Here are the girls bundled up for the trip:
The tree:
More of the girls:
Friday, December 31, 2010
Capitol Christmas Tree
On Thursday night the Kapaldo's drove into DC to see the Capitol Christmas Tree. The tree is 67 feet tall and hails from Wyoming. The girls enjoyed the quick trip. Abigail ran all over the place. Thankfully Papa kept up just fine and helped keep her in check. On the way home we drove by the White House so we could see that tree as well.
Here are the girls bundled up for the trip:
The tree:
More of the girls:
Here are the girls bundled up for the trip:
The tree:
More of the girls:
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Botanical Gardens
On Tuesday we ventured into DC to visit the United States Botanic Gardens. The main attraction was their Seasons Greenings exhibit which featured holiday plants and also Washington DC landmarks such as the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, and Capitol Building created entirely out of plant materials.
Other permanent exhibits included Jungle, Orchids, and World Deserts. I really liked the orchids. Abigail's favorite part was the occasional fountain and the "rain" that fell periodically. Another nice thing about the Garden was the fact that it was a very warm escape from the windy cold outside.
The girls really seemed to enjoy themselves. Abigail walked the whole time. She finally crashed on the train ride back to the car. Sarah fell asleep on the way home as well. We had a great time!
Other permanent exhibits included Jungle, Orchids, and World Deserts. I really liked the orchids. Abigail's favorite part was the occasional fountain and the "rain" that fell periodically. Another nice thing about the Garden was the fact that it was a very warm escape from the windy cold outside.
The girls really seemed to enjoy themselves. Abigail walked the whole time. She finally crashed on the train ride back to the car. Sarah fell asleep on the way home as well. We had a great time!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Kapaldo Christmas
There is so much to share about our Christmas happenings. I'll have to stick to a few highlights.
On the Road Again
We took an extended pit stop in New Jersey to visit my brother and his fiancé. The girls spent most of their time chasing or looking for the cat. It turned out to be the perfect pit stop-right at the halfway point of our trip. Plus, we had a great visit. Sarah wasn't a fan of getting her picture taken with her Aunt and Uncle though.
Carols, Candles, and Christmas Eve
We went to Jonathan's church for their Christmas Eve service. I was anxious about how the girls would handle an hour in a pew. They did surprisingly well. We got there early and Abigail spotted a little girl. She went right up to her to say hi. Here's their little conversation:
My name's Ashley. I'm six. What's your name?
My name Abigail.
How old are you?
I two years old.
Do you want to be friends?
Yeah!
Ashley wanted to walk Abigail around and talked about all sorts of things. She ended up sitting with us. It was cute.
Night and Day
The girls were exhausted so they went to sleep pretty fast which was nice, though they were up at 5:15. I guess they wanted to scope out their Christmas loot early. They started out by seeing what was in their stockings. Plus, Grandma and Papa gave them Duplos.
Gift Giving
After breakfast we all gathered in the living room to open presents. Abigail was more into unwrapping than Sarah. She also helped hand things out. The girls got a lot of cute clothes, jammies, and toys. I was excited to receive a coffee maker, popcorn popper, and nonstick pans. Jonathan got a lot of nice clothes he quickly changed into after things settled down.
Dinner
On the Road Again
We took an extended pit stop in New Jersey to visit my brother and his fiancé. The girls spent most of their time chasing or looking for the cat. It turned out to be the perfect pit stop-right at the halfway point of our trip. Plus, we had a great visit. Sarah wasn't a fan of getting her picture taken with her Aunt and Uncle though.
Carols, Candles, and Christmas Eve
We went to Jonathan's church for their Christmas Eve service. I was anxious about how the girls would handle an hour in a pew. They did surprisingly well. We got there early and Abigail spotted a little girl. She went right up to her to say hi. Here's their little conversation:
My name's Ashley. I'm six. What's your name?
My name Abigail.
How old are you?
I two years old.
Do you want to be friends?
Yeah!
Ashley wanted to walk Abigail around and talked about all sorts of things. She ended up sitting with us. It was cute.
