Christmas 2012

We took Miss Lucy to see The Nutcracker this year.  She loved it!  She was so excited to get dressed up and finally get to see the Sugarplum Fairy.

 

Oh gosh - had to take this pic!  We were getting our main bathroom remodeled (yes, 4 days before Christmas - never....again.... but pictures later).  We had Annie take a nap in the basement playroom to escape the crazy noise outside her bedroom.  You have to just love her Santa Baby bottom - Lucy wore this when she was 1!

Christmas day - Annie loves to be in the baskets!  And she loves to slip on her colorful lei.

Lucy wearing her Christmas present - a Rapunzel nightgown - and playing with another present, her microphone.

 

Snow!!!  Lucy couldn't wait to get outside to make snow angels.

Annie loved her ride on the sled.

Why do these girls look like they are up to something??

Just NO time!

Things are just crazy!  Which is good.  I'm ok with not being on the computer to post nonstop.  But, alas, the Nannies, Grandmas, and Aunties of the world need to have some cutie pics of their darlings, right?  Life's been busy - but fun.  There are many days (like today!) where I just want to crawl in bed around 8:00 after the kiddos are in bed.  But tonight I decided to grab a glass of wine and sit down for some quick updates and cute pictures. 

 

So we went to Mom and Dad's house for a week before Christmas.  My brother had gotten some tickets for the Eagles/Bengals game - so Matthew went with Eric and Dad to the game.  (Bengals won!)  We had a fun time - starting with some gingerbread house FUN!

 

Pappy and little Popcorn

A little town near my hometown had a display set up - Lucy loved running around everywhere and seeing the different characters and live deer. 

Miss Annie enjoying a Christmas cookie!

 

Having fun with Uncle Eric!

Here's Miss Lucy on her 5th Birthday!  We bought her some Pinkalicious books - one of her favorites.

 

Having fun @ Lucy's preschool Christmas party.

 

Lucy:  So the clock is ticking - and this gal is going to Kindergarten next year.  ALL DAY Kindergarten.  I just don't know if I'm going to handle that well.  She's a social girl, so I think she'll do ok - but will definitely be tired by the end of the day.  Lucy is taking ballet again and really enjoys it - I'll be glad when we have a closer ballet studio next year!  She loves preschool and her friends.  Lucy loves to read and her newest fave is Junie B. Jones (although Momma's not a fan of Junie's spunky language).  I love catching her reading - I know she has to be totally engrossed in something when i don't hear her for over 20 min.  She is so full of energy and some days I am just excited for 7:30 to come so she rests her head on her pillow - and I get some time to decompress.  But one thing I can say is that she is so full of life - and I just adore her.  At her age - she is coming up with a million things that just catch me off guard and just make me laugh.

 

Annabelle:  Well, the most exciting thing is that this girl has started pulling up!  the other night, I put her to bed and came downstairs.  I heard her saying, "Uh oh!"  really loudly over and over.  I went upstairs and she had tossed her blanket out of her crib and was standing up!  We had PT the next day and they were really excited as well.  Today we went to a local church to play and she climbed up 2 steps!  Huge for this little gal!  She is sooo full of spunk.  She has no problem telling us no or grabbing something from my hands after I have taken it away from her - hmmmm....something she must have gotten from her sister who just takes things from her.  Annie is verbally taking off - she knows so many words and some shapes and colors.  PT is giving her another month to see what she does - if she doens't keep moving forward we may have to go in for some testing.  But as Matthew and I say - we just think she is lazy (her PT likes to say she just has a "cautious personality" - and thinks she is just fine).  She'll pull up and stand when she sees something that motivates her - but when we try to help her stand any other time she just flips out.  Very much like Daddy in that she is very cautious.  One day I had to go to her room at least 3 times because she was standing up and had no idea how to get down.  But, oh, for all her spunk, she is just such a cutie! 

 

Daddy:  tired

Mommy:  tired

yet I still do all I can do relish my time alone @ 11:20 pm to post a blog entry!

 

 

Operation Christmas Child

Our tracker email came today and our boxes went to

Equador!!!

