Go Ahead!

Go ahead and play with my new toys. Just remember, I won't always be this small and stuck in this chair.

A Wonderful Christmas

Once again we were blessed with a wonderful Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve with my family where it was a packed house - 30 people for a delicious dinner of turkey and all the fixings. Thanks Mom, I don't know how you manage to do that every year.

After dinner, we exchanged presents and the night was capped off with Papa reading "The Night Before Christmas." This has been a long tradition in our family. I think this part of the evening was what I looked forward to the most this Christmas. After many years of seeing my nieces and nephews with my Dad, I am overjoyed that Brian and I have little ones that can share this special moment with their Papa.

The snowy weather held off, so the drive there wasn't too bad, however the ride back home started off a little rough. Temperatures had dropped so the roads were very icy and slippery. There were several slide-offs and we only went around 30 mph. Luckily once we got more into our trip, the roads started to clear up and we made it home safe and sound.

On Christmas morning, Allison and Amelia woke to find that Santa came to visit and left them some special presents. They received a table and chair set that should serve them well over the next several years for tea parties, arts and crafts, and board games.

Allison had fun opening presents so much that she helped Amelia open hers. All the excitement proved to be too much for Amelia so she took a cat nap while we finished opening the presents.

After some much needed naps (both for the girls and myself), we went to my in-laws for dinner and gift exchange. Allison and Amelia received many more fun and exciting presents.

Merry Christmas Eve

It has been a busy day at the G. household. We took Allison out to play before the rain/sleet/snow came. We frosted Christmas cookies, the girls took a bath, had lunch, and now it is nap time (at least for the kids). The car is packed and ready to go to Nana and Papa's house for festivities. I'm so excited that we get to spend Christmas Eve with them this year. I can't wait.

Merry Christmas and safe travels.

For my non-Michigan readers, this gives you an idea of how much snow we have received so far.

Allison loved being pulled in the sled.

Allison would much rather sit than try to walk in her boots. Notice the baby monitor behind her. We didn't bring Mia out in this. Luckily she slept in this morning so we both could go outside with Allison.

Allison taste-testing the cookies.

When you are all done with your cookie, where do you put it? Why, your head of course! Don't you do that?

Weight Check

Last week Amelia had her 2-month doctor's appointment. She weighed in at 11 lbs and 6 ounces and 22 inches long. I thought she felt a little heavier than I remember Allison did at that age. I checked back in the blog and Allison weighed 10 lbs and 2 ounces at that point. I guess that explains it. Amelia is a good eater. We just bumped her up to 5 ounces per feeding.

Amelia did great at the appointment. She cried like crazy when she got her shots. I felt bad for her, but she was fine for the rest of the day.

As you can see in the picture, she is starting to smile a lot. We finally were able to catch it on camera.

Giving is Better Than Receiving

For those of you that know me, it's no secret that volunteering and giving to charity is very important to me. I hope that Brian and I are able to pass that value on to our girls and that they grow up knowing that giving is better than receiving.

This past week we took Allison to "Build A Bear" so she could make a teddy bear to donate to Toys for Tots. I have volunteered with Toys for Tots at least once a season for the last ten years. I have helped parents "shop" for their children and have seen the look of appreciation in their eyes. I know what this charity can do. Most of the recipients are good parents trying to do their best. With the economy the way it is this year, I can only imagine that there will be even more parents hoping to be able to provide at least one gift for their child.

I realize that Allison didn't leave "Build A Bear" with warm fuzzies. By the time we reached the center of the mall she forgot all about the bear. However, I figured it is important for Brian and I to start doing this while the girls are so young. Otherwise, I think it would have been too easy to say "Next year we will start" or "We had a lot of extra expenses these past few weeks, maybe we will do something next year."

I think it is safe to say that we have found a new holiday tradition for our family.

Allison made a new buddy that night. She waltzed right up to the employee and put her hands on the girl's lap. She was very curious about what was going on.

Dad and Allison fluff up the teddy bear.

