Decorating the Christmas Tree

Cory had to work the day after Thanksgiving so Parker, Eden and I decided to decorate the Christmas tree without him. We were sad he wasn't there to help us, but they were excited about the tree and I thought it would be something fun to do with the kids while he was at work. Cory helped me put the tree up on Thanksgiving Day so all we had to do was put the ornaments on it. Like most toddlers, they clumped most of the ornaments in one spot and kept taking them off over and over again. Luckily only one ornament got broken and it wasn't one that had any sentimental value. I have a feeling that our tree will be redecorated about a hundred times this year because Eden can't seem to keep her hands off of the ornaments!

The finished product

(This picture was taken a few days after we decorated it. As you can see, many of the ornaments have been moved up to the top half of the tree because Eden kept taking them off!)

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a nice, relaxing Thanksgiving weekend at home this year. We had Thanksgiving Day lunch with Granna, Granstan, and Aunt MerMer. Granna did all of the cooking and it was so good! I ate way too much and enjoyed every bite! We spent the rest of the day being lazy at our house, decorating our Christmas tree, watching football and loving that our Texas A&M Aggies beat Texas. WHOOP!

Cory had to work on Friday but took Saturday off. It is a rare treat to have him home all weekend and we enjoyed every minute of it. My mom watched the kids for a few hours on Sunday and we were able to get some of our Christmas shopping done.

Cory and I have so much to be thankful for this year: 3 healthy kids, stable jobs, and wonderful family and friends. I hope during the upcoming holiday season that I never lose my focus on all I have to be thankful for and what is really important in my life.

Yummy Thanksgiving lunch Enjoying her new Thanksgiving stickers from Granna

Helping Granna with the dishes by licking the bowl!

Daddy's Helpers

This past weekend it was warm enough for Cory to get outside and wash the cars. He was able to wash his truck with no interruptions while the kids were at my mom's playing with cousins. He saved my car for after nap so the kids could help him. I'm sure it took him twice as long to get it washed but it sure was nice to have them out of my way for a little while so I could get some things done. Plus, it is always good to have some quality time with daddy!

One Month Old

Lily, you are one month old today! I can't believe how quickly the first month of your life has gone! Here are this months highlights:

You are growing so quickly. At your 2 week checkup you weighed 8 lbs 3 oz. You have outgrown your newborn clothes and are now wearing 0-3 month clothes. You are in a size 1 diaper.

You still sleep most of the time, but are starting to have more awake times during the day. Your fussy time is from 8-10 o'clock at night.
You eat every 2-3 hours during the day and, up until 3 nights ago, every 3 hours at night. The past 3 nights, you have gone 4 hours in between feedings, which has been so nice for your very tired mommy. I hope this is a pattern and not a fluke!

Unlike Parker and Eden, you do not like to be swaddled when you sleep. You currently sleep in your bouncer in mommy and daddy's room.

Parker and Eden are still completely in love with you and shower you with hugs and kisses all day long.

So far, you are a pretty easy going baby. You don't cry unless you are hungry and can pretty much sleep through any noise.

You are a great snuggler and I always look forward to you curling up in my arms and taking a nap.

You have been such a great addition to our family and we look forward to watching you grow and change over the next month!

Eden's 2nd Birthday Party

We celebrated Eden's birthday with a pink ladybug party at our house. We ate pizza, opened presents, and then had cake and ice cream. We had a fun time celebrating our sweet birthday girl with our families.

The birthday girl

Eden with Mommy and Daddy (Eden did not want to get her picture made at all during her party- this was the best we could get!)

Eden and Mommy
All 5 cousins

Playing with cousins

Eating pizza- yummy!

We got Eden a shopping cart for her birthday and she loved it! In fact, it was the hit of the party and the kids all had to put their sharing skills to use!

Eden had lots of help opening her presents

Eden's ladybug cake

Eden does not like anyone to sing to her. As soon as everyone started singing "Happy Birthday" she hid her head in my shoulder and started crying. Once they stopped singing, she was back to her happy self!

Blowing out the candles

Eating cake

Happy Birthday Eden! We love you and hope you had a wonderful day!

Happy 2nd Birthday Eden!

To our sweet Eden-

Today you turn two years old! It is so hard for me to believe you are another year older. The past two years have passed way too quickly and it seems like just yesterday that you joined our family.

You continue to be such an easy going, sweet, independent, funny little girl. Here are just a few things that I want to always remember about you as you turn another year older:

You are (and have always been) so laid back and go with the flow. When you get upset or angry about something, it only takes you a few minutes to calm down and be happy again.

You are VERY independent and do not like anyone to help you do things. You are also a great problem solver and can figure out things on your own without much help.

You are not talking yet, but have been showing some signs that more words might be on the way soon. You have started to mimic some initial sounds in words after I say them to you. You communicate with motions or you just figure out how to get things on your own.

You are still addicted to your pacifier but only get to have it at nap time and bedtime. You know where I keep your pacis during the day, and often try to sneak them when I am not looking.

You love to watch Little Einsteins. In fact, it is the only thing you want to watch and you cry if I try to make you watch something else. You love to interact with the program by clapping your hands, patting your legs, or raising your arms. You adore Parker and want to do everything he does. You ask for him when you get up in the morning and miss him while he is at preschool. You love to run and chase him all around the house. I hope that you will always have a special bond with your big brother!

You are not a great eater but you will usually try new things when offered. Some of your favorite foods right now are cereal bars, yogurt, and anything sweet (just like your Daddy!). You are a slow eater and will often finish your whole plate if we leave you alone and give you enough time.

You are a great sleeper. We rarely hear a peep out of you once we put you in bed. You currently sleep with 2 blankets, 2 dolls, and a lovey.

You are so funny and make us laugh all of the time. You have a subtle sense of humor and often don't even know that you are being funny.
You are so quiet and sneaky. There have been several times lately where I could not find you in the house because you are so quiet.

While playing with Parker, you can be quite the instigator. You often do things that you know will make him mad and laugh about it as you are doing it! For example, you will quietly sneak away a toy that he is playing with, run into another room, and laugh hysterically the entire time!

You are a great climber. The other day I came into the kitchen to find you sitting on top of the counters. You had used the drawer pulls as a ladder and made your way up and over to the sink, where you were happily playing in the water!

You continue to be such a joy to me and daddy! We hope that the upcoming year is full of wonderful things for you!

Happy Birthday, Eden! We love you to the moon and back!!!

Parker's Thanksgiving Feast

Today I had the chance to join Parker for his Thanksgiving feast at preschool. They had lots of yummy food and got to dress up with Pilgrim and Indian hats. I am so thankful that I got the chance to spend some time with Parker today and am especially thankful that I am his mommy!

WHOOP!!

Tonight we all got dressed in our Aggie gear to watch our Texas A&M Aggies beat the Baylor Bears. It was a good game and Parker enjoyed watching the game with his daddy. Lily got her first Aggie outfit at her baby shower and I wanted to make sure she got to wear it before she outgrew it. We are already looking forward to watching the Aggies play the Longhorns on Thanksgiving Day. Gig 'Em Aggies!!!

Our newest little Aggie

Our future Aggies

Parker and Lily Eden and Lily Daddy and Lily

Mommy with her future Aggies (I am not sure why they are all leaning to their left!)