Mother's Day 2013

So thankful for my sweet girls!  So blessed to be their Mommy!  So glad I have great examples all around me and thankful for all they do! 

Easter 2013

Worship your Savior on Easter Day!  Christ is Risen!  He is Alive!

 Egg hunting at Grandma's house

 Sweet Avery after church

 Pretty Natalie

 Sisters

Our friends little girls, Addi and Aubrey

Natalie and her little friend Aubrey

Our friends and their little girl Perry

Trying to get some bluebonnet pictures

 Bluebonnets in 2013

And Bluebonnets in 2012... they sure have grown a lot!

Update on the girls

 It's been a while since I did an update... January just flew by, and February is doing the same!  The girls are growing up so fast and are super fun right now!

 Avery will be 3 1/2 years old next week!  What a fun age!!!  She really has a little personality now.

 She is always so happy, super sweet and affectionate, getting so smart and independent. She loves anything princess, Disney movies, and playing outside.

 She has a sense of style... she likes to pick out her own clothes and assessories, which usually consist of some sort of girly dress with tights, shoes and coordinating socks, and usually a matching headband and necklace.  I just love her!

 She loves to make us laugh...

 But mostly just smile...  She is definitely our little princess! 

 Natalie is now 20 months old... how can that be?!?  She is blossoming into a beautiful little girl, unique in her own ways. She loves dancing and playing outside. Her faves are Barney, Elmo, and Dora.

This is a fun age... 

But also very trying at times...  thankfully, it's getting easier and easier.  She is learning so many words right now and learning to communicate with us. 

 The girls are starting to have so much fun together. 

They just adore eachother....

Or at least most of the time... haha.  I look at the girls and just feel so blessed to not have just one incredible daughter, but two!  How could I be so lucky?  Just love these two little girls to pieces!

 

More Christmas

Our Christmas season included 11 family/friend/work parties and gatherings, which in the end meant exhaustion!!  It was lots of fun, though, and we really feel blessed to be able to get together with so many wonderful friends, co-workers, and family.  Lots of great memories...
Here was the last leg of our Christmas gatherings.  My Grandma's house and then the big extended family (my late Grandpa and his 3 brothers and all their families) the following day.  Here were a few pictures!

 Avery got more princess dresses and crowns!!  She wore this adorable pink one all weekend!

 Sweet Natalie posing for a picture

 Natalie and Avery with their Great-Grandma (almost 87), so special!!

 Ted playing dominoes with the kids

 NaNa and the little ones, they both wanted her lap.

 The girls having fun

Cousins playing dominoes

Christmas 2012

What a wonderful Christmas we have had!  We enjoyed lots of time with both of our families, and created lots of fun memories with the girls.  This was really our first "big Christmas" with the girls, since the past few years they have been too young to really understand.  But this year, we definitely made it a fun year.  We started lots of new traditions, such as Elf on the Shelf, Gingerbread houses, looking at Christmas lights, making mason jar gifts, and of course Christmas morning at our house with the girls.  We were able to go to Christmas Eve service at our own church for the first time in the 12+ years we have gone there.  Avery met Santa twice and sat on his lap and was so excited to ask him for her "make-up" table.  Thankfully, Santa listened and brought both she and her sister princess vanities!  Overall, it was just a wonderful Christmas with our girls.  We are truely blessed! 

 Our first stop was at Nana and Grandpa's house.  The first night we went down to "Zoo lights."

 It was really pretty, but LOTS of work with the girls.  The zoo was packed, it was dark, and the girls were hungry and tired... but it was a cool experience. 

 Avery on a giraffe with her light up sword.

 Grandpa and Nana with Natalie (who looks so thrilled!!). 

Avery wouldn't get in the picture, so here she is by herself. 

 The following day, we celebrated Christmas.  We really missed having the rest of the family there, but we did get to briefly talk on the phone or over the internet. 

 Avery was sooo excited about opening gifts this year!

 Natalie wanted to try her new clothes on. 

 Avery got a Dora microphone from Aunt Tiki Bird that she absolutely LOVES!  Our little performer...

 Playing her new Candyland game.

 Later we visited the park before checking out Christmas lights in the neighborhood!

 Silly monkey!

 And the following morning, the girls opened their stockings to find lots of dress-up clothes!

Our little princess. 

 We then went home, went to church, and came home and got prepared for "Santa's Arrival."  Ted and I had so much fun getting everything ready for the girls this year!

 Christmas morning... they were soooo excited!!!

 Natalie loved her new Barney!  She is so obsessed with Barney right now!

Our little Cinderella!

 My sweet girls....

 Playing with new toys

 My beautiful little princess.  She just lives in her dress up clothes right now.

Singing a duet... haha!

 And then there was Christmas with my family!  Somehow this started a trend....

 And then there were 5 kids riding on shoulders!  This is the closest thing to a family picture we got that night!  Ha!

 Our little family of 4... they look so thrilled to be taking pictures!

 Avery was so excited about a princess castle!

And Natalie got a pony to ride on!

 So fun!!!

 Peyton on his horse.. not so sure about it yet.

 Minnie mouse... I mean, Avery on the pony, with Natalie in the background, saying my horse!!!  Priceless! 

 The kids opening their stockings.

Sweet, sweet Courtney... can't wait until she's old enough to babysit!  Such a good big cousin to the girls!