Will Christmas Get Here Already?

Maggie came home from Miss Kellie's with a little ornament. She was so excited. It went directly on the tree (it's the little stocking by her left hand):

Hanging out in our VERY crowded front room. We had to move a big chair into another already crowded room in order to fit our tree in. Now it all feels much more like a storage facility than a functional room to hang in. Oh, well--at least I can enjoy all the Christmas decorations in there.

Patrick taught Maggie how to make snowflakes. She liked it but said it hurt her hands to cut the very thick layers of paper.

I Wear My Sunglasses At Night

Maggie loves having a little doll to play with (and dress up):

Playing "winter" with her big sister:

This is what Caroline does when I put on Baby Einstein videos:

Haven't We Seen This Before??

I thought this year Maggie would be more into waiting each day and removing an ornament from the advent calendar. Wrong. Same as last year.

LOOK at my teeny tiny girl grow in one measely year! I think I might cry.

**I do have plans to finish the handmade advent calendar Julie and I started a couple of years ago. Since we started it the same week my brother Brian passed away it's been a little difficult for me to pull it out and start again. When getting out this years Christmas totes from the basement I spotted the box...and just couldn't deal. Maybe next year. I really want my girls to grow up with it (the way I grew up with the one my mother made for us).

Why Can I Not See?

She's a bit squirmy in the car seat...so this happens. A lot.

Crocs Warehouse Sale

We went to the Crocs warehouse sale the other day. I still look completely rediculous in them (proof = I tried on a pair and my friend, Vicki, laughed. out loud). But kids (Maggie) look super cute in them. I bought a handful for Mags and she can't leave them alone! They ALL come out of the closet daily and you'll find them all over the house, perfectly lined up. A few times she thought the Crocs looked lonely I pulled out every single pair of shoes she owns to join them on display. Since the display moves locations throughout the day, they pose the perfect tripping hazard if you're not careful.

And just a cute one.

Who Makes Her Smile?

Her daddy makes her smile. Instantly. No matter what is going on. Just as it was with Maggie. If she has a rough wake up I'll grab her from the crib, she'll cry all the way down the hall and then bust into an insta-grin the second we hit her daddy's office door and she catches a glimpse. I don't even have to see her face to know she's spotted the papa--her whole body starts to flail wildly.

We've also started Caroline on things like Cheerios and those gross puffy things from Gerber. The first time was very successful. I tried to get a picture of this lone puffy thing stuck to her chin but has I snapped the pic it fell on her shirt--so just imagine it was very cute.

And I do have some very sweet little video clips but I'm having technical difficulties (as usual).

Birthday

Dec 1 was my birthday. We were all sick. I've never been much of a birthday girl but the slow pace and mandatory house confinement proved to be the best recipe for a birthday! It was quiet, peaceful, and downright enjoyable.
When I woke up and came downstairs I was greeted with a Happy Birthday Mommy from Maggie (Patrick had coached her well).
The rest of the day she kept asking if she could "have my birthday". Then she walked halfway up the stairs and yelled to me, "When I come down stairs you say 'Happy Birthday Maggie!'.

The only picture I took that day was of Maggie making my birthday cake.

By the way, Patrick, as usual pulled off a lovely and very thoughtful gift. He's an awesome gift giver. Thanks Patrick. Love you.

Black Friday

After a very peaceful Thanksgiving at home (just us) we decided to do our Christmas decorating while others battled it out at the stores. It was a beautiful, warm day.

This is me trying to get a picture of me with the kidlets:

Mags really enjoyed decorating the tree. After she finished, I filled in the tree with basic ornaments and bows. She came back into the room and told me she didn't like what I'd done.

Telling her papa exactly what to do:

I bought Maggie a Little People nativity and she went nuts over it! For a short time she called it a zoo (I guess the animals threw her off). Now she keeps calling it her "activity scene" instead of nativity.

Caroline just enjoyed the whole day. Happy as a clam!

Sicklies

What does one do when your sick....FOREVER??! You take random pictures. We would go in and out of good and bad moments. Many, many days of just getting by.

Maggie put the bow in Caroline's hair:

The blanket is her wedding veil:

When Maggie was in the worst of her illness I crafted and put Caroline in her high chair to watch videos. She loves Baby Einstein.

A nice moment. We actually thought we were getting over it. Little did we know we had several more rounds to go:

I was too sick myself to actually take pics of our bad moments. It's best forgotten though.