Christmas

We are so lucky. My mom and dad flew all the way to Ohio to spend Christmas with us. It has been seven years since we have been with family on Christmas and we are so glad that streak has come to an end. It was perfect in every way and we cannot thank them enough for spending time with us and our children. Bellies and hearts were definitely full this year.

Christmas Eve started with a swim at my parents hotel. The girls loved this. It was a little cold though and I am not sure that Papa appreciated being splashed as he tried to get in. He's not a fan of the cold (understatement) but thankfully was a good sport.

We ate a feast all week long. Too much good food. Between clam chowder, steak, crab legs, cheese balls, etc. we definitely had our fill. Interestingly enough the girls did not appreciate the clam chowder or crab legs.

The girls opened presents from us which were pajamas and slippers.

They were so thrilled with them they had to strike a pose. And they were flying unicorn pajamas. It really doesn't get more awesome than that. Julia actually informed me that the horse didn't have a horn so it is just a flying horse. "But I'll still wear them mom."

Of course I had to torture my family by making them take some pictures. Here are my three girls on Christmas Eve.

My little smiley Lily. She is smiling all the time these days. She also has a santa belly to go with her Christmas outfit.

Papa. I think that my girls have him wrapped around their little fingers. He sure is a good one that Papa.

Nana. She is so good with my girls. I feel so fortunate to have such wonderful parents that were willing to leave their Christmas at home and spend it with us.

Christmas morning we got up and got ready for church. We are not early risers and so had to take care of Santa after church.

This is our first entire family picture since Lily joined us. I feel like it is such a challenge to have everyone together, dressed and willing to sit in one place. It was a Christmas miracle. This was even taken before I let them open presents.

Nana and Papa. I really love this picture.

The haul. These girls sure were spoiled this year. Not just by Santa but by family as well! I couldn't believe all the wonderful things that family sent this year. Between some adorable pictures from George and Joan, presents from nearly every single aunt and uncle, a SERIOUS spoiling from Grandma and a keyboard from Grandpa they reeked of spoiling. Thank you to everyone.

Julia was an expert present opener and had every single one opened in record time. I couldn't even keep track of what she got because she was so speedy quick. Audrey got distracted by all the pretty things. In the end I was throwing presents at her to open.

Among the favorite gifts were a new bike for Audrey. Her old bike was a 2 dollar garage sale purchase and not only was it a hand-me-down from Julia boy bike but the training wheels were less than functional. Luckily now she has a pink bike that she can ride super fast AND it doesn't make her fall frequently. Double win.

Julia got a flying unicorn bike helmet that has changed bike riding as we know it. And this horse has a horn so we are good.

When my parents said goodbye to my girls on Monday evening you can bet many a tears were shed. Julia cried and cried, "I don't want them to leave! I just love them so much!" A bit of a heartbreaker. Let's just say eyes were less than dry when we all had to say goodbye. Thanks again mom and dad! We love you and are so grateful to you. Thankfully next year we should be a little closer and can see the rest of our family around Christmas time.

A Little Before and After

Before I jump into the before and after we must thank Uncle Adam and Aunt Camille for the awesome package they sent. I'll have them know I have been shot by the ping pong gun no less than seventy times and we spent 45 minutes looking for the third snowman in the I Spy book. You guys are awesome and make two very happy and excited little girls.

Before: A little of the "Why in the heck are you making me sit like this" pose to...

After: A sweet little smile. We're getting some smiles and coos around here and are loving it. She also flaps her tongue at me when I talk to her. Look at those cheeks! We had her one month appointment last Friday and she is almost 11 lbs!

Before: A good little Christmas elf to...

After: a naughty little elf. Julia had an Elf on the Shelf at school she would come home and tell us about each day. You would think this would be a motivation for improved behavior but I've come to the conclusion that Christmas makes kids crazy.

Before: Bryan all fixed up for his holiday party with his two dollar Christmas sweater from Goodwill. I think the panda is a nice touch.

After: It wouldn't be right if Bryan didn't do something like this for a picture. He said he is going to wear this shirt to church on Christmas. He's grown very attached to it.

Before: We made some gingerbread houses with friends. The secret: Hot glue the graham crackers together to save a great deal of frustration. We started out a little sparse and finished...

After: Loaded with candy. I'm pretty sure Audrey emptied and entire jar of sprinkles on hers. We did get rid of a great deal of old Halloween candy so that was a win.

Before: I am trying dang hard to get a decent picture of her in this outfit but she is too grumpy after church as you can see by...

After. Maybe she's just telling her sisters to get out of her face and give her some space.

Before: Had to take a shot of the girls in their Christmas dresses looking all cute. Then they had to...

After: strike a model pose. Julia knows how to work it with the pointed toe.

Christmas Dancing

Before I get to the dancing part I of course must post some more pictures of this precious little thing. She is a month old as of yesterday and we couldn't love her more.

She is starting to really wake up and give us smiles now and then. I love watching how fast they grow and change.
She is also getting a very chubby belly and fat rolls or her legs. She's growing like a weed.
These girls had their first dance recital of the year and the best part about this one was it included Audrey! She was beyond excited. Because there weren't enough girls in Julia's class this year their teacher combined the younger and older classes. At first I was worried about the skill difference but I really do think the girls have loved being in the same class. I am so thankful they are such good friends and that they get to have this experience together.
Showing me some moves.
Here they are working on their positions. Do you think Julia is a little taller than the rest of the class? She is the oldest, but seriously this girl keeps getting taller and taller. The other girls come up to her shoulder. This was the first recital that Julia was a little nervous about remembering all of the steps. In years past she was just in it for the fun of it but now she is taking it a bit more seriously.
Here is the whole group. It is such a fun group of girls and I find few things more enjoyable than watching my girls dance. Julia has improved so much and we are amazed at how fast Audrey catches on. Audrey loves dance more than anything right now.

Their cute teacher. We really appreciate her.

Job well done!