...YUM!

Summer Fun

Well, as many of you know, we took our longest road trip yet! Many called us crazy, but none-the-less, we made it with most of our sanity still in tact. The trip started in Idaho Falls on June 24 at 3 pm. We decided for the first leg of the trip we would drive through the night, hoping that the kids would sleep most of it. We made it into Nebraska, but at 3:00am we decided to pull off at a rest area for a couple hours of sleep. We probably could have gone on, but it seems the deer in Nebraska have a suicide wish! After almost hitting 3, one of which I am sure lost its tail, we decided it was time to stop until it was lighter. Shortly after 5, we started out again. We stopped for breakfast at a local restaurant and changed for the day. Once finished, we started on the road again. We made it to Evansville, IN at around 9:30pm (our first stop).

We had nothing special planned for Indiana. We just wanted to catch up with friends and relax. While there we ate at many good restaurants, played some poker with friends, watched the world cup, ran through a down pour, and melted in the humidity. As we were packing up to leave, I was saddened to realize that it may be a while before we return. Three days later we started leg two of the trip.

This one was much shorter. We left about noon on June 28, and pulled into Grovetown, GA at 10pm. It was a bittersweet arrival as I saw my nieces run down the stairs. Where did the past year go! They grew entirely too much and I missed it!!! Hannah, Adrea, and Abby went straight up and started playing as if they had never been apart. They were inseperable for the entire week! All three slept in the same room sharing beds back and forth! We kept busy the entire time. We went back to Atlanta and saw the Georgia Aquarium and ate at The Varsity. Shortly after, we headed toward the Atlantic coast. It would have been a crime to drive all that way and not see it. We went to Hilton Head, SC, where the ocean was very warm. After playing for several hours we drove further up the point and ate at The Salty Dog Restaurant (yum yum)! The end of the week was July 4. We danced around with sparklers and lit a few fireworks. The following day we started the third leg of the trip.

We left the Georgia close to 8:00am on July 5th and started for San Antonio, TX. As much as we wanted to get there, we didn't want to pull another all-nighter! We made it as far as the Louisiana/Texas border and stopped for the night. With a leisurely start the following morning, we arrived in Converse, Tx around 2:00pm. With the sweltering heat...we promptly set up the kids pool and all jumped in. (You can see Ed sitting in it on a previous post.) The four days we spent in San Antonio were very relaxing. Everything we did revolved around the kids' naps and were activities that would keep them occupied. A couple of attractions we stopped at were the San Antonio River Walk and, of course, The Alamo. We ate at two fabulous restaurants, The Rainforest Cafe and The Salt Lick, I highly recommend both! As the week ended, we were saddened that we had to leave. July 10, we started for home!

Again, we didn't want to pull another all-nighter, and being in the car was started to wear on us, we made it as far as the New Mexico/Colorado border. We tried to push through as quickly as possible, but we did make a couple of unscheduled stops. We made sure to buy a shot glass from Roswell, NM, (now we can say we've been there) and one from the Four Corners. I was disappointed at the Four Corners. It was under construction and the closest we could get was 25 ft away. The whole thing was blocked off! We never did stand in four states at once. Oh well, maybe on the next cross-country trip...YEAH RIGHT!

Finally, 19 states and 2.5 weeks later, we were back home. It was close to 8:00pm on July 11. The girls were exhausted and Ed and I were worn out! We needed one more day to chill, but that wasn't meant to be. 8:00 the next morning we were back at work.

All-in-all it was a great trip. We saw many old friends and family and lots of new sites. Here are a handful of pics that were never posted previously. For the specifics of the trip check out my earlier posts.

Idaho Falls Air Show

Today we went to the air show. Both set of parents, Amy, Ryan, Mandy, Lilly, and Stevie all went. It was awesome and the kids seemed to enjoy it, all things considered. It was VERY VERY HOT, we kept dousing the girls with sunscreen and both left with minimal burning, thank goodness! Hannah kept busy walking between all of us and watching the planes. Elayna was content to sit in her stroller and snack. By the end of the show, I was figuring out the timing on my camera and was actually able to catch many decent pictures. Keep in mind, I have a small Canon Powershot, nothing fancy, but it seems to work just fine! By the end of the show, we were all ready to leave. 5 hours in the heat is enough for anyone, especially young children. The walk back was quick, it is nice living only a couple of blocks from the runway. All-in-all it was a good day.

The Alamo

After the Children's Museum, we went to The Alamo. It was interesting to see. We were able to get a few photos from the outside, but no photos were allowed on the inside. When you enter the Alamo, you have to put away cell phones, cameras, no food or drinks, and all hats MUST be removed upon entering. We weren't sure how strict on the rules they would be, but we saw one of the ushers make a man remove his hat. Rules are rules! All kids did well, but by the end, they were ready to take a nap. It was a long day, but well worth it. Ed grabbed a shot glass and I was able to find a cool little Christmas ornament. One more day of vacation then we make the 24 hour trip back! *sigh*

Children's Museum

After eating at the Rainforest Cafe, we took the kids to the Children's Museum. It was a very unique place, like no other I have been to. There was a small toddler room where Nara and Elayna could play safely. Sadly, you had to be three or less to go in the room. Hannah was sad, but loved the opportunity to see many of the other things the museum had to offer. She and Ed pushed their faces into a body sized pin art. It was quite cute when their faces came through! After an hour and a half, the little ones were getting quite tired and we heading to our next stop...The Alamo!

Rainforest Cafe

Yesterday, we went to the San Antonio River Walk. While strolling in the rain, we stopped for lunch at the Rainforest Cafe...how fitting. When you walk inside, it was immediately made to look like a rainforest. Animals were hanging all around, moving and making sounds. There were waterfalls and fish tanks as well. The food was delicious.