Jeff & Amy's Visit

A few days after Christmas Jeff and Amy drove down from my parents' to visit us. We enjoyed the time we got to spend with them! The girls were absolutely thrilled and it was like Christmas all over again with the presents that they brought down from them and others. We enjoyed just hanging out, eating good food, and playing games.

Christmas

Christmas this year was very quiet for our family, well as quiet as it can be with two excited girls in the house. We stayed home since I was 38 weeks pregnant and traveling wasn't the best idea... On Christmas Eve we got together with a few other families for dinner. After spending time with friends we came home and the girls each got to open one present - a Cinderella ornament to help them remember their Disney World adventure in 2011.

The next morning the girls checked out their stockings before we had to get ready to go to church. Conveniently they received a few items that were appropriate to take to church and enjoy. What a smart Santa!

After church we continued the rest of our present opening. It was hard to get Audrey to look at us at all, so all the pictures of her look very similar to this:

Rachel was much more willing to pause and pose for us:

Overall I think the girls were pretty pleased with what Santa, mom, dad, grandparents, and cousins gave them. They have definitely enjoyed their new toys, dresses, cowgirl boots, and hooded towels. Andy and I both received a few stocking items. Christmas day we all took naps, talked to family members, and enjoyed leftovers from Christmas Eve dinner. It was very nice and relaxing.

New Look

I know both grandmas are anxious to see their Rachel... Yesterday Rachel got quite a bit of hair cut off. For years she's wanted to grow her hair long, so we've just been doing trims. And it's taken forever to get her hair somewhat long. But just a few weeks ago she decided she wanted to get her hair cut short like her friend Jenna's. I talked to her quite a bit about it, just to make sure we weren't going to have a meltdown once it was done. But she was set on it. Last week at school she told all her teachers and friends that she was going to look different after Winter Break. And she does look different! We love it! Rachel's happy with it and is enjoying flipping her hair around. :)

Christmas Dance Performance

On Tuesday we got to go watch Rachel perform the Christmas dances she's been working on. She was kind of sad she couldn't keep the white dress, but I reassured her that at the end of the year she'll get to keep her costume for the big recital. I really like that they have these mini performances at the studio. I think it helps get them ready for the big one at the end of the year.

At first they showed us how they warm-up for each dance class:

More dance exercises:

The ballet performance (Rachel was very excited about getting to dance with a nutcracker):

The jazz performance:

Audrey's Birthday

Audrey's birthday celebrations began 2 weeks before her birthday. While we were up at Papa and Grandma Michaelson's, we went ahead and had Audrey open her presents from them.

Very excited!!!

Audrey was thrilled with her new dress-up and her play food and scanner.

Two weeks later, on December 11th, we celebrated at home. Audrey was so anxious... So, we spread out the present opening to all day long. She opened her first present (from us) after lunch. And it was the one thing she requested for her birthday. About a year ago Rachel received a cape with a "R" on it at a party. So, Audrey decided to request a cape with an "A" on it...

They are pretty well coordinated now (Audrey wanted the same colors as well):

After her nap she opened yet another present from Papa and Grandma Smith. The girls have had so much fun this past week playing with the play-do. We've always had play-do, but we haven't had many tools. So, they've had a ball!

After dinner Audrey opened 2 more presents. One from the Hoglund family and she loves her new jacket:

And another gift from the King family. Audrey was thrilled to get a Snow White shirt:

After a wardrobe change - new outfit and jacket on - we got out the cake:

Audrey did a fabulous job blowing out the candles:

It was fun this year to have family join in on the celebrations. We are enjoying have Craig, Natalie, Chase, and Landon so close. It's not often that we have family around to celebrate birthdays, so we're enjoying the change.

A few days later Audrey went and picked out a doll from Uncle Jeff and Aunt Amy:

I think Audrey's birthday was a success! She was spoiled by so many with phone calls, cards, and presents. She is one lucky who girl has lots of people who show her love. We are so grateful for Audrey and all the joy that she brings to our family.

One month to go...

Believe it or not, there's only one month left for our little guy to get a little fatter and a little stronger....

I am blessed to be feeling pretty good. The biggest complaint I can offer is being tired. But who isn't tired??? :) I'm also feeling pretty massive, but who isn't at 8 months? I'm still able to enjoy my cycling classes at the gym. I sleep pretty comfortably - there's just a few bathroom breaks needed every night. This baby boy keeps on dropping. The past 2 times I've been to the doctor, he tells me he's dropped a little more. I've gained 17 pounds so far. The hospital called today to verify my insurance information and informed me of what I was expected to pay when checking in to the hospital. So, we are all squared away there. The nursery is coming along. I was spoiled by my friends with lots of clothes. I've got them washed and folded (his drawers look the best they'll probably ever look). Boy clothes are definitely fun as well! :) If you're wondering, no, we still haven't decided on a name. Poor little guy... He will get one, we just don't know what it is yet. The girls are getting very anxious. Just today Audrey told me she wanted her baby brother to come out. I told her not quite yet... So, here's to surviving the final month!

