Christmas 2013!

We have had a wonderful Christmas! The girls have been looking forward to it so much this year, and it has just been fun to watch them be so excited about everything. This year, instead of our normal Christmas Eve Eve services, we had no Sunday morning services, two on Sunday night, and then two on Monday night. It was a little different spreading it out over two days, but I loved that Randy didn't have four services in one day (or 7 like last year!), and that we weren't home late on the 23rd. I took the girls to the services on the 22nd and served in children's ministry, then went back on the 23rd and attended the last service. It was so wonderful and such a sweet time of worshipping our Savior!

We baked our cookies for Santa on Monday morning, then iced them during lunch when Randy was home and when Michael and Noelle stopped by to visit. They got to help us decorate our Santa cookies last year, so now it's a tradition! We always love getting to spend time with them. I love this picture of the girls watching the cookies baking - my blonde, red, and black haired girls!

We were able to get a family picture after the last service Monday night. Still so in awe that all three of these girls are ours!

Michelle came home with us after the service and we exchanged presents. She got the girls a big bag full of fun activities and office supplies - this stapler was a HUGE hit with this girl!

After she left, Randy read Twas the Night Before Christmas to the girls. But, we had just set the cookies and milk out on the fireplace for Santa, and Calli was very confused and upset about not getting to eat any. This picture cracks me up.  

So we put her to bed and finished the story...

And then Santa came! This is what the girls woke up to the next morning - each of them got a robe from Santa and their stockings were full! Actually, they didn't wake up to this - we had to go wake them up! We needed to get started early because we were driving to Ft. Worth, and didn't want to rush our morning. So we woke them up at 7:30. Kendall and Calli were ready to go, but Cooper took a little while to wake up. She actually asked me to open her stocking for her. :) 

 

 

Randy took this picture of Kendall and Cooper when he left their room Monday night....

 

...and this one when he went to wake them up. Sweet girls! 

 

Kendall was so, so excited about her new robe! She has been wanting one for so long and now she finally has one.  

Cooper helped me open my present from Randy and the girls...a new shirt!

 

Calli started eating the peppermint marshmallows that were in her stocking and didn't put them down all morning!

Each of the girls got two gifts from us, and then they each had a third to unwrap, with part of this phrase in it. Kendall put them in order and Randy helped her read it. She was pretty confused, and told him later that she thought he just wanted her to go outside and jump! Ha!  

But, what we really wanted her to do was go outside and see the trampoline we got them! We have been so excited about this. Randy actually built it on Friday, and then we had to keep it a secret and keep it hidden Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Four days! We kept the blinds closed and didn't let the girls go outside in the backyard. In the end, it worked, and they were completely surprised! This video is a little blurry, but I love how excited Kendall was.

 

It was so cold that morning that there was actually frost on the trampoline! So they didn't want to go jump right away, and Cooper never did. Calli and Kendall jumped though, and they love it!

 

 

 We let them play with their new things for awhile, ate breakfast, and started getting packed up to leave. Kendall loved putting jewels on this jewelry/treasure box we got her. She has lots of treasures that are special to her, so we figured she would love this! 

 

 We had so much fun! Our goal was to be on the road by 11 and we pulled out at 10:59! Ready for more Christmas fun in Ft. Worth!!

December Fun!

We have had such a fun December that I haven't had much time for blogging. Facebook and Instagram make it so easy to share pictures now, that sometimes it's hard for me to sit down and take the time that it takes to blog. BUT, my main purpose for keeping this up to date is for printing it out each year for the girls to have, so I really want to keep up with it!

Here are a few pictures from this month.

The girls at church one Sunday. They felt big sitting on the stage, and getting to ride in the golf cart dressed up like a reindeer! We've been counting reindeer cars this month...I think we're up to 11!

I made them these Christmas t-shirts early in the month. I started with fabric glue, like the blog I read told me to do, but when I hand washed them, all the ribbons fell off! So, I had to go back and sew the ribbons on. I love matching shirts, though!

A family-friendly version of the nutcracker came to Lake Jackson! It was shorter and easier for the girls to understand, so I took Kendall and Cooper last weekend. They know the story, so they were very excited to get to see the ballerinas!

Kendall's friend Jill had a birthday party a couple of weekends ago, so while I took her to that, Randy took Cooper and Calli to Cherry Berry. Fun Daddy date! 

Jill's party was at a bounce house place, and Kendall loved it! She even eventually rode this mechanical bull, that she was pretty scared of at first. Two years ago she wouldn't even try bounce houses, so doing that plus this bull was a big deal! We're so proud of how she has grown this year - more brave, less shy, more willing to try new things. Maybe 2014 will be the year of new foods?? We'll see.  

