These days...

Well it's winter here in Texas so we have been spending most of the time inside. The girls have only been out in the sun once in the past couple of weeks. Here is what we have been up to:
This morning I was doing some emails and this is what the girls did-Lydia likes to put toys in Gloria's stocking for her to dump out and then they start over again. Last night 8 of Caleb's coworkers came over for a fish fry.
Lydia is starting to really enjoy helping and she wanted to mop. I thought she would only do a little but she did pretty much the whole kitchen-I felt like Tom Sawyer.
Our friend and neighbor Eris broke her leg so we have been having her daughter (who is 1.5 months younger than Gloria) over to play. This is Gloria giving her a hug!
Gloria loves to say NAAANAAA (for no, she learned this so much earlier than Lydia) but to prove that she is still an easy baby, I discovered a new tooth-not the bottom ones I have been looking for-but a top back one-its pretty much in and we didn't even know.
Since this is the month for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions, I along with a ladies from Nigeria, India, Hong Kong, have been dressing up and handing out fliers. I've been wearing my black abayah, scarf and face cover. It has been very interesting the looks I have been getting-some good (an older man said Welcome Welcome before he realized that I was part of the welcomers) and some bad (people who say I look scary, some not looking at home and walking around and an usher that told me that we don't cover our face here, you need to take that off-and I did but next week...) Its been interesting to be in another's shoes and it is helping get the word out.
Since its gotten cold (and yes I am a Texan and its only in the high 30s-40s) I have only wanted to lay around and eat sweets-just hibernating not pregnant in case anyone is curious. I also haven't been exercising or getting any sunshine-I am surprised I haven't needed to check into the funny farm yet I guess the holiday spirit is helping me out. We also have been staying up late but some mornings the girls don't get out of bed until 8:45 so its been a nice lazy week and I am thankful for warm beds!

Christmas Tree

Santa's little helpers before the Friendship International Christmas party!
This is the first year our family has a big tree. A friend picked it up on sale after Christmas last year and we just stuck it in the attic. When we opened it, Caleb had to go to his man corner in the garage and make a stand! Lydia helped decorate and all the kid friendly ornaments are the bottom. Many get taken off and moved each day. Our tree is very eclectic and we have ornaments from all over the world and different family events. Gloria occasionally will put a sippy cup or Lydia a necklace to add some piazza.
Admiring Ariel-Lydia's 3 year old ornament from Nana.


Making some changes before our SS Christmas party. So far no picture of them both looking and smiling and standing still in front of the tree but we still have a few days before we travel!

Party Day!

My Dad's 60th bday-we had a breakfast & lunch at our place. Happy Birthday Dad.
Then that evening our Sunday school class had our Christmas party. This was the attempt of a kids group picture. My girls were wonderful :)

Real Fall Leaves

The Bradford pears in our neighborhood have turned a beautiful yellow. Gloria's favorite pass time these days is walking, around the house, down the sidewalk when we venture outside, so its been hard to get a picture of her standing still.

Salado (post Thanksgiving)

Gloria's first time coloring-it didn't take long before it went into her mouth, and Lydia's new smile because she smiles with her eyes closed so we always tell her to open her eyes and this is what we get now!
Celebrating her real birthday in Salado.
The camo was in honor of Bill going hunting and Caleb bow hunting.
Julie Gamble Warden had a beautiful baby shower for Asher who is going to be born in Oklahoma. Marisa was also there from HS.

Thanksgiving at Bill's

We drove along with everyone else in Texas up I35 to DFW for Thanksgiving. They had dinner from Central Market and it was delicious. We watched the Aggies play as a family.
The cousins destroying Jonathon's closet.
On a walk around their pond. I think this is the first pic on the blog of Gloria walking.
Hooded towel time, this is the best we got-Gloria wasn't having much fun, Lydia wasn't impressed and Jonathan was wiggly!

Gloria

In Salado Gloria Joy got to meet Gloria Anne-the original Gloria!

Gloria is growing and growing. She is officially a walker now (which makes outfits sooo much easier). Her two favorite things are chairs and babydolls. She loves to climb into little chairs, rocking chairs, car seats, strollers and anything else she can sit in, but getting down in harder. There is a baby doll high chair and baby doll stroller in Lydia's room and she places dolls back and forth there. She also loves to hug them and so sweetly pats them on the back. Sometimes she won't let one go and she ends up in bed with it.
She also talks up a storm but 95% of what she says is daDAA (raised at the end) but we think she knows what she is really saying in her mind. But just yesterday she said uhoh for the first time and in the right context. Noo (said naanaa) in the correct setting is showing up a lot now too. She says ball and byebye and in childcare today they said she said snack (though I haven't heard it) which leads me to the next thing about Gloria-she eats and eats and eats. She is pickier than Lydia but generally enjoys a variety of food. Today for dinner we had pomegranate seeds, mac & cheese with tuna, then when she was still hungry, hummus and goldfish and then when she was still hungry watermelon; and of course this is after a big breakfast, snacking the whole time at Friendship, lunch and another snack! Which leads to the next thing about Gloria (people without kids stop reading now) she poops a ton. But fortunately since she was about 6 months old sometimes its on the potty. I put her on the potty right after breakfast and after her afternoon snack and 75% of the time she does her business there-it is so nice. We enjoy that time and often its the only time that I read to her as tonight for her bedtime story she pushed off my lap and the book away saying Naanaa and went after a baby doll! She was such an easy laid back mellow baby but that all changed at 11 months and now she is quite active and sometimes fussy and fit throwing but we love her the same!

