holiday fun!

We've had a fun month of November. We had a pretty quiet and relaxing Thanksgiving which was actually really nice. We had a "mini" meal on Thanksgiving Day. We had ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, and the girls favorite: cranberries. Violet had six helpings of cranberries while Olivia had two helpings. We thought Violet's belly was going to explode, but she made it through!!

On Friday, November 25th, we went to the doctor for the girls' annual well check. They both had hearing and vision tests, which they both passed. They also had their blood pressure taken for the first time. They weren't scared when the machine gave their arm a "big hug." They are about 50th-75th percentile in weight and height. Violet weighed 37.4 pounds and was 40.5" tall. Olivia weighed 35.6 pounds and was 40.5" tall. They are both healthy little girls!!

We also picked out our Christmas tree. We got a real tree again this year but we got a different type of tree than in the past. We put on some Christmas music as we decorated it. Olivia and Violet weren't very interested in hanging the ornaments on the tree because they thought they would get scratched, but they loved putting the wire hanger on the ornament and handing them to me for hanging. They also love wrapping Christmas gifts this year. They ask for paper and then they go into their toy room and find something to wrap for themselves. After they wrap it, they open it and then act surprised about what it is!

On Sunday, November 27th, Jamie's family came to our house and we had a traditional Thanksgiving meal: turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, balsamic glazed carrots, corn, stuffing, rolls, salad and of course cranberries again. Jamie's Dad had surgery the next day so they stayed overnight at our house. Jamie's Dad has a condition where his windpipe collapses, causing him to cough until his airway opens up again. He had surgery to repair his windpipe so it would no longer collapse. The procedure went well but it is going to take him a few months to fully recover.

On Tuesday, November 29th, the girls turned four. In the morning we went to visit Grandpa in the hospital, and then we went to Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America. They went on quite a few rides but it took a lot of convincing to get them to try the little roller coaster. They tried it, but they both cried the whole time. After we got off, Olivia said she liked the straight part but didn't like the curvy parts. Their favorite ride was Azul the train, who drove them around in a circle. We ate lunch in the food court. We told the girls that they could have whatever they wanted for their birthday lunch. We walked around and looked at the food options; they both decided on macaroni & cheese, plain chips and milk. What a lunch! :) Grandma Suchy was with us, and we met up with Terri, Aaron, William & Noelle for ice cream at the mall. We came home and opened presents before we went to swimming lessons. Their favorite gift was their sleds - Olivia got a red one and Violet got a pink one, which is what they asked for. After swimming lessons, we had a piece of birthday cake before bed. The girls had a great birthday and are already asking when it will be their next one!

This past Saturday, December 3rd, we went downtown for the Holidazzle parade, which is a fairytale themed parade of floats and people covered in lights. Olivia and Violet LOVED it! After a float would pass, Violet would peer down the street for lights and yell, "I see another one coming!" Then she would jump up and down and clap. Olivia waved at everybody that passed us; however, she wasn't too fond of the wicked witch riding bike beside the Wizard of Oz float. Santa was in the last float that passed by, and the girls were sad when it was over. We watched the parade with Jamie's cousin Kraig and his daughter Athena. We all had fun, and it was such a beautiful night with a light snowfall.

Our tree is decorated!

November 29th: we are 4!!

Riding Azul the Train at Nickelodeon Universe, their favorite ride

Olivia, Violet & Athena, ready for the Holidazzle Parade to begin!

a royal halloween

Olivia and Violet loved Halloween this year. Last Friday, they had a Fall Festival at the church that their daycare is connected to. After we walked in, the first thing for us to do was a guessing game. There were four different sized jars filled with various candies, and each child had to place a guess as to how many candies were in the jar. There were also four various sizes of pumpkins where each child could guess the weight. Some of the girls' answers were pretty funny, such as Violet guessing the smallest pumpkin to weigh 67 pounds. At the end of the night, the winners were announced, and Olivia won jar #1 which consisted of 70 tootsie rolls. She was so excited that she guessed the right number!

There were several other games that the girls were excited to play. They went fishing, tossed bean bags, pinned the nose on a pumpkin, and put together a puzzle just to name a few. They also had their picture taken and decorated a frame to put their picture in. There was also a coloring table, where Violet pretty much parked after we were done playing games. It was pretty interesting to watch their personalities come out. Olivia ran around socializing with her friend Sylvia from daycare, and they played a lot of games together. Meanwhile, Violet sat at the coloring table by her teacher Miss Laura and spent a lot of time coloring her pumpkin picture just the way she wanted it. Laura was telling me that the girls both spend a lot of time coloring Disney Princess pictures at daycare, but Violet has gotten to a point where she is very particular about making sure the princess is in the right colors. She will even go reference the picture of the princess in a storybook to make sure she is coloring the jewelry and shoes the correct color.

