Christmas 2009

Our pictures are FAR from perfect (I really do dream about the day that I am able to take "good" pictures), but they serve as a vivid reminder of all the memories that were made during our first Christmas as a family of 4. We had such a great time at all 3 of our Christmases. I hope all the pictures I chose to share dont bore you to death.

Christmas Eve (at my parents' house)

Kaylee waited and waited all day until it was time to open. Just as we were all ready, we looked over and saw that Abba had "pooped out". Kaylee was in charge of waking him up to open gifts. Kaylee opening her first gift. She was quite timid at first, but got the hang of it after the first one.

I cant decide who was more excited.....Kaylee or Uncle Johnny.

Can you believe that they have DIGITAL cameras for 3 year olds now? She documented the entire night, but then accidentally deleted all the images. Oh well, at least I have the pics from my camera.

Apparently Ainslee was not opening her gift fast enough, and Kaylee thought she needed a little assistance. Ainslee so patiently awaits as her gift is opened for her.

And Ainslee got a camera too. It isnt digital, but it is an awesome little toy, and BOTH the girls absolutely love it! (despite the look on her face. Bless her little heart she was coming down with a cold starting that day, and she wasnt quite feeling her best)

Amma Barbara gave them matching "footie" PJ's

Christmas Day (at our house)

Play food was the highlight of the morning, at least in Ainslee's eyes. Every time we turned around she was "tasting" a different piece.
Yummm grapes are so good
This plate came home in Kaylee's backpack on her last day. I could tell by the wrapping that it was obviously a plate, buy never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that it would be this. I was completely shocked when she opened it. I nearly burst into tears! I told Marcus that it was more a gift for me than it was for Kaylee. It makes me look forward to all the "treasures" she will bring home for me to cherish in the future. This little plate was probably the best gifts of the year!
1st Indoor tent Santa brought Kaylee a Power Wheels jeep. She wishes she could ride it ALL day! I am sure this summer will be filled with tours around the yard. The third and final Christmas was at Amma Rita's house

jewelry boxes from Auntie Ceire
Kaylee posing in her new jacket

Holding her new baby, watching others open their gifts. I'm definitely NO EXPERT on baby dolls (I only had 1 growing up.....that's right no barbies for this girl, just one little cabbage patch) but I do have to say that while Kaylee definitely got the better of the 2 cameras, Ainslee definitely got the better baby doll. Hers can sit up and stand by itself, talk, and even walk by itself. It is quite amazing, and I will have to get a video and show you.

Auntie Crista and Uncle Harry thought it would be funny to get the girls a tent and some balls......100 hundred balls to be exact. And she was going to buy another 100, but thankfully she refrained! You tell how excited Kaylee was with them, she dove right in

Not only did she get a new baby, she got curlers, combs, brushes, hair bows, clips, salon chair....etc. She decided to test them out in her hair first. and then she "practiced" on Auntie Crista

I still havent learned whether or not that curler had to be cut out of her hair or not (I was busy putting Ainslee to bed)

Here is Auntie Ceire attempting to get it out.......so funny! I guess that is payback for balls Crista! While the balls are a bit overboard, they are still fun
and I'm sure they will have hours of fun enjoying them. Needless to say, the 1st tent she got (from us) is going back to the store. We are keeping the mack daddy one, as Marcus calls it, that Crista and Harry got them.

Thank you EVERYONE for a truly memorable Christmas!

Did I spot a few "non Chandler" smiles in those pictures? Maybe she is outgrowing that phase

Happy End of '09

I cant believe another year is GONE! My "big" baby is going to be 3 in a few short days. I swear sometimes it seems like yesterday we brought her home from the hospital.

This year has been a big one! We have celebrated many "special" birthdays, the most important of which was the birth of Ainslee. But the other big birthdays were: my 30th, my sister's 21st, my brother's 18th, and my mom's 60th. How crazy is it that all those significant birthdays fell in one year?

