Christmas

We had a delightful Christmas! My parent's were here visiting and Lily was at a wonderful age to start enjoying the magic of Christmas. When she woke up, she came running into our bedroom shouting for us to get up and see if Santa had come. We set our cookies and milk for Santa, and she wanted to check and see if he had eaten them. After she woke up mom and dad, she ran in to wake up Grandma Cindi and Papa Kenny. None of us were moving fast enough for her!

Once we got downstairs, it was all about opening the presents. Lily did a great job letting other open presents. Well, she wanted to do all of the opening, but it didn't matter to her if the gift was for her, or for somebody else.

Santa was very good to all of us this year. The girls got lots of toys and games. I think Lily's favorite is her doctor's outfit and doctor's kit. For Madeline, it's probably her little barn house with the animals that make noise (Thanks Arnie!). I was very spoiled by my parent's and my husband too! We all feel so lucky.

My mom made beautiful night gowns for Lily and Madeline. Lily is wearing hers for Christmas morning, but since Madeline isn't really walking yet, we thought it best to keep her in her sleeper. The night gown reminds me of a gown that I had when I was about Lily's age.

I've posted a few of my favorite pictures and then below that is a slide show with the rest of them. Enjoy!

Madeline's First Birthday

For Madeline's First birthday, we had a party at our home on December 22nd. Some of our friends were able to join us and they helped to make Madeline's birthday a lot of fun!

Below are some of my favorite pictures and then following is a slide show with all of the pictures. Enjoy!

ElfYourself

I just made an Elf of Myself! Check it out...

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1503864876

Best Of 2007

Hello! I just put together a slide show with our Best Of 2007 pictures. Enjoy!

Pictures with Santa

On Sunday, my neighborhood had a special visitor. Santa was up at our little park and was taking pictures with the kids. I was impressed with how brave little Madeline was, but as usual, Lily was very sad. I ended up in the pictures with Lily too. Here they are:

Pittsburgh Video

Here's a video that Chris put together about the trip that he and Scott took to Pittsburgh. Enjoy!

It's been too long!

Okay, so I haven't posted anything in forever... Sorry about that! I don't have any pictures to post today either... But, I'll take some soon. Here's a brief update on what we've been up to!

For Thanksgiving, I hosted the Caudle's here. Scott's parents, his sister and her kids all flew in on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and stayed for a week. Scott's parents have a house here in our neighborhood, so there was plenty of space. It was a relaxing and wonderful visit. We had a lot of fun activities planned, but the weather didn't cooperate. It was really cold! Fortunately, the kids didn't seem to mind. They played so hard and just had a ball with each other. It was so sweet to see them.

Madeline has taken off! She is a climber. I can't keep her on the ground. She makes a bee line for the stairs at any opportunity. If it's not the stairs, then it's the chairs or the couch or anything she can get her leg up on. She's so proud of herself! She's taken her first steps this week. She's not walking yet, but she stands unassisted all the time and has taken 2 steps before she gets excited or scared and sits down. I don't think it will be long.

I finally got my due date. Baby number 3 is due on June 20th. Today makes 12 weeks (out of 40). Only 1 week left in the first trimester. I am counting the days because I have been so sick. I was never this sick with Lily or Madeline. Fortunately, modern medicine has some wonderful medications to help me feel better. I wake up most mornings feeling like I have the stomach flue, but after I take my medicine, I'm all better. It's awesome. However, it will be great to feel good without the need for medication.

Right after Thanksgiving, Scott had a big trip! He and his buddy Chris flew up to Pittsburgh to see the Steelers play a home game. They were there for the Bangle's game. We were nervous, because the forecast said COLD and RAINY for the game! But, it turned out to be not so cold and very fun! Scott and Chris had a blast. I'm so glad they got a chance to have a fun weekend. It was the first time Scott had seen the Steelers play at home. He really enjoyed being around so many other Steelers fans.

We're getting ready for Christmas! I've almost completed all of my Christmas shopping. We started a new tradition this year. It's called Elf on the Shelf, and it's really fun! Check out the website. My parents are coming in for Madeline's 1st birthday and for Christmas, we're really looking forward to it!