Tonight, Halloween night, we went trick-or-treating with Jamie's cousin's family; they have two daughters, Athena (6) and Aurora (2 1/2 months). Olivia, Violet & Athena ran from house to house pretty much the whole time we were trick or treating. It was nice for us parents to be able to wait at the end of the driveway. After every house, Olivia would run up to me and say, "I didn't get a trick! I got a treat!" Then she would put the treat in her bag, look in after it, and say "Whhhoooa!" I think she was amazed about how much candy she got. They did a great job and had a blast. They both asked if they could go trick-or-treating again tomorrow.

Olivia already says she wants to be Cinderella next year, and Violet wants to be Ariel. We'll see if they change their minds by next Halloween!!

Olivia laughed after wildly tossing a bean bag

Olivia and her friend Sylvia

Daycare friends Noah, Olivia, Sylvia & Brooklyn (note: Violet is coloring at the table in the background)

Violet and her teacher Miss Laura

Violet's favorite thing to do!

Violet, Aurora & Olivia before trick or treating

Your Royal Highnesses: Olivia, Athena & Violet on Halloween night

Our loot!

early birthday

We celebrated Olivia & Violet's birthdays last weekend, along with their cousin Emma's birthday. It's hard to get everyone together, so we have to consolidate the family get togethers!! The girls had a great time and enjoyed spending time with their cousins. My sister Nikki's family was unable to attend, but the rest of their Thronson and Suchy cousins were there. The younger kids were wearing their Halloween costumes. Olivia and Violet had a hard time deciding on their costumes this year. I heard them say they wanted to be a banana, strawberry, Wonder Woman, a red crayon, and Little Red Riding Hood. They finally decided on princesses (of course). Olivia was Snow White, Violet was Sleeping Beauty, Emma was a white tiger, William was Justin Bieber, and Claire was a witch. The kids went on a scavenger hunt for candy, broke a piñata, and of course had cake and ice cream. Olivia and Violet had a ton of fun opening presents this year. They took turns opening presents with Emma one at a time and all three of the girls were very patient while waiting for their turn. Olivia was pretty excited about the art supplies she got from Grandma and Grandpa Suchy. When she opened it, she exclaimed happily "My art supplies!" Violet liked the movie "Annie" that she got from Granny and Grandpa Thronson. She held it all the way home and watched it later that night. Each birthday girl had a birthday cake that matched their costume which was really cute.

Since we celebrated their birthdays early, the girls are a little confused why they are still three. They keep asking when it's going to be their REAL birthday. I tell them it will be in about a month, and then they ask, "Why is it taking so long for my birthday to get here?"

But the best part was when Olivia declared: "When I'm four, I won't do naughty things anymore."

Hooray! :)

Birthday girls Violet, Emma & Olivia

Olivia (Snow White) & Violet (Sleeping Beauty)

Violet (Sleeping Beauty), Olivia (Snow White), Clare (witch), William (Justin Bieber)

Violet on the scavenger hunt

Olivia on the scavenger hunt: "I found one!!!!"

Violet taking a swing at the piñata

Olivia taking a swing at the pinata

Olivia and Granny T.

Violet and Grandma S.

Olivia with her matching birthday cake

Violet with her matching birthday cake

Blowing out the candles

Opening presents

fall fun

Yes, I know it has been too long since I posted an update. Life has seemed extra busy lately - not sure why, but the days are flying by. We've had a fun September and October. We went to the Severs corn maze with my sister Nikki and her four kids. All of the kids had a great time: they went on a hayride, jumped on a "jumping pillow," rode horses, watched pig races, walked through the petting zoo and much more. Surprisingly, we didn't even go into the corn maze because there was so much else to do. Nikki and I had our heads on a swivel to keep track of six kids, but it was a lot of fun.

We also celebrated Noelle's Baptism. It sure was fun to have my entire family together, which doesn't happen often enough. Noelle looked so sweet in her Baptism gown and she barely made a sound during the service. Afterward, we went to Terri & Aaron's house. It was a nice day so the cousins enjoyed running around outside together.

