Grace and friends sing for Chapel

Grace and the rest of the Kindergarteners sang in Chapel today.....they sang Happy Birthday to the Lord. They sounded great!!

Pre-Christmas Randoms

Last week, Santa Claus came to work on a Saturday to hand out toys to little kids and pose for pictures.....sniff, sniff, this is Grace's last year for the Santa Visit....next year, she's old enough to go to a Holiday party instead. Here are a few pictures (we saved the "good ones" for the Christmas card).

Grace patiently waiting in line for Santa....
We told Alison that what Santa brings her is based on naughty or nice, and she said, "What, me worry?"

The girls sitting on Santa and Mrs. Claus' laps - Alison called her "Mommy Santa".....

Grace and Mom at the hot cocoa table.....

The girls showing off some new comfy winter PJ's they have gotten recently....

During the month of November, Grace's teacher asked us to save toilet paper rolls for a craft project in December....we didn't know exactly what for....Grace brought home the finished product yesterday - A Nativity Set! You've got your 3 Wise Men, Jesus-Mary-and-Joseph, a shepherd, an angel, and a coupld of sheep....too cute!

Baby Jesus is a peanut!!!

Turkey Holiday Weekend

The Family Truckster headed up to MI for a few days over the T'giving weekend....a few photos:


Aunt Vicki with her two nieces....
The Happy Family...........

Nana and her Little Alison......

This photo is an optical illusion....Alison is holding Nana upside down....j/k!

Nana and Grace (with a giant bow in her hair)

Group photo.............

A short discussion on how old Alison is going to be in December.... Nana, Aunt Vicki, and the girls......

Grace loves to hang out at the built-in desk to work on bills and create small story books.....

I think she must be signaling Touchdown for Green Bay....couldn't be for the Lions....

Alison's holiday tradition......cards, poker chips, and stogies....

Papa's asking Grace, "what the heck is a 'frush'?"

When we got home it was time to put up the Christmas tree.....

Grace is getting a lot better about spreading out the ornaments.....and getting them farther up the tree....

Alison is helping with the lower parts......

We got our Christmas present from my parents early this year....a new TV cabinet that my dad made!!

(S)milestones

Grace ran into our room EARLY this morning to let us know about a big event......she lost her first tooth! She told us she was laying in bed this morning and her tooth was really, really loose. So, she "used these two fingers" to take it out. She was shaking like a leaf from nervousness/excitement. She can't wait to use her tooth-pillow tonight!

Maybe she'll use any money she gets to go shopping at "The Gap"

She's already sticking her tongue in the space a lot......

Major close-up............

The tooth in question.......

Halloween 2009

Can't believe it's that time of year already, but Halloween hit the Storm house last night. (I, unfortunately, spent the afternoon watching Michigan play one of its worst halves of football ever down in Champaign. So, I missed out on all the fun here. Not making that mistake again.) Anyway, Ashley got a few photos of the girls trick or treating.


Alison was a princess and Grace was a Barbie cheerleader.....
2 - 4- 6 - 8, Don't I look really great?

Alison was saying Chuck E. Cheese instead of trick-or-treat for a while....

Almost ready to go......but we're missing one thing.....

.......oh yeah, buckets to take home all their candy in.......

The first house of the night.......

What's behind door #2?..........

Alison dumping out her "haul".....

Look at all the candy.......I think I deemed Heath bars too rough on their teeth, so I ate those for them.....

One last hug for the night......

The Great Wolf Lodge Trip

Our company had a recent thing where employees got a discount to the Great Wolf Lodge up The Dells in Wisconsin. We decided to go with our friends the Williams' for a Thursday to Saturday long weekend while the kids were out of school for Parent Teacher Conferences. Here are a few photos.

This on the way TO the water park.....Alison and Gretchen fell asleep in the van after lunch. All the kids had woken up early because they were too excited about the water park.
They had "story time" in the main lobby every night.....I can't remember this character's name, but I think he's supposed to be a "wolf in Boy Scout's clothing".

The girls in their bed the first night......Alison is a big time snorer!

I think this is from our second day at the water park.......Alison was able to ride in a double tube with Ashley down a relatively calm water slide.....

A close up - Alison looks like she's going to fall through the hole, but she was stuck in there pretty well.

Grace posing in a calm-at-the-moment wave pool.....

Grace and her good friend Emma waiting for the waves.....

Alison posing in the big sweet shop at the resort.......

Emma, Gretchen, Alison, and Grace show off some big smiles!

Our last lunch up before we headed home....Alison ordered the do it yourself pizza.....

Spreading the sauce out......

Grace with the bear we got her with tickets I won playing Deal or No Deal in the arcade......

Grace and Emma ready to head home!

Gretchen did a great job of helping us keep an eye on Alison all weekend!