The Last Photo Dump of 2013

I found a few more pictures that I had never put on the blog so I decided to do one more photo dump this year.  Some of these are from back in October, but I guess it's better late than never, right?!?!

 

Rub a Dub Dub!  It's a happy Lily in the tub!  I wish I could bottle up some of that happiness and use it when the terrible 3's rear their ugly head! 

I love that Lily still sleeps the exact same way that she did the day I brought her home from the hospital.  She always hated to be swaddled and wanted her hands above her head when she slept.  Some things never change!

Right after school began, Eden started having trouble with crying and getting her work done at school.  We immediately started a sticker chart and she filled it up quickly.  For her reward, she chose to go to Jumpin' Apes and the girls had a great time playing together.

We had some unseasonably warm temperatures in November, so Emily and Jon took their kids camping.  We joined them for dinner, s'mores, and some tree climbing fun!

I found one more picture of Eden on the morning of her birthday.  Granna made her a '5' pancake and she was so excited when we sang "Happy Birthday" to her before we all left for school.

Eden got called up on stage at Thursday School so they could wish her a happy birthday.  Luckily, several of her friends and her teacher, Mrs. Angie, all had birthdays the same week so she wasn't nervous being in the spotlight.

Lily's class also got called up the same day at Thursday School to help with the Bible lesson.  What a sweet group of helpers!

Parker threw a major fit at Granna's one night.  After we got home (when he was supposed to be getting ready for bed), he wrote this note for me and left it by my bed.  He still got punished but this sweet note made it easier for me to forgive and forget! (The note says- I love you so much mommy.  Please forgive me. Sorry.  XXOO XXOO)

We took the kids to see Frozen on Thanksgiving Day.  It was Lily's first time to go to see a movie at the theater.  She did a pretty good job especially since sitting still and being quiet are not two of her strongest qualities.

Parker got to go on his first AR trip the Wednesday before Christmas break.  Because he reached his reading goal, he got to go to Main Event and enjoy playing video games and bowling with many of his classmates.

Smurfette made her way into our nativity scene this year.  Cory said that she must have gotten the memo that she was to come bearing gifts!

After a long day of bickering, the girls climbed into Lily's chair so that Eden could read them a bedtime story.  It sure was nice to see them getting along after all the fighting they had done that day!

I guess that ends a wonderful year full of fun memories!  I can only hope that 2014 has just as many fun things in store for our family!  I hope you have a wonderful New Year's Eve!  I will be snuggled up in bed cheering for our Texas Aggies to BTHO Duke!  Gig 'Em Aggies and Happy New Year!

Lily's New Look

The week before Thanksgiving, the girls and I ran down to the eye clinic to take something to Cory.  While we were there, Eden begged to have her eyes checked.  After she was done, Cory decided to check Lily too.  Her first screening came back inconclusive so he took her into his office to do another test.  Sure enough, it showed that she needed glasses.  We didn't have time to dilate her eyes that day, so we made plans to come back the next week for her full exam.

 

We went back the next week and she did great during her exam.  We picked out two pairs of glasses- one pink and one brown- and started talking to Lily about wearing glasses. 

Her new glasses came in two days after Christmas.  We were very worried about how well she would wear them but she has done great!  She usually puts up a little bit of a fight a couple of times a day, but for the most part, she wears them without complaint.  Her prescription is pretty strong and I think she realizes just how much better she can see with her glasses on.  I'm so thankful that we caught it early and that she can now see clearly!  (Just one example of what she can now see... the day after she got her glasses, she was watching cartoons with Eden and said, "Look at the rabbits.  They have eyes!".)

Christmas with Grandma and Papa

After we finished opening our family gifts, Grandma, Papa, and Aunt Sondra came over for Christmas breakfast and more presents.  We had a very yummy breakfast of monkey bread, egg casserole, pigs in a blanket, bacon and eggs.  It was all so good!

The kids couldn't wait to open their presents.  Parker was excited to get more Skylanders for his new game and Lily loved her puppy flashlight friend. 

I was excited about my new pancake griddle to replace the broken one I've been using.

We enjoyed visiting with Grandma and Papa all morning while we watched the kids play with their new toys.  It was a great way to end all of our Christmas celebrations!

Christmas Morning

After we got home from Granna/Granstan's, we got ready for Santa to come.  Lily was in charge of the cookies, Eden was in charge of the carrots for the reindeer, and Parker was in charge of the milk.  We also went outside to sprinkle our reindeer food so that the reindeer would know where to land!

We had had such a busy day that it didn't take long for all three kids to be sound asleep.  They were so excited when they woke up on Christmas morning to see that Santa had not forgotten them!  Parker got Skylanders Swap Force (a new video game) and Eden and Lily got an Easy Bake Oven.  Their stockings were also full of fun things like swords and new pajamas.

After stockings were opened, we passed out the presents under the tree.  The kids each got two presents- one was full of new books and the other was something from their wish list. 

Lily loved her new Pete the Cat books and I've lost count on how many times we have read them this past week!

Lily LOVED her new pink nap mat.  She can't wait to take it to preschool next week.

Cory got me a new necklace that says "I love you to the moon and back".  I LOVE IT!!

I know I say this every year but I'm so thankful that we don't have to travel at Christmas.  Being home with just the five of us on Christmas morning is one of my favorite things during the holidays.  I know our kids are not always going to love hanging out with their parents, so I want to savor each moment while it lasts.  I'm so thankful for a great morning full of wonderful memories!

Christmas Eve at Granna/Granstan's House

We spent Christmas Eve with Granna/Granstan since Uncle Jon had to work on Christmas Day.  We started with some family pictures and then opened presents.

 

 

The girls were thrilled with their dolls and got even more excited when they got outfits that matched their dolls.

Lily didn't put her doll, pink chickie, and Big Bird down all night.  She was in Christmas heaven!

Granna surprised Granstan with a Bowie knife- something he has wanted for a long time.

I love this pic of Lily with her Granstan!

We went to the Christmas Eve service at church and then had yummy fajitas for dinner. After dinner, the kids performed their annual Christmas story play with Granna.  By default, Parker was Joseph again this year. Aubrey volunteered to be Mary (because she wanted to wear the pretty dress!) and did a great job.  Addison and Eden were the angels and Lily chose to be a sheep this year!  They all performed their parts perfectly and without any tears- what a difference a year makes!

After the performance, we played several Minute to Win It games.  First up was the marshmallow toss where I beat Cory for the 2nd year in a row.  (But who's keeping track!).

Next was the ping pong ball shake where we had to shake 10 ping pong balls out of a box that was tied around our waist.  All of the kids loved this game- even Lily and Ryan!

Our last game of the evening was Pin the Nose on Santa.

After a few more silly pictures, it was time to head home and get ready for bed.  We had a great day with my family and couldn't wait to get ready for Santa to come.