Don't Let a Tumble Down the Stairs Stop You

Julia had a little party at our house for our playgroup friends. I will have to say it wasn't just a party for her, but a party for me too. Not only is Julia great friends with these two but I am great friends with their moms as well. So it was an excuse to get together, eat lunch and let the kids exchange some gifts. We had yummy soup, bread and fruit salad and even better company. The only downer was that poor little Jansen took a tumble down my stairs and split his head open. If you look closely you can see the bandaid covering up the damage. Poor Jansen hasn't had the best luck lately with wounds. Luckily he was somewhat distracted by the new little cars he received.

Julia was in heaven with all of the princess supplies.

And little Alici loved her new Christmas book.

What great kids! We love having these two around and I love having an excuse to hang out with their moms.

Baby It's Cold Outside

We crazies went for a walk the other night. We had to take a picture of the cute little pink cheeked Audrey.

Julia is taking dance class. She loves it and I will get a cuter picture here in the future. The leotard is a hand me down from a friend and she is without ballet slippers or tights. Her cheapo mom will have to do something about that. She is always asking people if they want to see her dance moves (her teacher is the cutest girl.) And because I have been rather distracted by all things Christmas and the craziness that is associated with it I forgot to give the latest updates on how my girls are growing. They both visited the doctor earlier this month and are growing like weeds. Julia is 32 lbs (65%) and 39 1/2 inches (93%). Audrey is 17 lbs (75%) and 27 1/2 inches (96%). I wonder if the height comes from the Palmer side because HELLO? Tall girls. It's always so great to see that they are healthy and strong. Julia even braved a flu shot (only if the nurse would give her two stickers.) Audrey had a sinus infection that has been treated and she is her happy baby self once again. Now we are just getting excited for Santa and all the joy Christmas time brings us. I for one couldn't feel more blessed than to have these two cute girls to celebrate it with.

Too Tempting

Short bread cookies are a family tradition in our home. My Grandma Florence used to make them when my dad was growing up and I am carrying on the tradition. They are so easy to make and especially delightful when topped with snow (powdered sugar) and red sprinkles.
Take a good look at the snow and sprinkles because they are the first to go. Sometimes we decide to eat the cookie but sometimes the snow and sprinkles are all we need.
While daddy was reading Julia Christmas stories...
This little innocent wild haired child just..
couldn't...
help herself. That tree is so bright and pretty. SO glad that she isn't crawling yet!

You Better Watch Out!

Christmas time is quickly approaching and I feel that I have neglected to post many of the happenings at our house during this exciting season. Julia is so excited for Christmas she can hardly breathe. She asks me daily if this is the day Santa is coming. It consumes all of her thoughts. Audrey was screaming yesterday and Julia went up to her and said, "Audrey, the elves are watching you." This has worked as a great tactic on Julia and was quite effective in getting her to take her nap today (I may have even evily threatened a phone call to the North Pole). Bryan gave her a toy catalog and told her to circle all of the items she wished Santa to bring her. Each page was littered with SEVERAL circles and some were double circled because those were the ones she REALLY wanted. We have decorated our house and we have glittered ornaments that have glittered the carpet as well because Julia is under the tree with the Nativity Scene playing all day. I think we hit a low point when the ponies were wondering If the baby Jesus wanted to come to Pinkie Pie's Birthday. It has really made this year so fun. It has been delightful to talk about Santa and his reindeer but even more special to talk about the birth of the Savior and what it means. I have indulged her in playing with the nativity scene to her heart's content if just to give her little three year old heart a glimpse of what the Christmas season is all about. Though when I mention that she needs to get Audrey a present because Christmas is about giving, we quickly revert to what she needs Santa to bring her for Christmas. Oh, well. At least we are trying.

So after that long bit. We attended our ward Christmas party yesterday which was such a fun evening of music and food and best of all (for a very excited Julia) a visit from Santa.
I must thank my mom for getting the girls their adorable matching dresses. They looked like two little Christmas princesses. Julia was particularly pleased with the color choice. Cute little Audrey. She actually started clapping this week. And she's figured out that if she yells enough and holds her arms up her mommy will ALWAYS pick her up. Bryan thinks that I'm spoiling her. That's probably true, but look at that face! I cannot resist her.
Cute Julia making a weird face. I must take another picture of her in this dress on a later date with a cute smile, not a "I think I'm gonna be sick" smile.

And the moment we have all been waiting for...

SANTA! When the big moment arrived all of the little kids gathered right around Santa without forming any type of line. Julia was absolutely and completely tortured when Santa put a child other than her on his lap. Every time he picked one of the eager children out of the massive crowd she would cry out and look at me with panic in her eyes. She was sure that he was going to forget her. She was so close and yet so far away. But lo and behold her turn finally came and she didn't even choke. She proudly told him that she wanted a the "big big big present." Those were her exact words.