 

Birthday Girl

 

A Nutcracker Suite Birthday Party

 

Blessed

Sugar and spice and everything nice...

that's what little girls are made of.

 

Well, very true in this house!

 

 

 

I just can't begin to tell you how much I love to see their relationship blossom.  Lucy and Annie are starting to really bond in a sweet way.  It's taken some time, I think Lucy really wanted (or thought she would have) a sister to play with from the time Annie was born.  Well, it didn't work out that way - Annie was a bit too tiny.  Now that she's a lot more mobile, they are starting to actually do things together and play.  But as a mom, I can surely see their different personalities coming out.  They are both so sweet and dear to my heart. I love them both in such an amazing way and unique way. 

 

 But, of course, nothing is perfect!  Lucy loves to claim what is hers and likes to tell Annie no often while taking things from her.  To which, Annie strongly will share her opinion.  But Lucy is a very good big sister.  Lucy is just such a lovey girl in general.  She loves everyone!  She is so full of life.  Right now she is very into anything to do with art.  She is always crafting, drawing, and painting.  She loves playing Daddy's itouch and playing video games with Daddy on Fridays.  She is in her 2nd year of preschool and really enjoys it.  We cannot believe that she is already 5!  I'm not looking forward to all-day Kindergarten next year!  Lucy is always dressing up in costumes and will definitely expect you to play the part as well.  She is a TALKER!  There is never a quiet ride in the car anywhere!  She talks about and questions everything - she loves anything to the do with the weather.  She loves to read and is an amazing reader.  There are those quiet moments when I will find her in her room with a stack of books.  Lucy is also in her second year of ballet and she loves it.   

We are super proud of this sweet gal!

 Oh Miss Annabelle Kate!  This girl is such a cuddler and a sweetheart.  She loves to give kisses.  Annie is constantly on the move now.  She has been in PT for about 2 months for not pulling up.  She is crawling all over the place now.  She is also pulling up on furniture but only up on her knees.  She is bouncing up and down and reaching for things up high.  She loves baby dolls and takes very good care of them - she will give them kisses and a blanket and put them "night night."  She loves anything that is sissy's!  Forget about baby toys for her - she wants the big girl stuff.  Just like her big sister, she has her favorite Gicker (blanket).  But she has started to call hers "Guck Guck."  Annie is a good, little sleeper, but those naps!  Not as long as Lucy's were - we used to get a good 2-3 hours out of her.  Annie will occasionlly make it to 2 hours!  That's a good day!  :)  But thankfully she is a good night sleeper.  I can't say enough of how amazing it is to have these gals go to bed by 7:30 and have time for just us.  Annie had some rough times - then we discovered a molar coming in - she has so many teeth already.  Annie just has this sweetness about her - she will just look over at us and just smile.  Such a way to brighten the day!

 

 

You'd think Lucy dressed up Annabelle, but she didn't!  Annie grabbed all the stuff nearby and just started putting it on!

 

Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from Him.

Happy 5th Birthday, Lucy!

 

I cannot believe that you are 5 years old.  You fill each of our days with so much joy!  We love you, sweet girl.  God has blessed us more than we could have ever imagined.

 

Hodge Podge

So it's been a month since my last post - or more....that should be a good indicator of how much time I've had!  More on that later! :)  I'll also give a good update on what the girlies are up to lately.  here is just a hodge podge of pictures from the last few months.  I made it to Halloween!  The other pics are still on my camera.  So here  ya go!

 

Our sweet friend Nathalie and her husband Rick came over to share in Lucy's first hot dog roasting.  Fun!

another crazy family picture!

Watching little Miss Iris for the day!!

Annabelle just loves anything that belongs to Sissy.  She put on these boots nonstop!

Our fun little builder.  She will sit and just play and play and you don't hear a peep from her!

Here are 2 pics of Lucy's field trip to the farm.  We only took 2 pics before my batteries zonked out. 

sister love - OH i love this!

Annabelle was dressed as Rapunzle for Halloween

Lucy as Cinderella

All the girls!

Such a Daddy's girl!!! 

Going through her Halloween loot! 

 

We'll update more when we get a moment!  The holiday is upon us as well as Lucy's birthday party this weekend.  So, things are a bit crazy for now!