I am so excited about the New Year. I cant wait to see what it will hold for us: the places we will go, the people we will see, the new experiences we will experience, watching the girls grow a little bit older and accomplish new things.

But for now I wanted to wish you all a SAFE and HAPPY New Year! I hope everyone has a great year ahead of them.......see you again in 2010

I NEED more fuzz

Tonight Kaylee was chasing Ainslee around the house, pulling off her socks, and checking between her toes for FUZZ! Oh yeah and in the meantime she was screaming "I NEED MORE FUZZ!" I swear she is OCD! She checks her own toes for fuzz like 3 times a day, if not more. Does she need therapy?

Sneak Peak and Green Cleaning Tip #23

Here are a FEW of the pictures from our ChristmasES (we had 3).

Since I didnt really have any where else to put our manger scene, I decided that I would put it in Kaylee's room. I figured she would really like it in there. And she DID! The first picture is me revealing the manger to her for the first time, can you sense the excitment? Then on Christmas Day I let her put baby Jesus in the manger. I really dislike the manger sets that have baby Jesus attached to the manger, because "technically" he isnt supposed to go in there until Christmas Day, at least that was what I was taught. She took great care in placing him in the manger and then putting the manger back into the stable. It was so sweet. I catch her at odd times talking to baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and the animals.

The dresses

such cute little shoes

didnt you know the fun is EATING the presents not OPENING them

More pictures to come.......hopefully soon

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And here's Green Cleaning Tip #23

Have you ever forgetten to cover something you put in the microwave and food splatters everywhere, or if you do cover your food and it STILL splatters. I know this is mostly husbands, but the women are usually left to clean it. Either way, if you have a dirty microwave and want to try a SIMPLE, CHEAP, EASY way to clean it.......here it is.

1. Spray vinegar in the micro, I spray one good spray on each wall and the ceiling, oh and dont forget the door.
2. Close the door and run it for 30 seconds (microwave times/ temps may vary) ha!
3. Immediately wipe clean with a damp cloth
4. The built on nastiness will just come right off! If you have a stubborn spot try the whole process again. It works like a charm every time!

Wordless Wednesday (old pics)

forgot to post these in November

Thanksgiving Day!

The Girl Effect

I saw this on Oprah and it touched me, I thought I would share it with all of you

Rambling

I have lots of things to write about and no REAL direction with this post, so you are going to get a huge hodge-podge of information. Here goes......

First of all have you ever lived with something (or experienced something) for so long that you thought it was normal even though it wasnt? You kinda knew that something wasnt right, but you just "dealt" with it? I have a lot of things that could probably fit into that category. Im just going to tell you about this one, OUR HOUSE PHONE! Since we moved in 9 years ago, we have had all sorts of problems. First, our number was double assigned, meaning they gave us our number then gave it to someone else too. Which meant we were getting both our phone calls AND their phone calls, and they were getting NO phone calls. That was a huge pain in the butt until they finally figured out what happened. All I have to say about that is some people get crazy calls at ALL hours of the day and night. And that's not all, pretty much since the beginning we have had this "phantom" fax machine. You see we really dont even own a fax machine, but our phone must think that we do. Sometimes when people call, it rings once and then goes to a fax. WEIRD right? Well lately when I have been picking up the house phone, I can hear a fax machine too. And our caller ID quit working, or would work sporadically. Then we werent able to receive phone calls, or make them. It had gotten to be more than I cared to "deal with", so I called the phone company. They gladly sent out a technician, the next day might i add, which was really nice, and he worked all day on our line. All day means he worked for 7 hours! Apparently there was all kinds of stuff wrong. Now it is fixed and I am eager to see if our "phantom fax machine" disappears too.

Is it bad that Kaylee has spent 3 nights out, over the course of this week? Oh how I enjoy my little mini breaks!

