Weekend Getaway!

My parents took the whole family away to Minneapolis and the Mall of America for part of our Christmas present on New Year's for 3 nights. We had a great time and found lots of good stuff in the mall - the shopping is just the BEST there!!!

Her short little cat nap on the drive - she hardly slept at all on the 7 hour drive!! Excited to go to a Hotel!
d every time she came around to the side we were standing on

Enjoying a yummy nighttime snack with Auntie Jenna
Watching a movie in bed with Daddy while Mommy gets ready in the morning

Telling Nana how BIG the christmas tree in the mall was



Dad, Scott and Jenna enjoyed a roudy game in the pool while I sat by and watched

snuggly story time with Auntie Crissi

drying off after a fun swim

Dad, Scott and I took Kalia mini golfing which she really seemed to enjoy. She did get tired after a while though from over-extending nap time, and so we ended up skipping a hole to get in front of a big group of teenage girls that couldn't minigolf at all in order to speed things up.

Scott took Kalia on her first rides in the middle of the mall and she loved it!

I know this pivture is blurry, but I just had to show how she waved at us every time the ride came around to our side

Fun Times With Friends

We started a new tradition this year with friends of ours. Scott and I went to college with Andrea and Graydon and now we have little girls the same age too! Andrea and I decided this year that we wanted to make a special effort to get together as families every Christmas. Andrea is also expecting her second baby at the end of April - we are only 4 days apart - and its been fun going through all of the trials and joys of pregnancy so closely together. It's also fun seeing Kalia and Isabelle play together because Kalia doesn't have any other "girl friends" so close to her own age (only 3 months apart) and so their development is very similar. They did very well other than a few minor snags, and us adults even got to play a mostly inturrupted game while they played together.

Checking out our pregnant bellies - no we did not plan to wear "matching" outfits!!

Andrea and Isabelle taught Kalia "Ring Around the Rosie" and she thought it was hilarious and wanted to do it over and over again!! She especially giggled when Isabelle fell down each time at the end!




Kalia hosted Isabelle to a tea party - her new favorite thing to do!

Just after Christmas, another of my closest college friends who recently moved away to Ontario came out for a quick visit. It was so awesome to see Erica again, but it was sort of bittersweet because it made me want her closer so I could see her anytime I want! (She lived only a half hour away before) We did have a great time with the girls though, shopping and then for lunch - it was just too short. She brought her daughter Annika who just turned one to the mall for a bit at the beginning and it was so fun to see how much she had changed and grown. I love you Erica and I miss you!

Annika opened up the present from Kalia for her birthday and Christmas and seemed very excited. What a cutie! (pretty mom, too!!)

Erica, Keira, Andrea and I at our "usual" both in Moxie's

Waldner Gathering

Seeing as I didn't have any pictures from our Waldner gathering, mom sent me a few from her camera. Kalia sat with Grandma and Grandpa to give them their thankyou hugs and then quickly tried to escape to go and play with her toy!
I made up a shutterfly (notice a pattern here?) calendar for Grandma and Grandpa with the whole family's birthdays and anniversaries on it. Whoever had a special occasion that month had a picture
Kalia opening more presents. This one was a bed for the doll we gave her
She got this little baby doll from one of my cousins as a gift box exchange

Siemens Family Christmas

Sitting on Grandma's lap to look at pictures of herself

Daddy helped Kalia open her present from Auntie Kaitlyn, because she was getting very tired and a bit cranky (nap time) it was a HUGE stuffed puppy, bigger than Kalia and she just loved it.



Whenever we play games Kalia wants to join in the action and be a part of it too! Usually she ends up messing the board though.

Uncle Todd helping Kalia figure out that she can build a tower on top of the box, too!

What a big girl coloring at her new desk!

Opening another one of her BIG presents - she's getting to be a pro.


Building a tower with the blocks that Uncle Adrian and Uncle Todd gave her with Adrian helping (though he stopped as soon as the camera came out!)

Kalia giving Grandma and Grandpa their Shutterfly album

Christmas Day was another day filled with family and fun. After going to church in the morning for a beautiful service, we spent the day with Scott's family playing lots of games and eating even more food!! There were also (of course) a ton of gifts to unwrap, especially for Kalia. It's really fun seeing how she interacts with a household of boys and is always trying to get their attention. My most fun gift to give was the Shutterfly album that I had made up for Kalia to give both sets of grandparents. And the most exciting gift that I got from Scott's parents was a Kitchen Aid mixer!!! I wish I had more pictures but there was so much action going on, and I know that not everyone in the family is crazy about having their pictures taken so I just had to sneak in a few here and there. Isn't it great to be blessed with loving families?