I think the most fun was probably had in the Parrot Playhouse…

The birds loved Katie…a little too much. Thankfully bird poop comes off easily with baby wipes.

To the bat cave…

Carter compares his wingspan.

Lily’s wingspan.

Lily’s scary bat face.

Apparently, bats have good hearing. I think Heather looks like a natural with those ears.

We wandered around the park and saw some other animals too:

Nana and Olivia checking out  the animals. Something must have been amazing.

There were feathers to look at, but Lily thought that her own fingers were much more fascinating.

Daphne putting together a puzzle with some help from her mama.

Owls! I think they were both getting a little concerned about their close proximity to each other.

Watch out, Audrey: I think that fish is big enough to eat you for dinner.

And, that’s a wrap folks! …except for the obligatory family pictures, OBviously.

Cousins!

Cousins with parents! (Apparently, Lily thinks that she is a part of our little family. )

Cousins with parents and aunts and grandparents!

Olivia’s outfit was inspired by this sketch that Tim drew before Olivia was born. He showed me the drawing, and said, “Okay, now can you make that hat?” It’s been waiting to shine since before she was born, and her head is finally big enough! : )

She just started sitting up on her own, but she still leans to the side for balance most of the time.

She also just started crawling, and she’s getting faster every day. I can’t take my eyes off this girl for more than a second!

Our baby girl is getting so big!

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch kale
• 1 Tbsp. olive oi
• 1/2- 1 tsp sea salt
• Optional: other spices, such as cayenne pepper & chili powder

Step 1: Cut

Tear leaves from stalk. If you get any really big leaves, just tear them into smaller pieces.

It helps to have a cute assistant in a way-too-bright onesie.

Step 2: Coat

Coat the kale with 1 Tbsp. olive oil and sea salt to taste. I used about 1 tsp. salt, and I could’ve gone lighter. I made a small batch with cayenne and chili powder too, and I’m definitely going to do more like that next time.

Step 3: Cook

Spread the kale in a single layer on 2 cookie sheets. Bake in the oven at 250 degrees for approx. 35 minutes. They will come out nice and crispy!

The spicy chips: definitely doing a whole batch like this next time.

Give them a go! You might be surprised at how un-bitter-kale-like they taste.

Congrats to Katie McGregor,the winner of this giveaway! Enjoy your Christmas cards, sister.

To enter, click HERE to go to their site & check out their Christmas & Holiday card collection. Then, leave a comment on this post, telling us which design you might choose if you win. NOTE: if you’ve never commented on a post before… 1: welcome & thanks- I like comments almost as much as I like lip balm; and 2: your comment must be moderated before it will show up on the page, so please be patient. : )

Contest begins Today- NOW!- (Tuesday 11/8) and ends tomorrow (Wednesday 11/9) at 4pm PST. (California time, y’all…since that’s where I reside)

I’ll use random.org to select a truly random winner & make that announcement soon after the contest ends. But, I do have a baby to take care of, so I can’t make any promises about an exact time. ; )

Also, if you’re into that whole “Santa” thing, head over to the Tiny Prints Facebook page on 11/9/11 (offer ends @ 11:59pm!) to receive a free card to your kiddos from Santa & see how you can personalize one of these cards for free:

And, to my fellow bloggers, you can host a giveaway like this one by visiting this page: http://blog.tinyprints.com/feature-tiny-prints-christmas-cards/. Tiny Prints is trying to get the word out, y’all!

When I was home visiting my family for Christmas in 2006, I threatened to make my dad dance with me. First, he literally ran down the hall and hid in his room. Those of you who knew my dad know that he was very good at very many things. Dancing was not one of those things. But, he eventually emerged and relented. He let me give him a quick refresher on the waltz! The next day, he came home from work eager to dance.  While dancing around the kitchen with me, he sang a song that he had written earlier that day:

“When you’re in Rome,

You must dance like the Romans!

When you’re in Spain,

the Tango’s the thing…

If you’re in Russia,

You’ll kick! like a Cossack!

Over in France,

You’ll fling and you’ll swing.

 

You’ll twirl out a jig

if you’re dancing in Ireland;

in Poland, you must

try a Polka or two.

But when you’re with Father,

All dances are waltzes,

CAUSE THAT IS THE ON-LY

DANCE THAT HE CAN DO!

That Christmas was the last time that I saw my dad, and I will always remember this and many other fun and crazy memories.