Christmas 2010

I don't have many pictures from Christmas this year. The combination of having a baby who won't let anyone else hold her and me wanting to be able to really enjoy what is going on and not just be worried about getting good pics to post made that a little difficult!

We had a great Christmas. It was a first Christmas in our house. It was our first Christmas with sweet Em (who handled the marathon of houses like a champ!) and it was just a nice day with family. Lily and Ava got to pick out presents for each other this year and it was so sweet watching them open the gifts they had chosen for one another. When I asked them at the end of the day what their favorite gift was, they both said the one the other had picked out.

Here are just some quick shots from our time at home, in the morning and in the evening. Everyone is happy and having fun. A great day :)

6 Months!

Emmie,
A whole half year old! My, oh my! What a big girl you are getting to be! You are still not rolling over...still not interested :) But, you are getting big! You are loving your food and playing with your sisters.

You are beginning to adjust to letting people hold you, which has been nice. Not just for me, but for all the people who love you so much that you wouldn't let hold you! You make me laugh, though, because you will not take you eyes off me when someone else has you!

You are such a good girl about going night-night. You really almost never cray when I put you to bed or down for a nap. You also rarely cry when you wake up! I am always surprised when I go in your room to wake you up and you are just laying in your crib sucking on your fingers, looking around your room. Happy as a clam!

Sweet Girl, I love you so much! Slow down, though! I can't believe half of your first year is already gone! I love you, Baby Bean!

Love,
Mommy

Happy Birthday Cold Cow Trip!

5.

Lily Bear,
Sweet, sweet Lily Bear. Today, you turned five years old. Five! I can't believe it. You have grown up so fast.

You had a lot of big changes this year and you handled them all like a champ! You said goodbye to your first really good friend, you moved to a new house, you welcomed a new baby sister, and you started pre-school. I have been so proud of how well you have dealt with all these big steps.


You are so sweet with Emmie. You love to play with her and help me feed her. You and Ava have a little bit more of a tumultuous relationship, but I can tell how much you care about her. You know when she really needs you to be her big sister and you can always make her feel better when she is sad or unhappy.


You have absolutely been loving school. It is the highlight of your week and the couple of times when you have been sick and I have merely suggested that maybe you shouldn't go to school, you got so upset! You love seeing all your friends and being able to hang with them. You had your first little crush on a little boy named Aiden (who you even tried to kiss...which has me really looking forward to you thinking boys have cooties!), but you quickly realized it was way more fun to just be friends and play tag :)


You have started to get this great sense of humor...when you're not giggling about bums and toots, that is! You are so full of questions, but you also seem to know everything. You are such a smart little girl.

I love you, Lil. You are such a joy. I love hearing your silly thoughts and all your funny little songs. I love seeing the crazy outfits you pick out and then listening to you explain why they actually go together. I love seeing you be an awesome big sister to Ava and Em. I love seeing how much you adore your Daddy.

This year had made me think a lot about you growing up. It is so exciting to imagine all the things you are going to do. Scary, too :) I can't wait though, Baby Bear, to see who you become. I can't wait to see what this next year brings for you! I love you, Little Girl. Happy Birthday!

Love,
Mommy

3.

Sweet Ava Bug,
Three? Really? Already? Is that even possible? You are such a little bundle of sweetness. You are still a little snuggle bug and ask daily to be held and snuggled with.

You are such a sweet big sister to Emmie. You crack me up constantly by telling me what "Emmie says." You always use this funny little voice when you are speaking for her. She's a little freaked out by you (I think you move too fast for her) still, but she is starting to adjust to you.

You are still completely in love with your big sister. You want to be like her so badly. It is getting harder for me to keep you from trying to do things you are just too little for. If Lily can do it, you can do it! You are still sharing a room with her, and even though you have separate beds, I find you almost every night curled up at the foot of Lily's bed.

This year, I have gotten to hear a lot more of your little thoughts and ideas. You are a funny little girl. You definitely know how you think the world should be. You still have that sweet and gentle heart I marveled at. We have seen a little mischievous streak developing in you, too! If there is a mess, nine times out of ten, you are the girl responsible. I have never seen anyone eat the way you do! Eating is like an olympic sport for you! You get so much pleasure out of it, but the messes you make! Oh my!


Little Bug, it has been such a joy watching you grow this year. I don't think this was an easy year for you. There were lots of big changes and I think that was really hard for you, but you are still such a joy to have in our lives. I love you with all my heart, Sweet Ava!

Love,
Mommy

Winter Wonderland

We headed out to Winter Wonderland tonight with Mandi and the kids and Aut Carey, Uncle Nick, and Aubs. It was a lot of fun. It "snowed," which actually ended up being bubbles. The kids had a great time at the Christmas village and just hanging out.

The Painted Piggy!

So, the girls got a lot of art projects for their birthday. They love to do projects, so that was perfect. One of the kits they got had three little piggy banks to paint. Aunt Carey and Aubs came over to help us out (Mommy is not one to attempt non-watercolor paints on her own!) This is what Lily's piggy ended up looking like. She just kept adding paint!

Cousins!!!

So, we seriously love Cousin Aubrey around here. She is one of very few children I love almost as much as I love my own, and the girls have loved her since she was in her momma's tummy. Whenever Aubrey is coming over, they get SUPER excited! It seems, that Emma is even beginning to like seeing her!

She stopped by the other night (oh, yeah, so did her mom and dad...yeah, yeah, we love you, too, Aunt Carey and Uncle Nick). Anyhow, she and Emmie were sitting on the floor looking at a book together and it was just about the cutest thing I have ever seen :)

Rainbow Birthday Party!!!