Noel

The day after Thanksgiving, the girls painted NOEL signs for their grandmas.  I had them each paint 2 letters on each wooden hanger.  Later they added glitter.  They were very proud to give homemade gifts to Grandma Frye and Grandma Olson.

Black Friday

The girls and I stayed the night at Grandma and Grandpa's house on Thanksgiving.  Great Grandma, Uncle Jim, Peg, Jon, and Jake also came for Thanksgiving Dinner.  There weren't any sales worth standing in line for on Black Friday, so the girls and I went with Grandma to see Trolls in Omaha.  After the movie and lunch, we drove back to Lincoln.  Maggie was positive that we'd stayed 2 nights at Grandma's when we'd only stayed one night.  I guess she just had that much fun.  While I drove she called Grandma to ask how many nights she had stayed.  She believed Grandma, even though she wouldn't believe me or Mena!

Maggie's Orbeez

Peg, Jon, and Jake gave Maggie this Orbeez craft.  We set up her beads to soak before leaving for our family pictures.  You can see her putting the dog and cat together.  After coming home, we crushed the beads and pushed them into the balls.  She chose blue and red mixed for the dog.  Then she chose to layer purple and green for the cat.

Mena's Brownie Ceremony

Mena's Brownie troop had a re-dedication ceremony for the girls.  They gave a presentation about Girl Scouts and they sang "I have something in my pocket."  Mena read one part in front of the parents all by herself.

Maggie's Family Birthday Party

All 5 of the cousins enjoyed the birthday party and time to play together.  We had lunch together, opened presents, had cupcakes and ice cream, and just enjoyed hanging out together.

Maggie's Birthday

Maggie's Birthday was a busy day.  It fell on a Monday this year and both the girls had Girl Scouts that night.  She celebrated her birthday with her dad on Saturday and with my family on Sunday.  I scheduled my family to come at 12:30 pm so we'd have time after church for me to give her our gifts when it was just the 3 of us.  Mena knew about the doll house laundry room set, but she didn't know I'd picked up "Spot It," a game we'd played at Amy's house that they liked.  In the first picture, you can see Mena's mouth open wide as she exclaims over the game.  Maggie let Mena open the second present with her.  Now they can have a laundry room in both of their doll houses.

Maggie's Leaf Person

Maggie's leaf person won't keep very well so I took a picture instead.

Cherub Choir and Sonshine Choir

Maggie sang at the 9 am service with her choir.  She did a great job!  Then her dad picked her up to go to Paige's birthday party.  Mena sang at both the 9 and 10:30 services.  Mena and I went to Burger King for lunch and then picked Maggie up from Paige's birthday party.  Mena loved the one-on-one time and Maggie enjoyed the birthday party.

Maggie's Friend Birthday Party

Maggie had 5 friends over for her birthday.

Back row:  Charlotte, Maggie, and Paige

Front row:  Kali, Ashley, and Jordyn

Amy and Jada came to help me so I wasn't the only adult.  This turned out to be a great size for a group of kids in my house.  They played well together and it was a fun time for all of us!