Upon arriving home Julia informed me that when Santa comes to our house and leaves her this big big present, she is going to leave him cookies and leave carrots for the reindeer. Then she is going to take a ride on a great big reindeer and Audrey can ride a little tiny reindeer. They are going to ride high in the sky with Santa and Jesus (Can you picture this in your head?) Hmmmm.... I suppose we get a little confused with heaven and reindeer and such. But her excitement truly is contagious and she makes me want to enjoy every minute of this Christmas season.

Thanksgiving in Cincy

This year we got to go to Cincinnati to see our very very good friends the Gaileys for Thanksgiving. It was so great to get away and to see our good friends again. Their house is so nice and the company was even better. The food was yummy and it was just such a great and relaxing Thanksgiving. Thanks Gaileys for such a great time!

I had to document my very first fruit pie that I have ever made. I think it turned out pretty good.
Here we are stuffing our faces with as much food as we could. Kristi made the most delicious and moist turkey and it was her first time cooking one. I must say I was very impressed.
There is a beautiful park right near the Gailey's house and we went on a walk. Here is Julia and Zach. They are such good little buddies.

Kristi and little Connor. I can't believe how much he has grown up since that last time we saw him. He's walking and talking. Such a cute little guy.
The "hurricaine" hit in Cincinnati as well and lots of trees were uprooted.
No one will be surprised that Bryan had to find a tree to climb. He did make it almost all the way to the top. Julia had to get up there with him (who do you think she takes after?)
Here we are about ten pounds heavier after our wonderful turkey dinner.
The walk lead to an outlook of the Ohio River. It was spectacular. The river is so huge and these large cargo boats go floating by. We enjoyed getting outside for a little bit and enjoying the sun we don't always get to see here in Ohio winters.
Thank you Dave and Kristi for such a wonderful time! We are so glad that you didn't move too far away so that we can still get together. You guys are the best.

Bring on December!

We are just two days away and night float is behind us. Of Bryan's entire residency this has been my least favorite. I don't mind him being at work all day as long as he is home at night. Spending all the nights on my own is getting old and I am very happy to say that he only has two more shifts. With all the nasty freezing weather and Bryan being gone there has been so little to report. We haven't been doing much. But I do have some cute pictures...This girl has become the steam roller. She makes me laugh because she'll roll and roll and roll and get stuck on the wall or in a piece of furniture and gets super chapped. I think her little rage is amusing. I am finding that if she really wants something though, she finds her way to it. Baby proofing everything is very near in my future.

This is Bryan pretty much 99% of the time with night float. Julia has resorted to using him as a pony castle. I think that she is taking what she can get in order to have a little daddy time.
Oh her smiles just make my day. She is so thrilled whenever anyone looks at her.
The two cutest girls I know. Now I just have to take some deep breaths and prepare myself for the hectic December ahead. Do any of you find that once December hits the stress level goes up and up and up and up? It's killing me! I just feel like I can't keep up with anything and I just keep adding more and more to my calendar. I love the holiday season, but I can see now why my mom was always so stressed when it hit. Here's to hoping I can get all of the things done that I need to (and have time to blog about it all too).

The World Seems a Little Bit Clearer

We had an eventful weekend. First of all my mom went home and we were very sad to see her go. We had such a great time and loved having her around. I am so lucky to have such a great relationship with my mom and we always have such a great time together. The same day my mom left, Kristi Gailey came to visit! We had such a great time and spent the vast majority of the night just hanging out and talking. Julia and Zach also had a great time and they are such great little friends. I am sad that this is the only picture that we got of the night, but we had such a great visit and are excited to see them again soon!On to other news. We got a new camera as an early Christmas present. Our old camera is a few years old and falling apart (from EXTREME use). We must say thank you to Bryan's dad for giving it to us. It was used more than any camera should have a right to be used. Bryan was actually a little sad today when I was putting it away. We really have recorded so many wonderful memories with the old boy. But now technology is getting better and our picture is getting a little bit clearer.

This is a picture of our new camera taken with our old camera...

And this is a picture of our old camera taken with the new camera. Can you see the difference? Some day I may want to get a big fancy camera but right now I just want a nice point and shoot that can record our day to day activities. I did some research and this camera topped most of the lists and was actually cheaper than I was anticipating spending. I love it already and I am excited to use it more.
We tested it out on a couple of beautiful models...
The new camera even lets me add text to the picture.

You heard it right. Audrey is six months old now and I can't believe half a year has already come and gone. As you can see by the orange mouth, Audrey has started eating sweet potatoes. She is sitting up on her own and rolling over from her back to her belly and her belly to her back. It must be some neat trick because she does it over and over like she will never tire of it. She loves to laugh at Julia and is very happy. She only likes toys that she isn't supposed to have. Those lame links have nothing against the cord to the baby monitor. She still loves the exersaucer and has figured out how to hit the buttons and make the music play. She sleeps okay at night. I get enough sleep to feel pretty good during the day. She loves to stare at people and will stare at them until they acknowledge her. We love our little Audrey girl so much and have just loved watching her grow. She is truly a delight to our whole family.

