Sister video

Matching chairs (which they love) matching new dresses and matching pigtails.
What cute sisters!

Christmas in Salado

Christmas day family pic in front of the tree!
My greatgrandmother thought girls should always get a babydoll so my mom has carried this on which is fine because Gloria loves babydolls (and threw a fit while Caleb was getting it out of the stupid parent-frustrating packaging. On Christmas Eve we went to 'Grandmama's house' the nursing home and sang lots of Christmas carols. Lydia impressed us with her knowledge of so many of the words. This my mom, Grandmama, Aunt Kathy and Uncle Jim.

Santa came and brought fruit snacks and candy canes-Lydia had talked about it for a year.
The cousins in the awesome chairs from Bill & Jessamy. Green is Lydia's favorite color and Gloria LOVES chairs so they are perfect. Back home they go back and forth playing and then sitting in their and each other's chairs.
Below Gloria sneaks away to play with Lydia's Santa present-Wiggles guitar and Jonathan's truck.
Sunday morning we headed back home after a week on the road.

Outside Christmas fun

Lydia loves climbing trees.
Dad saved this baby cedar so his grandkids could decorate it. We bundled up and participated.
Caleb is now a bowhunter and he sat in a tree stand the day before and after Christmas and got this doe so now we have lots of good meat. My mom's present to herself was to have it processed instead of the guys doing it in the backyard :)

Christmas Beaumont

We started our celebrations in Beaumont at Caleb's mom's home with her sister and son, and Matt, Heidi, Justin and Catherine and families. So there were seven kids under 4.5. Utter chaos! But there were good times like Lydia and Gabriel eating chips off the table together and lots of coloring by Lydia and Sophia. The babies were sweet (though helped confirmed I don't want another one). Lydia also enjoyed singing Christmas carols. Opening presents was quite a show and the kids got tons of presents. But we had some sunshine and enjoyed walks on two different days. We watched fun movies and ate way too many sweets.

Party Night

Before leaving town for a week, we had a Saturday of partying. First the Austin Area Birthing Center (where Gloria was born, had an open house with a 'train' ride and Santa-we got one of Gloria crying with him now! and face painting-Lydia got a mermaid. Then we had dinner at a Med buffet and walking by Austin weird Christmas lights with some friends from Sunday school. Fun big day!

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!