Calli and I met Mary and Caleb at Fuddruckers one day when Cooper and Kendall were in school. This cracked me up - we were sitting in a booth with lots of Marilyn Monroe pictures. Calli was looking at them, then she pointed to one, turned to me, and said, "Mama?" No baby...but thanks? 

Our small group Christmas party was a white elephant gift exchange. Randy made "loafers" - a pair of shoes made out of a loaf of bread. He modeled them for the group and said they were surprisingly cool! 

Calli and I met Kendall at school one day for lunch. It was so nice outside that we decided to have a picnic at one of the tables out front. It was fun....until a bee joined us. Then Kendall said we needed to go in. :) 

Kendall labeled the girls' present to me - "AOA Dane." She started spelling MOM that way a few months ago, because she knows my name starts with A. We haven't corrected her yet. I love it!

Randy took Kendall and Cooper shopping for my Christmas present and to run a few other errands. They love getting popcorn and Sprite at Target! 

It's been a fun month preparing for our Christmas celebrations! Hopefully I'll be able to post about those soon.

 

Kendall's Christmas Party

Kendall's Christmas party was Friday! She was very excited about her last day of Kindergarten for the semester, that it was just a half day, that it was her party, and that I was coming for it! Sweet girl always wants me to come to her class, but I just can't come as much as she (and I!) would like because of the little girls. One day! But Friday, Randy was able to do some work from home, so he stayed with Cooper and Calli and let me go help with the party. So fun!

They started the morning with a school-wide sing-a-long in the cafeteria.

 

 

 

 

Then they went to their class and had breakfast! Pigs in a blanket, donut holes, powdered donuts, kolaches, and some fruit...and Kendall ate none of it! Good thing she ate before she came.

After eating, they sat in a circle to pass out their gifts. In Kindergarten, they do what they call "penny Christmas" where each child has to bring something for everyone in their class. A little crazy. But we found something we were both excited for Kendall to give - tattoos. She was so ready the whole time to pass out her gifts and I think her name was drawn like second to last. But she loved opening twenty things from all her friends!

This is her friend Sophie. :)

Sweet Ms. Woodward! We have just loved her so much!  

On Kendall's plate: her juice box.  

Finally getting to pass out her gifts!

And giving Ms. Woodward her gift. Kendall loves her so much and was so excited to get to watch her open her present.

The class as a whole gave Ms. Woodward a few gifts, too. One thing they made was a book telling all the things they loved about her and being in her class. Kendall said, "I love that she always wears a bun."  

 

I can't believe that she is halfway finished with Kindergarten now! She is doing so well and learning so much. We are excited about having her home with us for two whole weeks!

Cooper's Christmas Show and Party

Thursday was Cooper's very first Christmas party and show! It was called Christmas in the Kitchen and the preschoolers were all so precious. Coop has been so excited about her show as they have practiced for it each day at school. Tuesday she came out from school telling me all about it and telling me she really wanted Kendall to be there. Sweet girl - she looks up to her big sister so much! I checked with Kendall's teacher and she said it was no problem for her to miss a couple hours Thursday. So she got to come, along with Calli, Randy, and me! Cooper did such a good job - she was not nervous at all, she smiled so big when she saw us, and she even sang the songs! It was so much fun to watch her and to see how special all of us being there just for her made her feel.  

This is her class of giraffe friends! They are all so sweet!

 

After the show, we went back to her classroom and the kids passed out presents to each other. Cooper was pretty excited about that part!

 

Kendall went and sat with her. I love that sweet hand on Cooper's knee!

 

Cooper, passing out her presents. She gave everyone bags of kisses with a tag on them that said "Merry Kissmas, love Cooper" which is perfect because that is exactly how she says it. :)

Her friend Eli. These two love each other so much and talk about each other even at home. They have been buddies since they were infants in the nursery together. They used to lay next to each other on the mat and play together.

And here are a couple of videos. They aren't great, but you can see her doing some motions in them.

 

 

 

 

We have had so much fun watching Cooper this year, get ready for Christmas. She keeps telling us how excited she is and how she just WISHES it could be TODAY! The girls are all at such a fun age right now! And we're soaking it all in!

Living Nativity

We took the girls to see a living nativity tonight. They wore their Christmas shirts I made them and this was the best group pic we could get. I've wrapped all their presents and put them under the tree and they (especially Cooper) are a little obsessed. We'll see if we make it to the 24th. :)

 

We went to eat Mexican food first, and the girls got ice cream when we finished. They do a pretty good job when we go out to eat, but it still makes me a little stressed. We're getting there...

 
After dinner we went to the church that had the living nativity. Sarah and Caleb were there, too!

 

It was pretty ok. It was short, which was good for these girls. They thought that the people dressed up and the animals were cool. We're having a fun time this month celebrating Christmas! Lots of fun stuff to do.