Santa fun through the years!

2009, the face says it all. Santa posed behind them for the pic. The 'elves' waved the reindeer to make them smile, Gloria wanted it and threw a little fit when it was time to return it. But no tears!!
Gloria walked up to Santa but Lydia wanted nothing to do with him (even after days of excitement talking about seeing him.) She didn't even want me to put her down beside him.
2008-Gloria just hung out in his arms and was cool. Lydia again didn't want anything to do with him! We did get a good shot and cut me out of it so you couldn't see my pushing her to stand close.
2007 (notice same outfit as Gloria in 09). This day we had a long line and I just rushed up and handed her over-bad move and the tears erupted!

Three years of great fun. (Too bad we didn't do one Lydia's first Christmas but we lived in Port A and she was less than a month and I wasn't really functioning yet)
Since we've moved to Austin, my mom takes a day off work to come every year and purchases the package that allows additional pics to be taken (Thanks Donna Ma!). And every year Caleb says you paid to do that? and I answer no, Nana did :)

Lydia's 3rd Mermaid Birthday Party!

We had a mermaid pinata and it took a few turns for the 3 year olds to knock her apart (the two big siblings helped). And after six beautiful Saturdays in a row, we got a cool drizzling one so we were inside the whole time except the quick pinata. The only other activity besides playing was putting mermaid stickers on party hats.
Lydia has loved mermaids since this summer at the pool. Of course there was lots of Ariel stuff but Mariana & Dora (from Dora saves the mermaids) and other random mermaid stuff.
Gloria (who was a cute prop in her mermaid dress) enjoyed Daddy's cake. We also had hot dogs, fruit salad and chips.
After lots of great presents (and Lydia did a wonderful job of saying thank you to each person), we cleaned up and got them in bed. Lydia currently has a bladder and ear infection and a lingering cough so we were very impressed with her at her party and think a good time was had by all.

More Fun (bdays and leaves)

Fairy Birthday party for a friend
Jumping in fall leaves!

We have been doing the Fall Birthday circuit. In her SS class there are 5 girls born within 6 weeks, so every weekend except Halloween, we've had a party. This Saturday is Lydia's Mermaid Party and she is getting to watch the Little Mermaid for the first time right now. Ever since the summer when an older girl at the pool suggested playing mermaids, Lydia has been enthralled. And Dora has a mermaid episode, too.

Sisters

in matching dresses with their daddy before church.
Both wearing Big Girl Shoes
We went to the Botanical Gardens today and had a great time. (you can see the pigtails didn't last on either of them)

Fun

The weather has been wonderful for weeks. So we have been enjoying it.
We went to a farm and posed by some Morning Glories with our Glory. It was drizzly but still nice to be out.
Then Lydia stayed a night with the grands and got to ride a horse for the first time!!

Dress up!

Our neighborhood had a Festival the week before Halloween.
Then the night of my parents came and we handed out candy and took Lydia down the street for trick or treating. Caleb hadn't cut his hair in a while so he made a great Wolverine.

3rd Pumpkin Patch

This was our third patch in 2009 and also the third year in a row that have been to this one in Austin. Our Sunday school meet together and then we had dinner at Phil's afterwards. Same itenary last year (but with Caleb's family) and it was Gloria's first time to go to a restaurant, now she is big enough to eat sweet potato fries.

Carrie's pumpkins

After the reunion, we put Caleb on a bus and stayed with Carrie for a couple of day. We went to a pumpkin patch that was so wet. Gloria LOVED to crawl through the mud.

Reunion

Caleb's grandmother's family has their reunion in Mineola, Texas. It was our first time to go and all of his immediate family attended. The girls were/got sick. It was outside and really cold, but still nice to all be together.

October Fun

October is a month of many birthdays and we've been to lots of great parties.
This is friend Juanita's Princess 3 year old party.
Lydia in her fall jumper
Aunt Kathy's party in Belton.

1st Pumpkin patch-Elgin

We love pumpkin patches. Calaeb was gone hunting (didn't get anything) so my parents came up and we went the Elgin Christmas tree farm's Fall thing.
It started raining so we took shelter in a tin barn with pumpkins and scarecrows. Gloria wants to keep up with the big kids.
Lydia agreed to sit by the scarecrow but didn't want to be too close.
Both of their first hay ride.
Re-enacting Gloria's first trip to a pumpkin patch where she was spread out on a big pile (though then she was sleeping)