Santa Came!

Santa came! Opening gifts Christmas morning!

Audrey's kitchen that she has been wanting so bad for so long! This was long over due for our little chef!

Natalie really liked her "wrapping paper!"
"Mommy look! I'm the Aggie marching band!"
When we finished here at home we loaded up, in our pajamas, and headed over to my parents house to do Christmas there. Here's the car that my parents bought the girls. Audrey couldn't wait to try it...even in the freezing cold temps, she LOVED it!

Yes, that's my girl rocking the fur coat with her pajamas!

Napping with Natalie!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve

After the 4pm service at church we ran to the car in the light rain and headed to my parents house for my Dad's side of the family Christmas Party. We made it just in time, because as soon as we got inside it started storming with the cold front that was blowing through...cooler weather just in time for Christmas!

Our family!

The new generation of cousins! (left to right: Ashton (16 months), Sarina (3 1/2) with her little brother Ryan (6 months), and Audrey (2) with Natalie (6 months))
Lara and Natalie

My parents (Mammo and Pappo) with the girls!

We changed them into their pajamas before we headed home so they could go right to bed before Santa came! Here's Natalie!

Christmas Pajamas!

Christmas Card Pictures

Merry Christmas!

With Baby Jesus

Let me explain....

We were on a walk one day with my sister, Lara, and we walked by a house in our neighborhood that had this nativity scene. Audrey said, "That's baby Jesus." So my sister had the great idea that she would take Audrey up into this yard and take her picture in the nativity scene...since Audrey was about the same size as the figures. I told her it wasn't such a great idea, but we decided to do it anyway. So here is that picture...we tried to get her to pose but she just wanted to pet the lamb! ha!

So a week or so later we are walking on our street and Audrey sees another nativity scene...she starts walking through their yard while she is trying to tell me something. I really don't understand her at first, but then figure it out as she goes and stands up there and starts saying, "take a picture Mommy!" Oh no, what have you done Lara...now my daughter thinks it's normal to stop and take pictures in peoples yards with their yard art!

That's my Audrey!

This little photo shoot was totally Audrey's impromptu idea. It's amazing how when you take pictures when she wants to take pictures how much easier it is and how much better they turn out. Too bad it was with my phone and not my camera. Oh well, these really capture the real Audrey, or as I say it "These are so Audrey!"

6 Months Old!

Natalie at her 6 month check up at the Doctor's office on December 14th!

Dear Natalie,

My sweet and smiley baby is already six months old. Time is flying by so fast and I keep trying to slow myself down and remember each and every detail. I never want to forget this baby stage because it is such a short phase in the whole scheme of things. (I am really beginning to understand this now.) You are my tiny baby, not because you are actually that "tiny," but compared to your big sister you are. I always tell Audrey that you can't do that yet because you are too tiny. I say it so much that I still believe it...which I guess is not such a bad thing, but you are growing and already getting such a little personality that is definitely all you! I always find myself thinking of you as a newborn, which you're not...you are now half a year old. I guess that's why you totally surprised me when you rolled yourself across the playroom to get a toy, or when the first time I tried to sit you up you did it like a pro.

For the most part you have been such a joy and an "easy" baby full of smiles...especially the first four months. Everyone even nicknamed you SMILEY! I would go and drop you off at the nursery at church and when I got there I would realize that I forgot your paci, and the ladies would tell me not to worry that it was you and that if it was any other baby they would need it, but not for Smiley. Although something has changed and in the past two months you have been a little cranky and when you get mad, you really get MAD! I brought it up at the doctors this month and he said that it seems you might have acid reflux, which peaks between 4 and 6 months...so with a couple months of medicine we are going to see if this helps. We'll see!

There are so many things I love about you...

I love how you smile! I love your smile it just lights up your whole face.

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I love how when you get excited you gasp for air. At first it scared me, but then I realized it's just your corky laugh. Sometime you gasp so big you choke on it and then have to cough...your really quite entertaining!

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I love how you will do this really high pitch scream to get my attention...like, "Hey Mommy, look at me!" When I look at you, you just smile that amazing smile!

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I love how you LOVE the Monkey song (actually called Deep in the Jungle) by Joe Scruggs. It is your magic song and has been since you were about two months old. We will be driving in the car and you start cranking up so I put on YOUR song and you stop immediately and then end up falling asleep. Not only does it work in the car, but it also works when I just sing it to you. It really is MAGIC!

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I love how you like your Baby Einstein videos. You will stand in your exersaucer and just watch it while I do laundry or clean, and as soon as its over I know because you start squealing.

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I love your laugh!

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I love how you love your Daddy! You are definitely Daddy's little girl! He can put you to sleep in his arms in seconds. Also, when you see him your face just lights up!

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I love how you are a little roly-poly! You can roll across the room and you will do it to get a toy that you want.

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I love how you give kisses! You love to kiss and most of the time it is with so much passion and excitement. I love those slobbery, gummy, wet kisses!

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I love how determined you are. When you see something you want you will reach, bend, grunt, roll, scoot, and reach some more until you get it. You don't give up and you have some special power where you can reach something that is way out of your reach.

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I love how you notice the puppies now and you will stare at them and follow them with your eyes all the way around the house. The other day I even caught you squealing at them like you do me when you want me. I really think you were trying to call Millie! ha!

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I love how you LOVE your sister! Audrey will entertain you, play with you, kiss you, hug you and tell you over and over again that you can do "it" with her when you get big like her and you just smile and smile at her! I love it when you laugh at her while she is being silly!

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I love how social you are. I will be nursing you and you will do back bends, or just sit straight up to see who is talking and if they are talking to you.

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Natalie Grace...I LOVE you! I can't believe how big you have gotten and as many times I say you are "too tiny" I know that you are not going to be tiny for long. I love our peaceful time together when you wake up before anyone else for your first feeding and then I put you in bed with me and snuggle until Audrey wakes up. I love sleeping with you! I love our last feeding, after we put Audrey to bed and I get to hold you and nurse you until you fall asleep. I love watching you sleep. I love seeing how peaceful and beautiful you are when your mouth falls open and your eyes are closed with those long lashes. I love saying a little prayer over you as I put you down in your bed and thinking about all the fun we will have the next day. I love you Natalie and it's funny how only six months ago our life seemed so complete with out you here...now I can't even remember it without you!

Love,

Mommy

Santa Baby!

It's that time again...Christmas card time! It used to be so easy, I would pick up a box of cards at Target and sign them "Love, Bryan & Leyla." It was easy...but so boring. Well now cards are a little more challenging and a lot more fun! Here are some attempts of me trying our own little photo shoot in our backyard. By the way, these are not the pictures we used...but they were cute!

At the park

Fun park pictures! We usually go on a run first and then hit the park on the way back. I run while both girls ride...well that's until Audrey starts begging to run. She LOVES to run and not just here and there, but for about a half a mile! And Natalie well she takes a nice nap, but Audrey always tells me that Natalie is going to run with her when she gets big like her! Gosh, I love my girls!

Surprise Mom...I can sit!

Okay, Natalie I have a confession. When Audrey was a baby I used sit all day and work with her on turning over and sitting...well with two little ones I really don't "work" on those things with Natalie. Sorry Natalie, but the three of us are just too busy having tea parties, cooking quesadidas (as Audrey calls them), and reading books to have time to practice these novice moves. Well not to worry on the rolling over...you mastered that ahead of schedule and you are definitely our little roly-poly! ha! So the other morning as we were having out morning tea party I decided to sit you up and start "working" on it....and SURPRISE you can already sit by yourself! You were smiling at me like you wanted to say, "Finally Mommy!"