Night and Day
The girls were exhausted so they went to sleep pretty fast which was nice, though they were up at 5:15. I guess they wanted to scope out their Christmas loot early. They started out by seeing what was in their stockings. Plus, Grandma and Papa gave them Duplos.
Gift Giving
After breakfast we all gathered in the living room to open presents. Abigail was more into unwrapping than Sarah. She also helped hand things out. The girls got a lot of cute clothes, jammies, and toys. I was excited to receive a coffee maker, popcorn popper, and nonstick pans. Jonathan got a lot of nice clothes he quickly changed into after things settled down.
Dinner
We were soon joined by more family, including Abigail's second cousin who is a year older than she. They kept each other entertained, which was nice.
This Christmas was a very special one for the girls as well as Jonathan and I. It was great to get together with all of Jonathan's brothers who made it home from all over. I'm glad we got to spend Christmas with the Kapaldos.
This Christmas was a very special one for the girls as well as Jonathan and I. It was great to get together with all of Jonathan's brothers who made it home from all over. I'm glad we got to spend Christmas with the Kapaldos.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Snow!
Abigail woke up from her nap Monday to find it snowing outside. There wasn't too much accumulation, but that didn't stop Abigail from asking to play in the snow. Thankfully she stopped asking after a little while (it was too dark anyway).
This morning (Tuesday) we ventured out to visit family. Off I go walking to the van when Abigail quickly detours to the two inches or so of snow on the grass outside of the building. I gave in and let Sarah join in on the fun for a few minutes. This was Sarah's first hands-on experience with snow. She was so cute. She'd bend over to touch the snow, then stand up and giggle a little.
I let Abigail know it was time to go but, surprise surprise, she didn't want to. I strapped Sarah in her car seat and then went after Abigail.
We came home from our family visit while the sun was still out, so I thought the girls would have fun playing in the snow a bit longer. This is when I re-introduced Abigail to creating snow angels.
I didn't realize it until I checked the archives, but her first snow angel was made exactly two years ago today. Sarah wasn't wearing a snowsuit, so I didn't have her make any angels.
Like before, Abigail didn't want to stop playing in the snow, but eventually cooperated. That's ok though, because snow is in the forecast for later this week!
This morning (Tuesday) we ventured out to visit family. Off I go walking to the van when Abigail quickly detours to the two inches or so of snow on the grass outside of the building. I gave in and let Sarah join in on the fun for a few minutes. This was Sarah's first hands-on experience with snow. She was so cute. She'd bend over to touch the snow, then stand up and giggle a little.
I let Abigail know it was time to go but, surprise surprise, she didn't want to. I strapped Sarah in her car seat and then went after Abigail.We came home from our family visit while the sun was still out, so I thought the girls would have fun playing in the snow a bit longer. This is when I re-introduced Abigail to creating snow angels.
I didn't realize it until I checked the archives, but her first snow angel was made exactly two years ago today. Sarah wasn't wearing a snowsuit, so I didn't have her make any angels.
Like before, Abigail didn't want to stop playing in the snow, but eventually cooperated. That's ok though, because snow is in the forecast for later this week!Saturday, December 18, 2010
Creative Christmas Craft
With the cold weather and Christmas shopping pretty much done we have no really convincing reason to get out of the house (I'm a fan of things that cost little to no money and there isn't a lot out there right now). So, I tried to find a fun activity to do with Abigail and stumbled upon directions to make angels with hand and foot prints.
I traced the girls feet on floral scrapbooking paper for the angel's gown. The angel's wings are made of cut-outs of the girls hands.
I'm glad I found this craft because I didn't need any special craft items or tools and it was pretty easy for Abigail to decorate. I also like the idea of opening up my Christmas decoration boxes next year to find these cute little angels where I'll be blown away by how much they've grown.
I traced the girls feet on floral scrapbooking paper for the angel's gown. The angel's wings are made of cut-outs of the girls hands.
I'm glad I found this craft because I didn't need any special craft items or tools and it was pretty easy for Abigail to decorate. I also like the idea of opening up my Christmas decoration boxes next year to find these cute little angels where I'll be blown away by how much they've grown.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Christmas Cookies
You would think I would have more to blog about with Christmas coming and all. I'm sure there will be plenty to share in the coming weeks.
