Also on our itinerary this past weekend: A stop at a holiday craft fair, where the girls made their own soap, lip balm, and crystallized snowflakes. We attended two years ago, as well, and I’m thinking this should become an annual thing for us!

-M

It was cold in Wisconsin, but there wasn’t that much snow – in fact, there was more in our neighborhood yesterday! West Portal hosted a winter fair and brought in a truck load of the cold stuff; the girls had tons of fun sliding around in it (until the warm weather turned it slushy). They also ran into one of Avery’s besties, Naomi, and got to meet and pose with Elsa and Anna. (Zoe made me laugh later in the day by saying, “That wasn’t the real Elsa. The real one is Idina Menzel”)

-M

A few other photos from our trip to Madison, which included lots of time with Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Sandy and Coco (and, not pictured, Sandy’s new dog, Bruno) – plus a visit with a very Wisconsin-looking cow at the university bookstore.

-M

It’s been a busy past week. The girls recovered, this mom managed to avoid getting sick (hooray), and the four of us headed to – and have since returned from - Madison to spend time with family. More photos are coming, but here’s a taste of the girls in the wintery weather.

-M

I’ve mentioned before how girlie our house often feels. Here was the scene one recent (healthy) Sunday afternoon, when the girls set up a tea party – with Penelope and Glamour as the featured guests, and chai muffins (baked by Mommy) as the featured treat.

-M

Zoe wound up missing four days of school this past week, and by Thursday her bestie Zachary was getting concerned. He called Zoe that evening to ask how she was and to fill her in on what she had missed at school that week. ( “Have you been using my smelly markers, or did you put them back in my desk?” I heard her ask at one point.) Zoe doesn’t talk on the phone a lot, and she beamed with happiness throughout their conversation.

-M

There was some good news amidst all the sickness this week: Uncle Gil and Aunt Karin had their baby! The girls have another cousin, named Lily…

-M

They were still feverish for most of yesterday, but Zoe and Avery were like different girls: No more throwing up (hooray) and few complaints about not feeling well. I had to snap this picture when they were snuggling on the couch because it made me happy to see them not miserable!

-M

It’s been quite a week (so far). First Q was feeling under the weather, then Zoe got sick. Then, just a few hours after taking Avery to school yesterday we got a call that she had a fever and needed to be picked up. Turns out that Zoe has a nasty strain of the flu, which she probably passed on to her sister. This mama is hoping for a quick recovery for the girls and keeping her fingers crossed that she escapes the bug!

-M

And one last picture from our trip to Vegas – this one of Zoe going on a run with Pop Pop. He had asked if anyone was interested in joining him on Thanksgiving morning, and Zoe ran and got her shoes!

-M

Safta spent a few days with us before we all went to Vegas; though much of the focus was on Zoe and her birthday, Safta surprised Avery with a present. Avery had been eying a particular stuffie – Glamour, a wide-eyed leopard – for some time, and she was very excited when she saw that that’s what the big box held.

-M

When we road-tripped from Las Vegas to Phoenix and drove past Hoover Dam this summer, Q and I decided to come back to visit with the girls soon. And so the four of us, joined by Safta, headed there during our trip to Dan and Jenny’s. Most of us enjoyed our time there (and Avery seemed to get a kick out of standing in Arizona while holding hands with her dad, who was across the border in Nevada) – but Zoe was tired and grumpy and didn’t perk up until we visited the Lake Mead National Park and she earned another Junior Ranger badge.

-M

We spent the holiday in Nevada at Uncle Dan and Aunt Jenny’s house, where a highlight for the girls was seeing Isaac.  Zoe loved to cuddle with him, and Avery loved to follow around and snack with him – and all three got to partake in an age-old holiday tradition by dining at the kids table!

-M

At school last week, Zoe and Avery made gratitude wreaths and turkeys, respectively. They were thankful for many of the same things – their family, their home, etc. – but Avery made sure to give a shout-out to her bed. Her teacher was curious about that one, but it made a lot more sense when I told her about the new bunk bed. (Turns out Avery made the wreath the very next morning.)

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

-M

Here’s more of the birthday girl, including some pics from her craft party at Michael’s. Before she went to bed that night I asked how she had enjoyed her day; she said it was even better than what she had expected…

-M