An Amazing December!

This might be a fairly overwhelming blog for those who read this, but I had to do some major updating for myself in order to keep our memories alive over time and there was no better time then the present...........
December was such a great month for our family, we were lucky enough to spend most the month seeing those that we love. To start the month off, our close friends the Green's came to AZ for a week-long visit. It is hard to believe this was the first time we had seen each other since the "babies" were born, which had been over a year! It was fun to see the little ones interact and the big girls play and bicker like sisters. Christina and I enjoyed catching up, shopping, eating and drinking together, while the guys got to golf and watch football. We are so blessed to have such amazing friends!
Here are some pictures of the kids hanging out......

One night, us adults actually managed to have a night out! Thank you for babysitters :)

It worked out perfect that the weekend that Sean and Christina were visiting was when our neighborhood Christmas party was. The girls enjoyed talking to Santa and riding the horse and sleigh with Mrs. Claus while listening to her read The Night Before Christmas.

It was so sad to see them leave after such a great week!

Here's our little reindeers getting ready for our Christmas adventure to CA.

While in CA we were able to spend time with both families and lots of friends. Here Rilyn was enjoying some games of Go Fish with Grandma Mary.
A tradition we continue to have is our annual baking day. Last year Rilyn finally got to help in the decorating of the sugar cookies. This year she seemed to enjoy it just as much. I think she talked about cookies for a week straight!

Gramps also gave her a lesson on dipping the peanut butter balls into the chocolate, yum!

Another tradition that we have is my Dad dresses as Santa each year on Christmas Eve to give an early present to all the good boys and girls......

Finally, Christmas morning/afternoon, before heading downstairs to see if Santa came, we have to take a pictures of all the kids and big kids on the stairs.

One of the best gifts this year was from Grammy, Papa and Gigi. Rilyn and Emerson woke up Christmas morning to find a new princess truck waiting to be driven. Unfortunately, Rilyn needs a few driving lessons, she doesn't seem to understand the importance of steering.
Christmas night, my sister made a Thanksgiving style dinner since this year we were all apart. It was delicious and I think my kids enjoyed it the most!

After putting Emerson to bed, us adults exchanged gifts while letting Rilyn be the official unwrapper. She also reminded everyone to say "thank you" and "you're welcome".

Finally, to end our trip, we spent 3 days at Lake Almanor where my parents cabin is. It was fun to be in the snow and Rilyn could not get enough of being pulled around on the sled by Gramps and Uncle Grayson.

While at the cabin my Dad made his famous homemade pizza and passed the recipe down to my brother.

Uncle Grayson also made a pretty cool fort for him and Rilyn to play in, although Emerson wanted to check it out too!

On the way back down the mountain the girls were both pretty worn out, but Rilyn kept Emerson comforted, so cute :)

Our last night, Nana pulled out the lollipops and it was a BIG hit. I have never seen Emerson so happy for so long. She thought her lollipop was the greatest thing and we got a kick out of watching her eat it.

Rilyn has not taken off her new Snow White dress since she got it for Christmas, she has already asked if she can wear it to school this week.

I had to take a picture of Emerson because I was actually able to put a clip in her hair without her noticing, so it stayed in for a couple hours and she looked so cute!

Rilyn got a new kids cookbook for Christmas and of course as soon as we got home she wanted to try something out. She picked to make the lemon meringue cookies and they turned out pretty good.

Thank you to all our family and friends for making December 2009 such a memorable one. We look forward to what the new year will bring. We hope for a year filled with happiness, health and lots of laughter!!

Pumpkin Patch

Yes, I am still trying to catch up.....
This year we took the girls to the Pumpkin Patch and it was awesome! There was so much to do and see and Rilyn especially had a blast. Our favorite thing was the corn maze, it took about 45 minutes and Rilyn loved it because there were mailboxes throughout with puzzle pieces in them. By the end of the maze she had completed a puzzle with a picture of the whole maze on it. The whole time we let Rilyn choose which path to take, just like Dora does :). This place will definitely become a tradition for our family each year.

Rilyn took this picture of Jeff and I, she thought it was pretty funny!

Happy 1st Birthday Emerson!

So, yes, I am very late in posting birthday wishes for my Baby Girl! Happy 1st Birthday Emerson!! You are such a special little girl to your Daddy and Me. We couldn't imagine our lives with another baby when we only had Rilyn, and now we can't imagine our lives without you. You are truly a blessing from God. You bring a smile to everyone's face just with your toothy grin. It is hard to believe you have already been part of our lives for a year now, it still seems like you just arrived. You are so different from your sister in so many ways. You are our little adventurer, no fear of anything! Climbing is one of your favorite things to do, and every time you get on top of something, you make sure that someone is noticing. You took your first few steps at 10 months and now we can't keep up with you, walking is your primary mode of transportation. You have almost all your baby teeth already, which is pretty crazy! You are a great sleeper, and can sleep pretty much anywhere. You have more nicknames then anyone I know (most of which came from your sister): NeeNee, BooBoo, Boo Boo Bear, NuNu, Emmy, and just Bear, which fits you best since you growl all the time. You do have a hard time entertaining yourself, you always want to be held. You could care less about tv, books and car trips. You love anything your sister plays with, although she gets upset when you "mess up" her stuff. You and Rilyn make eachother laugh, which is my absolute favorite thing to watch. You are beautiful and sweet and your Dada and I love you so!! Happy Birthday Baby Girl, please don't grow up too fast!
The Birthday Girl.....

Rilyn's #1 Fan.....

Opening presents with a little help from your Big Sister.

Cheese.....

After a fun Puppy Party...........

Happy Birthday Pumpkin, We LOVE You!!

Where To Begin?

Luckily I have kept up with taking pictures lately, but haven't found the time to blog. I am going to try my best to catch up with everything that has been going on with us lately between Emerson's Birthday, our visit to the Pumpkin Patch and Halloween.
With the weather supposed to be cooling down (although it actually isn't), Jeff and Rilyn have been working in the yard together on re-seeding the grass and planting new flowers. Rilyn really enjoys this time with her Daddy and I know he loves it just as much!

E is still a little too young to help out, but she sure is styling in her shades! Fun with boxes has been an ongoing theme around our house these days, from train rides to hiding spots.

Not only is Emerson a walker now, but she is a climber, which is even worse. Anything and everything we find her on top of, from step stools to our night stand and of course in the dryer or dishwasher. You can't take your eyes off her!

With the boxes we have had around and the kids couch, she has figured out how to push things around to get to places to climb up to. The scariest thing is when she figures out a way onto the couch since she doesn't understand that falling off onto the tile floor is dangerous. Oh, my little adventurer.