As a reward for her generosity, we took Allison on her first carousel ride. She has been eyeing this ride for months. When I used to volunteer every other week, Brian would take Allison to the mall for something to do and she was always attracted to the lights and motion. As soon as Brian put Allison on the horse, she got a big grin on her face and put her hands on the pole. She was ready for a ride. Brian said that when the horse started moving up and down, her eyes got real big. She wasn't sure about it at first, but she quickly got used to it. After a few "laps" she discovered that she could wave to me as they rode by. Every time she came around to where I was standing, she got a big grin on her face and gave me a wave.

Who would have guessed that a trip to the mall could have warmed my heart so much. Thanks for the memories Allison.

Nana's Cookie Factory

On Sunday, Allison and I drove to my parents' house to participate in the Annual Cookie Day. Amelia has had a few not-so-good car rides this past week, so we decided for the sanity of all four of us to leave her at home with Dad.

Cookie Day is a special day that Nana plans when all the grandkids get to frost sugar cookies for Christmas. This was something we did as children, so it is wonderful that our children are able to continue this tradition and share this special moment with their Nana.

Nana's house turned into a cookie factory over the weekend as she made a dozen cookies for each of the 10 grandkids, plus plenty of extras to have over the holiday season. I don't know where she gets all the energy from.

Not only did Allison have fun frosting cookies, but she also enjoyed playing with her cousins.

Who needs frosting when you can just eat a cookie.

Allison didn't trust me enough when I tried to get her to lick frosting off my finger. I finally put some on her lip and let her lick it off on her own.

Once she figured out that frosting tastes good, there was no stopping her.

The assembly table where the kids were hard at work.

The kids showing off their hard work. I love how short Allison looks compared to her cousins.

A Holiday Gathering

On Saturday, we attended the annual Christmas party for Brian's extended family. It was great seeing everyone. It was the first time that many of them had seen Amelia. At first Allison was a little apprehensive of the big crowd but she quickly warmed up. She had fun walking around, checking everything out. Amelia did great as well; she didn't fuss one bit. I barely saw her most of the night. She was either with grandma, the aunts, or on occasion with Brian.



I had the bright idea of getting all the cousins together for the picture. What wasn't a bright idea on my part was putting Allison on the couch before all the other kids were ready. By the time we gathered everyone, Allison had had it and started to cry. She wasn't going to have anything to do with a group picture.

Carly was so excited all day to see Allison and Amelia. She couldn't wait to hold them.

Amelia with the 2nd youngest cousin in the family, Trystan. What blows my mind is that Trystan is five months old, the same age that Allison was at the last Christmas party, and here we have Amelia.

The location of the party worked out great. Brian's Aunt Sue rented out the youth building of her church. Allison enjoyed watching the kids play with the the basketball game. She even had more fun bringing Grandpa the basketballs one-by-one.

Two Months Old

A few weeks ago, I was giving Amelia her night-time bottle and I looked down at her. I told Brian that I was in love. I am completely, 100% in love with her. I just look at her and my heart melts. She is part of our family and I can't imagine life without her.

I think it is safe to say at two months that she doesn't have colic. For the most part, she is laid back, although she does love to be held, which can make it difficult to get things done. Thank goodness that we have a sling that I can put her in. You can tell that I wear it often because it has left a scab on my back where the straps rub against it. She also loves to cuddle.

I have a feeling she is going to be the type of girl that wears her heart on her sleeve. If Allison pokes or tugs her too hard, she has the most pathetic cry. For some reason I get the feeling that it isn't a "you hurt me physically" cry, but more of a "you hurt my feelings" type cry. I know that may sound crazy, but my "mother's instinct" says so.

Amelia is a great eater. We are starting to transition her to five ounces per feeding. No wonder why she is getting chubby cheeks.

We have had several nights where Amelia has slept from 11 pm (at her night feeding) to 5:30 or 6:30 am. It has been wonderful. Every little bit helps. She still isn't in the nursery yet. We are still in the process of getting Allison's room ready, which we expect to be done by Christmas time. We have a feeling that it may be easier for Santa to put a certain present for both girls directly into Allison's new room rather than under the tree, so we are going to wait a few more weeks.

We don't have Amelia on a schedule yet, but I have reached the point that I'm ready to start. It makes life so much easier when I have a schedule, especially for naps. Although with the holidays coming up and starting daycare soon, I don't know how well that will work out. I was spoiled with Allison being able to work at home. I had more control over the situation. Raising an infant while working is going to be a whole new ballgame for me. I have a feeling that everything that I learned the first time around may be thrown out the window.