I've signed Lily up for a Mom's Day Out at preschool! I'm really excited and a little nervous about it. She'll be going to a school called Child's Way that is close to us. It combines a traditional preschool setting with some Montessori influences. I think it will be wonderful. She'll go twice a week from 9:00 till 1:30. It will give me some time with Madeline before the new baby arrives and also, once the new baby is here, it will be nice to have some time with only 2 kids...

Well, that's about it for now! I'll post some new pictures soon!

Family Pictures

Last weekend, we had our family pictures taken at Portrait Innovations. They were awesome! We had a very good experience and we thought the price was great too. I got a CD with all of the pictures on it, here are some of my favorites. Enjoy!

Halloween!

Trick-or-treating was a blast this year. Lily really got into it and enjoyed every minute. She was dressed up as a bumble bee and Madeline was a Hunny Pot. We took them around in our wagon for about 5 or 6 houses and then Madeline and I went home to pass out candy while Scott took Lily to a few more houses. After Lily and Scott got back, Lily had fun passing out candy to all of the kids that came to our house.

Jack-o-lanterns!

We had a lot of fun carving our pumpkins this year! From left to right, they are a rose, pi and Snow White. We were pretty excited about the pumpkin pi! Only 4 people got it on Halloween night. I guess, we're pretty big dorks...

Lifetime Fitness Halloween Party

Last Saturday, Lily and I went to the Lifetime Fitness Halloween Party. Madeline and Scott weren't feeling well, so they stayed home. Lily dressed up in her cat costume and we met her friend Gwenny there (Cinderella). We had a ball! Lily had to play EVERY game as fast as possible. She and Gwenny took a dancing break for a little bit and then, they each had a big cotton candy.

More Pumpkins!

Last week, we went back to the pumpkin patch! Our friends still needed to get their pumpkin pictures, and I just can't resist the pumpkins! The girls were adorable...

Mall Walkers!

Lily loves to go to the mall with mommy. Especially, if her best friend Gwenny is coming along too. When we're at the mall, Cheryl and I let Lily and Gwen walk by themselves most of the time. The two girls love to hold hands. So, this is the usual sceen for us!

It's really funny to watch them when we turn around or change directions. It takes the girls a couple of trys to figure out how to turn around without letting go of each other's hand. Too cute!

Old Yucky...

I have the sweetest little story to share... Sorry, no pics to go with this one :)

First, let me give you a little background. I'm not very good at picking up all of Lily's sippy cups at the end of every day, so occasionally, Lily will find a sippy cup out from the day before. She'll ask me if she can drink it, and I'll say, Oh, no, it's old and yucky, don't drink it! From this, the concept of "old yucky" has really caught on. Everything that isn't new, is "old yucky" to Lily.

The next thing you need to know, is that I'm pregnant again! We're thrilled, but surprised. I'm not sure yet when I'm due, but I'll have an ultrasound next week to figure it out. I think I'm due sometime in June. Anyway, I was talking to Lily, and I asked her if she would like a baby brother or a baby sister. She said, that she wants a baby sister just like Madeline. Then, I said, Oh, you want a new baby sister? And she replied, Yes, Madeline old yucky sister! I about died laughing. I then explained that we love Madeline and we will love her forever. Sisters never get old and yucky. I think she understood, but it was still pretty cute!

A visit from Grandma and Grandpa

After we visited the pumpkin patch, we had to clean out a pumpkin and carve a Jack-o-lantern! Grandpa is an expert pumpkin carver, so he showed Lily how it's done.

First, you clean out the pumpkin with a scraper.

Sometimes, you have to dig really deep into the pumpkin.

And then, after Grandpa works really hard, you have a pumpkin castle!

Madeline loves to be outside and hang out with Dad.

Grandma, Grandpa and Lily made a spooky cookie house.

We all rode the train at Zilker Park. It was Madeline's first train ride. She loved the wind!

We had a wonderful visit with Grandma and Grandpa.

Pumpkins Pumpkins Everywhere!

Today we took our first pumpkin patch trip! My parents are here visiting, so they got to be part of the fun! Both of the girls had a lot of fun and I got some adorable pictures. Enjoy!