We also helped with a surprise party for Paul's 70th birthday. The party was at Jill's house, and we had a great turnout. When Paul walked up he had a full grin, but he said he knew something was going on when Gayle started making a whole bunch of food the week before. Granny & Grandpa Thronson were kind enough to bring the girls to the party. When they got there, the girls ran off to find Nicholas and Chelsey, and we hardly saw them the rest of the time. They played with Chelsey and her friends who were kind enough to include them. The party was a great success and I think Paul enjoyed himself.

The weather has been getting cooler, but we have still been spending time outside. Olivia and Violet both love to ride bike to the park near our house. However, their latest favorite pasttime is to color. Their coloring skills have really improved over the past few months. They do a pretty good job of staying in the lines and selecting the right colors for things. Olivia even says she wants "art supplies" for her birthday. What 4-year-old asks for art supplies?? Mine do, I guess!

The girls are pretty excited for Halloween coming up. They had a hard time deciding on their costumes this year. We heard all of the princesses plus a red crayon, a strawberry, a banana, Wonder Woman and Little Red Riding Hood. Olivia finally decided on Snow White and Violet decided on Sleeping Beauty. They have already been practicing how to trick or treat - except they say "trick or treating" instead. It is pretty funny.

Thronson family picture at Noelle's Baptism:

 Fun with cousins at the corn maze:

 Petting zoo at the corn maze:

Olivia, Chelsey & Violet at Paul's 70th party:

 Olivia & Violet with Chelsey and her friends:

vacation fun

We have been enjoying our past week of vacation time!

State Fair

On Saturday, August 27, we went to the state fair. We went through the animal barns, went on quite a few rides, and ate some fair food. Olivia loved going down the Giant Slide with Daddy. She also went on the race cars, spinning tea cups, swings and merry-go-round. Violet's favorite rides were the swings and the little ferris wheel but she also went on the race cars, tea cups and train. They went on most of the rides by themselves. They kept declaring, "I can do it myself!" They didn't even want to go on the same rides at the same time, so Daddy and I split up with each girl. We made a stop at the All You Can Drink Milk booth where Violet guzzled down two 12-oz cups of milk. We rode the city bus there which was a hit with the girls. They thought it was pretty awesome! Olivia started having an attitude meltdown by early afternoon, so we left.



Mmmm....milk.

Violet on the ferris wheel

Olivia in the cars

Violet & Olivia after visiting the Oink Booth in the swine barn

Help! We're stuck in a horse stall!

Last Tuesday, we left on a trip to Florida. It was our first big family vacation. It was also the girls' first time riding in an airplane. They pulled their own suitcases into the airport and were pretty excited as they boarded their first plane. They did pretty well on the takeoff (or "blast off" as they called it) but they didn't want to look out the window very much. They weren't too fond of the descent into the airport for landing. As we banked, Violet kept worrying that the airplane was going to tip over. Overall though, they did pretty well for their first flight!

 

Violet & Olivia pulled their own suitcases through the airport



Ready for our first flight!



Magic Kingdom

On Wednesday, we woke up early and went to Magic Kingdom. We had a date for breakfast in Cinderella's castle with the princesses. We were a little rushed to get there on time, and I realized on the way that in our haste to get out the door, our park tickets were left behind in my lanyard. Luckily, I had a photocopy of our tickets with me, so we were able to get them reissued (Great travel tip - glad I did my research ahead of time!!) Olivia was decked out in her Ariel dress, and Violet in her Belle dress, when we arrived at the castle. When the girls entered and saw Cinderella, they both creamed "CINDERELLA!!!!" Needless to say, they were pretty excited. After being greeted by Cinderella, we walked up a spiral staircase to the dining room. The princesses were introduced one at a time by an announcer. Snow White was the first to enter, followed by Sleeping Beauty, Belle and Ariel. They each walked around and greeted each table, and of course we were on the far side of the room so we were the last table to see the first princess (Snow White). The girls were too excited to eat their food and kept asking when Snow White was going to talk to them. Violet told Belle that she was her favorite princess, and the girls were so awe struck with the whole scene. They were able to talk to each princess and have their picture taken. Throughout the meal, the girls were referred to as "princess," and Jamie & I were referred to as "Lord" and "Lady." At the end of the meal, the girls each received a wishing star and a magic wand, and a picture of them with Cinderella. They had a great time.