The big question that I get asked a lot, other than "how far apart are they?" is "how is it with two little ones?" As of today, I have to say it has been great. For the most part it has gone smoothly, with a few rough patches here and there. Allison showed her first signs of jealousy when it comes to toys the other day. I pulled out a baby mirror out of storage for Amelia, but made the mistake of putting it in Allison's toy bucket. She wasn't too happy when I got it out for Amelia to play with. You should have seen the look in her eyes. Allison will have to learn pretty quickly that she and Amelia have to share toys. However when I see Allison give Amelia a hug by putting her head down on Amelia's, it makes everything worth it. It makes me appreciate being able to watch the two of them grow up together.

Congrats 87 Orange

Congrats to my friend Amber. She recently unveiled her new website for her business, 87 Orange Photography. (There are some real cute kids featured on the website, but I won't say who they are.)

Amber has taken some wonderful photos of our family. She really captures the personalities of the girls. If you ever need a photographer, be sure to check out her site.

Below is just a small sample of her work, in addition to the photos on her site. If you ever stop over for a visit, don't worry, I will bust out the baby albums and show you the rest of them.

Sweet Cheeks

It has been a while since I posted a closeup of Amelia. She is really starting to fill out, especially in the cheeks. Since her 2nd month birthday is Saturday, I will save some more details for that post.

Ozzie has a New Buddy

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,

I'm sorry I cried when I sat on your lap. For some reason Mom and Dad thought just because I enjoyed waving to you from 20 feet away, that I would actually want to sit on your lap. I just don't understand their way of thinking sometimes. Please don't take my crying personally. You seem very nice.

For Christmas, I would like some new toys for Ozzie. I'm getting kind of bored playing with the ones he currently has. I would like some new sneakers so I can run faster from mom when I have something I shouldn't have. A step stool so I can climb on the couch would be nice. Mom and Dad keep telling me to stop climbing up on Ozzie's head when he is laying next to the couch. That is the only way I know how to get up there.

I think that is it for now. Thanks!

Love,

Allison

P.S. Do you plan on taking baby Amelia back with you? Mom and Dad brought her home a few weeks ago and no one has come to pick her up yet. Just wondering.

Dear Santa,

I'm sorry I couldn't stay up long enough to talk to you. Once they got my crying sister off your lap it was so nice and quiet. Plus you are so warm and cuddly. You did such a good job at putting me to sleep that I slept all the way through the mall and at dinner. I didn't wake up until long after we got home.

For Christmas I would like a protective shield for my swing, so my sister can't get to me. At the very least, I would like a clip to attach my blanket so Allison can't take it away from me. Could you maybe get her some pacifiers so she would quit stealing mine. Thanks!

Love,

Amelia

A Wonderful Thanksgiving

We celebrated Thanksgiving at Brian's parents this year. We had an early "dinner" at 11:30 and then for some unknown reason, Brian actually watched the Lions' game. The girls enjoyed spending the day with grandma and grandpa. Allison had fun hanging out with her cousin Faith and even learned how to make silly faces.

"Come on Dad, enough football already. Let's go play."

On Saturday we went to see my family. Amelia got to meet some of her cousins for the first time. We had a nice time visiting with everyone.

Call us Mr. and Mrs. Betty Crocker. Brian and I got creative and made these cupcakes for the kids. I saw the idea in a magazine, however Brian ended up making the cupcakes, frosting them and most of the decorating. I put the candy corn in. If I tried decorating them they would have probably looked like frosting blobs.

Nana and Papa enjoying some quality time with their girls.

Papa getting in all the snuggles he could get with Amelia.

Every year my mom gives the grandchildren a special Christmas ornament at Thanksgiving. Amelia received a "first Christmas" ornament and Allison received a "big sister" ornament.

Amelia with her cousins Karleigh and Allyssa.

Cousins Chase and Cole taking good care of Amelia.

Allison enjoying playing in Nana's toy closet.

I heard Allison go into the bathroom so I got up to check on her. When I first walked in, I didn't see her and then I realized why. Allison was waiting for me to come in so I could play peekaboo with her.