Work Family Christmas Party

Andy's work has continued the tradition of a family Christmas party, which I enjoy much more than the fancy adult one. Although we definitely don't go there for the food. I haven't been impressed with the catering the past 2 years. But the girls enjoy seeing Santa, getting their faces painted, getting air-brushed tattoos, and ice skating at Discovery Green.

The girls in front of the Christmas tree in the lobby at Andy's work (couldn't get a good smile out of either of them):

Enjoying ice skating (we love the double-bladed ice skates):

Andy was in charge of the girls this year on the ice. I have a hard enough time when I'm not pregnant, so I wasn't even going to attempt ice skating while pregnant. Audrey went around the big rink once with Andy and Rachel never cared to. The girls had fun skating around the little kid ice rink.

A video of them skating (don't mind National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation in the background - it was also movie night at Discovery Green):

Sinterklaas

Sinterklaas does not forget the little girls that used to live in Holland. On the evening of December 5th our doorbell rang and the girls raced to the door to see what Sinterklaas had brought them.

Checking out what they got:

This is definitely a fun tradition that we have enjoyed continuing. It helps keep some memories alive for the girls of our time in Holland.

School Happenings

Rachel is loving kindergarten. She adores her teacher, has made lots of new friends, and has so much to report to me every day as we walk home from school. There have been some fun days at school the past couple months. The last week of October was "Drug-Free Week". Each day had a certain theme. Rachel really enjoyed crazy hair day:

She was also pretty excited about slippers day and that her daddy walked her to school that day in his slippers as well:

Houston schools don't celebrate Halloween - there's no dressing up and no parties that day. This year they decided to make it Career Day. So, the children were allowed to dress-up as what they wanted to be when they grow up. Kind of a pain, because it may mean buying 2 costumes. But luckily we have lots of dresss-ups and Rachel is still pretty sure about being a dentist. So, here she is on Halloween ready to head to school as a dentist:

The following week we prepared a poster about Rachel's grandpa (my dad) who served in the Air Force during the 1960's. Rachel was pretty excited to take a poster to school and a few days later we even saw it hanging up on the wall in the hallway.

This past week Rachel came home from school telling us that Sinterklaas and his white horse had come to her school and left everyone an eraser. I was a bit confused and figured she just meant Santa Claus. But sure enough, it was Sinterklaas. She was so excited when her teacher was talking about Holland and showed everyone Holland on the globe. Rachel raised her hand and told everyone she used to live in Holland. The next day they learned about Kwanzaa. So, I'm assuming they are just learning about different cultures and the celebrations they hold in December.

Rachel sure does enjoy school!

Thanksgiving Weekend

We headed up to Hughes Springs, TX to spend Thanksgiving with my parents this year. We were able to convince Craig and Natalie to join us as well. The cousins had fun playing and everyone enjoyed being spoiled by Papa and Grandma Michaelson. We got up there late Tuesday night since we had to wait for Rachel to get out of school. On Wednesday we relaxed, did some shopping, and did some prep for Thanksgiving dinner.

On Thanksgiving we enjoyed a fabulous meal. We also spent some time outside. Rachel tried fishing, but no one had any luck this time...

The kids enjoyed a luxurious tractor ride:

Plenty of time was spent on the swing. The kids also enjoyed watching Papa's burn pile. And I love this picture I caught of Audrey with my mom:

On Friday we headed down to Longview. The kids enjoyed lunch at Chuck E. Cheese. Lots of games were played and a few prizes were won! :) We stopped at a few stores, but we weren't crazy Black Friday shoppers. The one Black Friday deal I wanted, I was able to score online. No need to hit Target at midnight. We gathered supplies to make Gingerbread houses that evening. I wanted my mom to help me since every time I attempt making Gingerbread houses, I fail... The three kiddos enjoyed decorating their houses. Here are the girls' finished masterpieces:

There was lots of time spent indoors as well. All the toys Grandma collects kept everyone pretty happy. Even the toy box was fun to play in:

The kids got into puzzles Saturday afternoon. Audrey really enjoyed the help she got from Grandma:

After naps, the men decided to brave the yucky weather and take the kids for a quick boat ride on the lake. They didn't last too long, but you have to fit in a boat ride somewhere.

On Sunday we drove home. We certainly had a good time. The adults enjoyed playing games each evening once the kids were all asleep. There was lots of laughter! It's a blessing to have my parents 5 hours away. I still haven't ever had to make a turkey on my own. One of these days I need to pay attention... There were lots of things to be thankful for this year. We are truly blessed!

