Merry Christmas!

It's been a busy but joyful day so far. Scott and I were really excited for today. We both kept waking up, thinking it was time to get up. At 6:30, I finally went and woke up the girls.

We got all the Christmas lights on and started opening. Ryann was a champ at opening this year. She tore things open well. Avery preferred to enjoy things once they were opened for her. Both girls loved their gifts. Avery got some fun Elmo things. Ryann got lots of Princess stuff, including a castle for her dolls and a castle tent to play in. Avery's favorite things of the morning were a new baby doll and the constant flow of Skittles. She kept wanting"mo." Ryann was very busy protecting her princess stuff from the little sister. They got coloring books and crayons, so we did some coloring. The girls also got some Legos. They built some stuff with Daddy before brunch.

Around 11, we headed over to our friends' house for brunch. They put on a big spread. It was fun, but we were anxious to get home and lounge around. Avery had stinky pants and needed a nap so we were home by 1. Now, we're watching the new Tinkerbell movie and eating snacks. Ahhh....the perfect afternoon.

This has been a really exciting Christmas. I have always loved Christmas, but it takes on a whole new dimension seeing it through my girls' eyes. I had so much fun getting ready. We even left cookies for Santa last night. Ryann has never gone to sleep as fast as she did last night. We talked about Santa knowing if she was awake. I tucked her in, she closed her eyes, and she didn't even open them to give me my goodnight hugs and kisses. I didn't hear a peep after I left her room. Avery didn't really understand what was going on, but she was super wound up anyway. Today was very exciting for us all. It was so much fun seeing how happy the girls were. Each Christmas has been more and more fun since we became parents. They say that Christmas is for children, but it's pretty awesome for parents, too. :0)

Christmas Eve

We had a relaxed Christmas Eve. We got the girls dressed up and went to church. When we got home, we ate dinner and watched Christmas movies until bedtime. We were all very excited for Santa to come!

My Audience

Avery has found the perfect spot to keep track of me while I do my kitchen work. She opens the pantry, pulls out the stool, gets her snacks set up, and enjoys watching Mommy. She also likes to look beautiful with beads on.

Time to Breathe



Our happy girls

Here I am! I'm on Winter Break. I've been trying to catch up on all the things that I've neglected since the last break. I've been going to appointments, baking cookies, and doing housework. Finally, I have a few minutes to blog. I've been blogging mentally since Thanksgiving but haven't had time to sit at the computer and get it out there. I guess I'll

try to catch up on this too. :0) 

To begin our Christmas season, we went to the ballpark for the holiday event. The girls got to play in snow for the first time and met Santa! We had to wait in line for our turn in the snow. When we got in there, Ryann slipped, screamed, and cried about 4 times. Avery seemed to be trying to figure it out. By the end of our few minutes in the snow, they both seemed to enjoy it.

After that, we waited in line for about 45 minutes to meet the big guy. When we finally got there, Ryann went mute and wouldn't get near him. Avery sat on his lap, took one look, and started screaming. It was loads of fun.



One of our favorite things to do at each holiday is make cookies. Ryann and I bake them together. She loves to mix dough, roll it out, and cut cookie shapes. Her favorite part, though is tasting them. Avery likes to get into anything she can reach during these projects. We often end up with finger prints in the frosting. She also takes them and runs when she gets a chance. Baking is quite an adventure in our house. I've been making Christmas cookies "alone" the past few days for productivity and quality control. :0) By alone, I mean as I step over Ryann and her princess toys and drag Avery around attached to my leg. Ahhh...quality time with the kids.



Not the prettiest, but beautiful to us

Looks like trouble



Yum! Cookies!



Scott and I are super excited for Christmas this year. We think the girls will love it. It's so much fun to see their excitement. I hope to post a video after Christmas morning.

  

Avery at 18 Months

I took Avery to the doctor on Thursday for her 18 month appointment. She's made some pretty good progress. She went from the 50th to 75th percentile in height and from the 5th to 25th percentile in weight. She's gaining! She's still a cute little peanut. She's talking a lot more but still uses 1 word at a time for most things. Although she will say, "mo, bee." (translated: "more, please.") She's very giggly and happy at home but clams up whenever anyone else is around. People at church or at my work think she's quiet and subdued. Ha! They should see her terrorize her sister, climb furniture, and giggle and run when she's in trouble. She's really something. :0)
Ryann is getting big, too. I had to take her to buy a couple of shirts today because she's outgrown most of her 3T clothes already. She seemed to be getting chubbier for a few weeks then she shot upward. She had her belly hanging out of her shirt yesterday because it was too short. Today, she went shopping in a mini dress. It was fine a few weeks ago. Ugh! I can't keep up.

Annual Pictures

Today is Veteran's Day so I have a day off! What better to do with it than get family photos done? It was just as much fun as usual. We did our annual family photo as well as Avery's 18 month picture. She was so shy during the whole thing. She looks miserable in all of the pictures. We decided not to worry about it because that's just her right now. Ryann is quite the opposite. She's a little model. She had a very cute, happy smile in most of the pictures. She did better than Scott and I.
Even though the pictures aren't perfect, they're done and I'm glad. We did Ryann's pictures every month for the first year. We smartened up and did Avery's every 3 months. Now that Avery is 18 months old, we'll start going only in May for birthday pics and  November for a family pic. That sounds a little better.
You'll notice there is no picture posted. That's because JCPenney won't let me download them unless I buy the cd for $150. Grrrrrrr! I'll be looking for another portrait studio.

Halloween 2010

This past weekend was filled with Halloween festivities. We were fortunate enough to have Scott's dad and my brother in town to share in the fun.
The festivities began on Saturday night when the Goodyear Ballpark hosted their annual Halloween event. Scott and his dad went to the Washington State at Arizona State football game so my brother, Chad, and I took the girls to the ballpark. Ryann had a great time picking out a pumpkin and putting a face on him. She enjoyed going through the straw maze that her daddy had designed. Avery just took it all in. She kept taking her hood off. Apparently, it's too hot in Arizona to be a furry monster. She was a big hit, though. Everybody loves Elmo. It was very crowded so we didn't stay very long.
We did run into a few friends. Take note of "Batman." He's the young man that Ryann claims she will marry. Uncle Chuckie has his eye on that one.
The next day was the real deal, Halloween. We helped Ryann carve her pumpkin, roasted pumpkin seeds, and waited for the evening fun.
We decided to do it Arizona style for the first time. It's a strange phenomenon. People like to sit in their driveways in patio furniture to give out candy. Some people go all out decorating their driveway areas for the evening. We set up home base then Chad and I took the girls down the street while Scott and his dad gave out candy. Elmo kept running ahead. She had no concern for where we were. She was free! Ryann was really excited to have candy. They both like trick-or-treating. We did the loop on our street then stopped back at home. Avi needed a diaper change and we grabbed Daddy for the next route. We took them around the corner and looped back to the park. By then, it was Avery's bedtime. We gave out a bit more candy then got the girls inside and settled down. I did let Avery taste some M&Ms. She wasn't overly impressed but did manage to make a huge mess on her hands and face. Apparently, they do melt in your hands.