Kaylee had her last day of school today, and she got to see Santa for the 3rd time. I guess third time is a charm. Her teacher couldnt believe that she actually wanted to sit on his lap AND smiled too. I just love that smile, it isnt quite her thisismesmilingnaturally smile, but more of a I'mtryingtosmileANDlookevilintheprocess smile. I guess we have to take baby steps in the smiling department.

Now Ainslee.....HOLY MOLY!!! What am I going to do with her? She is cracking me up, such a sweet little disposition, and her personality is so fun!

But that's not all........SHE CAN EAT! She amazes me everyday/ all day with her portions. So I decided to fill you all in, here is a picture of her plate before and after dinner. And she probably would have eaten more if I let her.

And the happy little baby with a FULL belly

Keep in mind she had eaten lunch late today because she slept so stinkin' late at moms house (why can she nap good like that at our house?) For those of you that are wondering what the heck is on that plate......grilled organic chicken breast marinated in charred pineapple bourbon sauce (and NO it does not have alcohol in it! I had to clarify that), organic rice blend, 8 steamed organic baby carrots. She ate it ALL like she hasnt eaten for days, banging her tray in between every bite, and moaning with delight while she chewed. Ok so that last part didnt sound right, but I couldnt figure out how to explain that.

So this is how she works up such an appetite. She is on the go CONSTANTLY now! This is her newest accomplishment, watch for yourself

And onto an update on our chiropractor visits. We are still going faithfully twice a week. I cant really say whether or not they are "working" yet. I mean we havent had anymore ear infections, but I cant say that it is necessarily attributed to the recent chiropractic care or just a coincidence. Either way, both the girls are happy to go, and dont mind being tested and adjusted.

I found a new YUMMY thing I would like to share with all of you. Quinoa! It is really good and apparently good for you! I didnt know that part when I bought it though. It is a tasty little grain that is so easy too cook and, according to the minimual research I have done so far, is very versitle too, oh and its GLUTEN FREE! I am excited to see what kind of new recipes I can use it in. Now I just hope that it passes Marcus' taste test. Have you ever tried it? What are your thoughts/ recipes?

My little tree puts Charlie Browns' to shame!

That's right folks, we are stilling waiting/ hoping for our tree. Hopefully this pathetic excuse for a tree will be enough to make Kaylee happy. (you like the crib in the background? I still havent gotten around to returning it to my friend who graciously let us borrow it)

FINALLY after 10 months I have LOST MY BABY FAT!!!!!! YAY this is cause for a huge celebration, as I thought that I was going to carry around that weight for the rest of my life! Seriously, I thought I would never lose it! Especially since, I dont particularly eat the greatest (sweets really get the best of me), and my exercise regimen includes.....well it is pretty much non existent at this stage in my life. But I have miraculously lost the weight, and I'm wondering if that was a coincidence or due to me resorting back to my dreaded morning drink. ACV with a touch of honey (ive been using organic agave nectar since I ran out of honey) fill the cup with ice and add some water. If you do a little research you can see all the benefits that ACV has on the body, quite amazing actually. I only drink it once a day (as opposed to the reccommended 2-3 times/ day), but I also use it as a rinse for my hair. If you are going to try it (the drink part) you have to be sure and get "organic with the mother." I know sounds weird right, but that is the kind that has all the healthy benefits.

Ok I think that's enough for now.......I'm off to wrapping more gifts!

Wordless Wednesday (Part 2)

One of daddy's girls
Two of daddy's girls

All three of daddy's girls

Wordless Wednesday (with captions)

I took a few pics while Kaylee was at school yesterday

Here Tahoe, you want your toy?
Ok can I have it back now?

THANKS! You chew on that one while I chew on this one

Look at what I have mom! We are sharing!

I love my puppy!

Playing in Tahoe's bowls, just like big sister used to do

Here is Kaylee fixing the drawer knob with her head light. Such a big helper she is!
Believe it or not, this little one is starting to take a few steps. And I'd say she's pretty proud of herself