6 Quirky Things

My friend Ariel tagged me (at least I think she tagged me, maybe she knows lots of Annie's. ) Anyways I've been a slacker. I am stuck home with all my visitors gone, Bryan is on a Medical Training trip in Florida and I am stuck home with a bad cold with two girls that also have a bad cold. So I have lots of time to finally complete my tag.

1. I have a freakish ability when it comes to pop culture. I can name almost any actor or actress in any show or movie. I have often wished that this ability would transfer to scientific facts or statistics but to no avail. My favorite game to play with Bryan is when we are watching some show and I'll say, "I'll give you 1000 dollars if you can tell me the name of that actress." He usually answers, "I have no idea." Needless to say this is not his favorite game. You can only imagine the amount of useless information rolling around in my head.

2. I write like a lefty with my right hand. I curl my hand around and hold the pen up against my knuckle. I had a few teachers comment on it, but overall I don't think it holds me back too much.

3. When I am sitting and thinking I often "type" out my thoughts. I just tap my fingers on my imaginary keyboard. I am probably often sitting alone just tapping my fingers. I will also think of piano tunes and play them on my imaginary piano. Don't worry, Bryan already assured me that this is weird.

4. I can pick up anything with my toes and I can pinch with my toes as well. They are freakishly long. When I was pregnant it got so bad that when I asked Julia to pick something up she would just put her foot on it. My siblings can account for the nasty pain of one of my toe pinches.

5. I am an extreme night person. I am not happy in the mornings. When I was in college I would study for finals until 2 AM, just because I think I do my best thinking at night. This is when you will catch me cleaning. I swear nine o'clock hits and I come alive. The problem with this is that it takes me at least 30 minutes to wind down enough to fall asleep at night. My mind is going a mile a minute. The second Bryan's head hits the pillow he falls asleep. I don't know how he does it!

6. I have a really difficult time with directions. North, East, South and West mean almost nothing to me. If someone told me to go west of some street I would have no idea what they are talking about. I also have a very hard time finding homes even if I've been there several times. They all just look the same to me. I am always looking up street numbers. Map quest is one of my very best friends. When Bryan and I are rich (what ten years from now) I think a GPS would be a good investment for me. I remember getting SO lost with Kristie Gailey coming home from the zoo once. I made her go into a pizza restaurant to ask for directions. This is but one example of many "lost" moments for me.

Family Visit

We have had the best time having my parents here. We have been so spoiled and have enjoyed every minute. We spent the first day at Hocking Hills. It was the last day of nice weather. It was absolutely beautiful. The last of the fall leaves were holding on and the weather was just amazing. The reds, yellows and browns made for a very scenic drive and hike. We couldn't have picked a more perfect day.
Here's Julia getting prepped for the hike in front of the pretty trees. She was in the dirt and running the entire time. But she had to do the stairs, "By myself!"
Julia throwing rocks, sticks and leaves in the water. You can see that her little rear end is covered in dirt.

Walking through the Old Man's Cave. My dad said that the cave was named after him. But then it would have to be Old Man With Bad Knees Cave and the name would be too long. Just kidding dad! He did great hiking up and down all of those stairs and even had to keep up with Julia.
The little Cheeser.
My mom and dad with Julia on the bridge. It was just so pretty.
Here we are just hanging out. My parents are very patient with all the feeding, napping and such that goes on at our house. It seems like we have to "hang out" quite a bit, but we had a great time doing it. Julia and my dad love the pretzel rods.
Little Audrey loves getting all of the attention. She has never had this much attention and learned quickly how to work it.
The weather unfortunately turned cold and rainy. We headed to German Village and it was SO pretty. I am so glad we caught the last of the pretty leaves. It is so quaint. My mom and dad brought Julia a new princess umbrella (or underbrella, as Julia calls it) and she was THRILLED to be able to use it. It has a Princess Aurora as the handle. Heaven, pure heaven.
We went to Schmidts and sampled the sausages, german potato salad and such (okay, more like gorged). We also had to get the famous cream puffs for dessert. We tried pumpkin and chocolate peanut butter. Unbelievably good. Don't worry, we only gained fifteen pounds while we were there.
So pretty. I love the brick streets.
My parents stayed in a hotel while they were here and it had the nicest heated swimming pool. Julia loves swimming and when the pool is that warm, you can't resist.
This was Audrey's first swimming experience. She loved it and actually stayed in for a long time.
Luckily Julia is covering most of my swim suit body. That six month post partum belly has no business being in one of these. We had the best time in the pool and the best time with my parents. My dad headed out today, but my mom is staying until Friday. I LOVE visitors and we are so glad they came. Thank you mom and dad for everything!