I realized I haven't really posted a post about our family this month! So here is one!
Our December has been crazy busy! We've had a lot of errands and stuff going on, it makes things fly by, but I am so eager to slow down and enjoy my time! Vivian is growing so fast! I can't believe how big she is getting already! She had her 2 month check up and weighed 12 lbs 15 oz and was 23 inches long! Hooray for breastmilk! I just love that little girl!
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| Vivian's 2 Month photo |
Caitlin is singing more songs now! She sings "Jingle Bells", "I am a Child of God", and the theme song to The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That! She cracks me up! She is so, so smart for her age! (She will be 3 in March) Caity is almost potty trained! She knows when she needs to go, so we're working on her telling me, in time, so that I can take her to the potty seat. It's kind of hard to do when I'm breastfeeding Vivi, but now that she's getting bigger, I can move around and keep her latched on! Caity went poopy in the potty today and everyone in our house did a happy dance! I am so proud of my sweet baby girl!
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| Caity at a Christmas party holding her sugar cookie! |
Rosalie is talking more! This makes me happy because up until now, she would scream at the top of her lungs instead of using her words. I know that she is only 18 months, but man oh man is that a tough phase for parents. It literally tests my patience and hearing every 5 minutes while she is awake. So now that she can say, "Owwie here" or "I bonk my head", I am becoming less on the edge! She had her 18 month check up and weighed in at 26 lbs and was 34 inches long! My growing girl! She is looking more and more like me as she gets older! This is not a terrible thing!
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| This is me! |
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| This is Rosie! |
Granted, in the photo I am about 3 or so, but our eyes are totally the same! I see it everyday! I just love this little girl!
We made our gingerbread houses earlier this month! They weren't made from real gingerbread... I guess the politically correct term would be "Graham Cracker Houses", but in my honest opinion, there is no greater sweet snack than eating graham crackers with some vanilla frosting on them! (My mouth is watering just thinking about it...) Now that is a childhood memory worth remembering! Charles and I helped the girls with their houses, but soon found that Rosalie just wanted to eat the candy! Caity actually decorated her house! She was so precise and meticulous to get everything just right! This is one more reason I know she is my child! I am the same way! The houses turned out so well! I was so proud of my Caity Bell! Here are some photos from that night!
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| Caitlin putting candy on her house! |
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| Rosalie on a sugar high! |
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| Rosalie when the sugar headache kicked in! |
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| Caitlin's Masterpiece! |
We had our Christmas photos taken by a family friend, and she did a fantastic job! I will post more photos from the shoot soon! I haven't quite gotten them all edited just yet! It's been super crazy around here!
Christmas crept up on us quickly, but our girls were more than ready to open their presents! On Christmas Eve, we traveled to my Mom's house in the morning to open presents and start making our family meal! The girls scored big on presents!
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| Caitlin's Princess Chair |
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| Rosalie's Pixie Chair |
We had a blast hanging out all day! After our meal, almost everyone fell asleep, so Megan, my Mom and Dad, and I played a game of Phase 10! It was awesome! My oldest brother finally showed up around 7 and opened his presents, then it was time to go home and get the girls tucked in for bed!
Christmas morning was exciting for the girls! They knew we had to go to church first and then they were going to be able to open presents when we go home! Getting them out the door was easy! I gave a talk at church about my myself, my conversion story, and how the gospel has changed my expectations and goals in life. It was a very powerful and spiritual experience for me to open up and tell everyone about my not-so-happy childhood. Granted, I did have a lot of wonderful experiences as a child, but I don't remember them very well. We headed home after the first hour of church and opened presents! Here are some pics of the girls in action!
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| Books for Rosalie! |
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| Puzzles for Caitlin! |
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| More books! |
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| Rosalie pushing her Shopping Cart around! |
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| Caitlin slicing her play food! |
About an hour after presents, we put the girls down for nap. They fell asleep fast! Probably because of all the excitement from the day! It gave me the chance to finish up the food for supper and hang out with my hubby!
When they woke up, we got them ready and put Vivian in her first Christmas outfit! Here she is:
We got to my in-law's house and was immediately surrounded by presents and goodies for us all! It was quite a sight! We got down to business fast! Here are more pictures of the excitement!
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| Rosalie's Peek-a-Boo baby doll! |
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| Caitlin's "LOL" Rollover Dog - She spent most of the night afraid of it! |
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| Charle's "D.A.D.D." Sweatshirt! |
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| Vivian fell asleep on Grandma! |
Charles and I got a lot of amazing gifts! We both got clothes, a hot pink portable DVD player, a case for the DVD player, and the Charlie Brown Holiday Movie collection. Charles got a Darth Vader candy jar, a Star Wars: Year by Year book, a Final Fantasy 7 sword key chain, and some miscellaneous items! I got the latest 3 books in the House of Night series, purse organizer, manicure set, and some miscellaneous items!
We have been truly blessed this holiday season! Our family and friends have shown us great kindness and love! Let us all remember that Jesus is the reason for the season. The CHRIST in CHRISTmas! Merry Christmas!
