Ending the Year

The last couple of weeks really flew by in a whirlwind.  Our trip to Duluth went well, and everyone enjoyed the good food and watching the kids interact with each other.  The girls had some good games of "chase" with Tyler and Mason.  They also enjoyed playing barbies with Maddie.  Pat's kids got scooters, and the girls got little tricycles from my parents.  All of the kids spent a lot of time just going in circles around the dining table testing out their new wheels.  It was so much fun to watch.  We got home Sunday afternoon and did a little bit of cleaning and grocery shopping before Lance's parents arrived on Monday.  Unfortunately, the girls woke up with very obvious cold symptoms.  This put a slight damper on the week, but I know that the girls had a blast with Nana and Papa from Washington.  We didn't do much on Monday or Tuesday.  We did go to the mall for a little bit Tuesday evening so the girls could ride the carousel and run around the play area.  We took the girls to "gymboree" at the community center Wednesday morning which is basically a gym full of mats, a bounce house, and other toys where the kids can just run around and play their little hearts out.  That night Lance and I went out for a nice dinner while Nana and Papa took the girls swimming at their hotel.   Thursday morning Anne and I took the girls to a community center in New Brighton that has a huge indoor playground.  The girls had a lot of fun there.  Friday morning Lance's parents and I took the girls to an indoor trampoline park for "toddler time".  We met my friend Katie, her mom, her sister, and her niece there.  Everyone had a blast.  From there, Nana and Papa took the girls home and babysat while I spent the day with Katie.  We did a little shopping, had lunch , and went to a movie.  It felt so good to have a girls day!  Saturday night we had a delicious turkey dinner and just hung out.  Sunday morning we had brunch and opened gifts.  Lance and I are still trying to find room for all of the stuff that the girls got.  Monday morning we took the girls back to the community center in New Brighton to play before we had to bring Nana and Papa to the airport.  Needless to say, our Christmas day was VERY quiet since we all had the desire to be lazy and relax.  We are not quite sure how we want to spend this upcoming weekend since everyone is still recovering from colds and all of the excitement from the past two weeks. Baby developments:  the girls have been "pacifier free"  since Thanksgiving.  This transition definitely had its challenging moments, but I think we are well over it now.  Claire is getting good a taking off her clothes and diapers.  We have found her completely naked on numerous occasions.  Breanne finds it entertaining to empty her dresser of every article of clothing instead of (or at least before) napping every day.  The girls have lost their love for the word "no" and now give an enthusiastic "yeah!" whenever we ask them a question.  Their vocabulary continues to grow everyday and they are working on counting and the alphabet.  They also love to try to sing along with songs.  It is crazy to think that they will be two years old in a month.   I am sure that there is a lot that I am forgetting to mention, but I just can't keep up with it all lately.  We hope you all have a safe and happy New Year!