New Obsession

Audrey LOVES scissors and cutting paper into itty, bitty pieces. I know, it's a somewhat dangerous obsession, but she's really quite responsible about the scissors. It's a great thing to keep her entertained and all she's ever cut is paper. There's always tomorrow... But I'm usually not too far away. And sometimes you just need something to keep them happy for a few minutes (or 30 minutes) while you try to get something done. :)

5.5

Rachel's half birthday (Nov. 9th) was a big deal to her this year. I casually mentioned it to her a few days before the actual date. She wanted to know what we were going to do to celebrate. I wasn't quite prepared for that request... So, we decided to make it somewhat special by eating lunch with her that day. I discovered that Sonic is a good place to go for a kid's meal at 10:15, since most are still serving breakfast and we have to meet Rachel for lunch at 10:30. Rachel was thrilled with her grilled cheese sandwich, apples and caramel, and root beer. It doesn't get much better than that! :) Here's our 5 1/2 year-old princess:

Rachel has definitely had a lot of growth in the past six months. She mastered swimming this summer, her handwriting is looking fabulous, and she is doing awesome with her reading. We are trying to encourage more math, which she's good at but it's just something I've overlooked in the past. She loves work stations and Writer's Workshop at school. I love how her mind works and the questions she'll ask. Rachel is very excited about having a baby brother join our family. She tells me all the time that she'll come home from school and hold him while I clean house and make dinner. :) And I'm sure she will be a good helper. Rachel is loving her ballet/jazz class. And in the past couple of weeks I have started working with her on the piano. She is so eager to learn and wants to play songs. So, we've started since she is interested. Rachel is such a joy to have and we are so grateful that she is part of our family!

Cockrell Butterfly Center

The Saturday before Halloween we headed to the Cockrell Butterfly Center in downtown Houston. I had purchased a groupon since Rachel has been talking about going back ever since Andy took the girls last year. The girls enjoyed our little Saturday morning adventure.

A picture by the caterpillar:

Checking out the exhibit before going to see the butterflies:

Rachel took very seriously the task of identifying the butterflies:

Audrey checking out a butterfly with Daddy:

A picture of one when it landed and stayed on Andy's back for quite awhile:

The girls were thrilled when one of the museum workers came up to us and let the girls hold a butterfly. She explained to us that it was injured and wasn't going to live much longer. It made the girls day to be able to hold a butterfly (even though it was almost dead). It was interesting because if you touched the butterfly the colors would rub off on your fingers (kind of like it was bleeding).

After checking out the butterflies the girls had fun playing in a little play area. Rachel got a kick out of how this magnifying glass would make her head larger. Not sure why the scary face, but I guess she was scary with a larger face...

It was a perfect Saturday to go since Grandma Smith was visiting and the museum wasn't busy at all.

Halloween Fun

We had fun celebrating Halloween 2 weekends in a row. The weekend before Halloween my parents came down for a quick visit. We decided to go to the Houston Zoo that Saturday to participate in their "Zoo Boo" event. And I of course left the camera in the car, but Andy brought along the video camera, so we do have a few clips of the fun they had at the zoo that day. They enjoyed trick or treating, pumpkin decorating, some carnival games, and seeing the animals as well... On this particular day both girls decided to dress up as Cinderella and luckily we have 2 Cinderella dress-ups.

Then the next Saturday we attended the traditional "trunk or treat" in our church's parking lot. By then Natalie and Craig were moved down and Grandma Smith was visiting. So, we had fun trunk or treating with them. And for this evening Rachel stayed with Cinderella and Audrey switched to a cheerleader. I'm loving that Halloween costumes are so easy for girls! :)

This was our first Halloween spent with family, it was so much fun for the girls to have Chase there.

A picture with Grandma:

The girls each got their faces painted. Rachel had a unicorn and Audrey had a heart balloon. The kids had fun playing carnival games and got lots of candy that night.

On Monday, the real Halloween, the girls, Andy, and Grandma went trick or treating in our neighborhood for the first time. Unfortunately I got sick that afternoon, so I laid low while the others went out. I had already offered to a friend in the neighborhood for her boys to go trick or treating with our girls (my friend had a 10 day old baby, a fractured foot, and a husband working late). So, Andy and Grandma were troopers to take 4 little ones out. For some reason we didn't take any pictures of the actual trick or treating, but the girls enjoyed themselves. Once again they were both dressed up as Cinderella. It was fun to have Grandma here to spend Halloween with us. We collected way too much candy - we're still working our way through it. But it seems to be like this every year. Last year around the end of March I was using candy corn to potty train Audrey. I just hope Santa knows that we don't need more candy put in our stockings! :)

Carving Pumpkins

The Friday before Halloween the girls carved their pumpkins. We just picked them out at the grocery store and I must say we did a good job because they were pretty empty on the inside. I got a kick out of the girls insisting on wearing gloves to clean out the pumpkins... Just wait until we add a boy to the mix. It will be interesting to see if he's like his sisters or just all boy. :) I helped Rachel and Andy helped Audrey. Rachel was very adamant of how the pumpkin was to be carved (I think this was due to school and what a typical jack-o-lantern was supposed to look like).

Cleaning out:

Finished products:

Our pumpkins actually lasted about a week, which is pretty impossible here. But thanks to a bit of a cool down they didn't get moldy by day 3. The girls had fun lighting their pumpkins each evening on our front porch.