Today I took inventory of my pantry items in the hopes that I could make a batch of Christmas cookies with Abigail. To my delight I had everything we needed to make my most favorite Christmas cookie: Chocolate Italian Cookies.
Abigail helped pour a few ingredients in the bowl and also mixed a bit. I even let her roll a few of the cookies. Once she started getting carried away with touching things other than the food (i.e. her face) she became a spectator because she got tired of washing her hands.
I didn't think Abigail would care for them because they have cloves and cinnamon in them, but I was wrong. I guess we'll be sharing ;-)
Today I took inventory of my pantry items in the hopes that I could make a batch of Christmas cookies with Abigail. To my delight I had everything we needed to make my most favorite Christmas cookie: Chocolate Italian Cookies.
Abigail helped pour a few ingredients in the bowl and also mixed a bit. I even let her roll a few of the cookies. Once she started getting carried away with touching things other than the food (i.e. her face) she became a spectator because she got tired of washing her hands.
I didn't think Abigail would care for them because they have cloves and cinnamon in them, but I was wrong. I guess we'll be sharing ;-)Friday, December 10, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
A Christmas Celebrity Sighting
Abigail and Sarah joined their friends for a visit to the public library. The girls got to see Mrs. Claus in person! They weren't quite sure what to make of her-we haven't talked much about Santa because they're still too young to really understand. Sarah ventured out of my lap quite a bit to introduce herself to the kids who were there. Abigail was all over the place. She'd wiggle her way to the front of the group, then get anxious when she couldn't spot me or get back to me right away. She isn't used to sitting down, watching, and listening. But, I'd say the girls did pretty well considering everything.
Mrs. Claus talked all about Santa, the Reindeer, and how to make magic cookies. Probably the highlight of the morning was when Mrs. Clause dressed all the little girls and boys up for a little Christmas parade. Abigail was an elf and Sarah was a spectator.
After Mrs. Claus' presentation she took pictures with everyone. I didn't bother bringing the girls to her because I knew it would be a production. Instead though, after everyone was done, Sarah approached her and I was able to snap a quick picture.
It was a fun festive time spent with friends and perfect strangers. I am especially glad that a good number of our friends from church were there because they helped me keep an extra eye out on my constantly moving girls. I definitely think we'll do this again next year. I'm all about free and fun events!
Mrs. Claus talked all about Santa, the Reindeer, and how to make magic cookies. Probably the highlight of the morning was when Mrs. Clause dressed all the little girls and boys up for a little Christmas parade. Abigail was an elf and Sarah was a spectator.
After Mrs. Claus' presentation she took pictures with everyone. I didn't bother bringing the girls to her because I knew it would be a production. Instead though, after everyone was done, Sarah approached her and I was able to snap a quick picture.
It was a fun festive time spent with friends and perfect strangers. I am especially glad that a good number of our friends from church were there because they helped me keep an extra eye out on my constantly moving girls. I definitely think we'll do this again next year. I'm all about free and fun events!Monday, December 6, 2010
Deck the Halls
We've been busy decorating our apartment for Christmas. We tried two new crafts this year that Abigail has really enjoyed.
On Wednesday we made snowflakes for our living room window (I know, scissors, call me crazy). I made most of them and Abigail helped me tape them on the window. I did let her make two though, with help of course. We made a big mess, but had a great time.
On Thursday we tried a Christmas ornament dough recipe my mom gave me. Of all things this recipe called for flour, glue, and shampoo. It made for a sticky but pleasant-smelling mess.
We painted them once they were dry-another fun mess.
On Wednesday we made snowflakes for our living room window (I know, scissors, call me crazy). I made most of them and Abigail helped me tape them on the window. I did let her make two though, with help of course. We made a big mess, but had a great time.
On Thursday we tried a Christmas ornament dough recipe my mom gave me. Of all things this recipe called for flour, glue, and shampoo. It made for a sticky but pleasant-smelling mess.
We painted them once they were dry-another fun mess.
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