The girls loved all of the character greetings. They saw Tigger & Pooh, Rapunzel (who they kept asking "Where's Mother Gothel?"), Mickey & Minnie and Alice & White Rabbit. Favorite rides were the teacups and the "It's A Small World" boat ride. We also saw some great shows. "Dream With Mickey" in front of the castle had a lot of singing and dancing, and the 3D "Philharmagic" show was awesome. The girls also enjoyed the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, which was an animated improv comedy show where the animated characters interacted with the audience (crazy - we couldn't figure out how they do it!). You could submit jokes via text message for the Monsters Inc. show, and they chose to use Olivia & Violet's joke in the show so their names were announced right before their joke. (Where do cows go on dates? To the moooooovies!). We also watched the fireworks which looked pretty awesome over the castle. It was a great day, although the weather was very hot. I don't think I had ever sweat so much in my life.



Violet in the Magic Kingdom entrance (Olivia didn't want her picture taken)



With Mickey & Minnie



With Cinderella





With Belle



With Ariel



  

Daddy & Violet on the infamous Dumbo ride



Olivia getting ready to ride the teacups

Downtown Disney

On Thursday, we slept in and then hung out by the pool. In the evening, we went to Downtown Disney for supper. We ate at Cap'n Jack's...the shrimp was great, but we weren't too impressed with the rest of our food. We went into the World of Disney store (the largest Disney store there is) where the girls were sprinkled with pixie dust (a.k.a. glitter). We let them each pick out one souvenir that they wanted to buy and take home. The girls had a hard time making a decision, even after walking through the whole store. Violet ended up with a Belle music box, which is right up her alley; a little box that she can use to store her treasures. :) Olivia picked out a little Ariel doll dress up set. After purchasing their treasures, we walked down to the Goofy Candy Store and picked out a treat. We sat outside while the girls ate their princess marshmallow lollipops.

Violet & Olivia in Downtown Disney

Cocoa Beach

On Friday, we slept in again (yeah!). We then drove an hour to Cocoa Beach. The girls LOVED the ocean. They searched for seashells with Daddy, built a sand castle, and played on the beach. Violet had a blast in the water and loved jumping in the waves. Her first face full of ocean water was pretty priceless. She started spitting and spitting and spitting, and rubbing her face. I asked her if she wanted to leave the water and she said "NO!" We left around mid-afternoon because we thought we had enough sun. When we got back to the place where we were staying, we pretty much hung out there for the rest of the evening. I brought some coloring books and stickers, so the girls sat around and colored for a very long time.
 


In the ocean

Making sandcastles with Daddy



Olivia = beach babe



Violet loved the water!



Animal Kingdom

On Saturday, we got up early and went to Animal Kingdom. We ate breakfast at the park, and were greeted by Donald Duck, Goofy, Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck while we ate. The girls liked Goofy the best and thought it was funny to look under his ears. Throughout the day, they also met Chip & Dale, Flik the ant, and Pluto. After breakfast we went on the safari. It was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. We saw numerous neat animals up close as we rode through the animal reserve in a big safari truck. The girls were in tough moods this day so we struggled a bit to make it through the day! We went to two shows that were fantastic and the girls loved: "Festival of the Lion King" and "Finding Nemo: The Musical." We also went on the TriceraTop Spin ride a few times, watched a 3D show called "It's Tough To Be a Bug," and saw Dino Sue. The center of Animal Kingdom was the Tree of Life, which was a massive tree with hundreds of animals carved into its trunk and roots. It was quite beautiful so we spent some time admiring it. We left around 4:00 and went to the pool for a little while before packing up.

Elephants we saw on safari



What's under Goofy's ears? Nothing, the girls said!



Admiring the Tree of Life

Playing the bongo drums

 

With Chip & Dale



We love Pluto!



With Donald Duck

Sunday, we returned to Minnesota. The girls did great on the return flights. We had a stop in St. Louis with no plane change, so we were able to stay on the plane. While we waited for more people to board, the pilot came back and asked if the girls wanted to see in the cockpit. They took turns sitting in the co-pilot's chair and were able to see how the pilot steered the plane, put on the brakes and entered his course into the computer. It was pretty neat!



Olivia in the co-pilot's seat



Violet in the co-pilot's seat



All in all, we had a pretty great trip! It was fun to see the girls enjoy themselves and make some family memories. I really enjoyed watching them experience the magic of Disney and its characters; Disney really does a great job of providing such a unique experience.