Last Post of the Year!

2009 I think will be year we look back to and remember as a year of growth. Growth for the girls in so many ways it is easy to loose count. We were eating dinner tonight and Chris and I were talking about Charlotte and her big girl bed, he had totally forgot that Lily too upgraded this year. Growth for Chris and I not only as a couple but also as individuals. He and I hit a large bump in our road this year. While I am not happy that we had to go through that period, in the end I think we came out stronger for it. I know that we are only going to keep growing as a family as we enter into this next year.

2010 has a lot of wonderful things already waiting for us. First of all Chris and I will be celebrating our 10Th wedding anniversary, and a total of 15 years together as a couple. In September we will be heading back to Walt Disney World to celebrate our anniversary along with my parents who will celebrating their 35Th wedding anniversary!

This time next year Charlotte will be potty trained! Wahoo! Hopefully so will Gracie Puppy! Double WaHOO! :-) Chris will be rounding home with his Bachelor's program.

I am working on a video for the whole year. I normally try to do one for each of them on their birthday but time just got away from me, so I am going to wrap them both into one!

I hope that you and yours have a wonderful happy healthy New Year!!

Bye-Bye Baby

About 6 weeks ago, Charlotte decided that during her nap time she would no longer be sleeping in her toddler bed. The first time she did this about scared me to death because when I went in to check on her I didn't see her right away. Lily doesn't nap in her bed, she likes ours to nap/rest in so she really thought it was funny that 'silly Charlotte' was using her bed. Ever since that very first day she has flat out refused to nap in her little bed. Charlotte would sleep in her bed at bedtime. Lily made it quite clear to her on those first few attempts that Charlotte made that she didn't find it that funny.

Chris and I knew that she wouldn't last very long in her little bed, and were very glad we didn't invest too much money into it. But we were very concerned as to how two twin beds would fit into their bedroom. At first we looked at bunk beds, but we were very uncomfortable with it. We kept thinking it over trying to figure out the spacing. In the meantime she just kept napping away in Lilu's bed!

Then Christmas week came. Chris and I had been talking about what we would do over his break from work and school. We had nothing at all planned. This is not a good thing for us, as we seem to get into projects. This week has been one huge project.

We realized that the only way to get their two beds in the room was to not have the last two remaining pieces of the nursery furniture in the room. Not really what we wanted to do for a couple of reasons; 1) it cost a lot for it, and 2) I am not ready for it to be gone. What to do? What to do?

Then it hit us in the back of the head... re purpose! Both pieces were saved, just moved out of the room. In their place is now two (much smaller) dressers, TWO big girls beds and two very happy little girls!!

Bye-Bye Baby Charlotte :-( Hello to our newest Big Girl!! :-)

Here is the video from our adventure!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Best.Christmas.Ever!

The title of this post says it all! Today was simply blissful. Chris and I were hard at work until about 1:30 this morning. I think the few glasses of wine didn't help our progress! Before we went to bed we had the great idea to run Lily into the bathroom to pee, to maybe help her sleep just a bit longer. It did help a little. She got up at her normal time. But not early! We will take that!

We heard her rolling around on the monitor, we wanted to hear her reaction to Santa bringing the girls their very own little tree for their room. We were laying in our bed giggling listening to her reaction. It was a huge gasp, followed by thumping of little feet. She had announced pretty late in the Christmas present gathering that Little Mermaid was now a favorite (?) and she really wanted a Little Mermaid doll. Thankfully Santa got our message and right beside her already stuffed stocking was her Ariel doll! When she found it she whispered 'Charlotte wake up, Charlotte WAKE up! I got Ariel!' Then we started to hear Charlotte stir more thumping of more little feet, and squealing that she has found her 'tinter bell!'

We opened up the stockings in their room. We sent them into our room to watch a show. Chris and I really think that they thought that was it! I will let the pics do the rest of the of story.


This is what happens when you tell a 3 year old to throw the reindeer food into the yard! :-)

Leaving our food for the reindeer!
Putting out the key just for Santa!

Ohh they are sooo darn cute!! :-)
Christmas Morning!!!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I love her faces! Everything is just such a surprise for her!

Charlotte was not into it right away... ohhh but she got into it soon!

Too cute!

Charlotte and her train! She LOVES this! Santa got it just right for her!

Lily proclaimed that this 'was just what I always wanted!!'

The girls LOVE to play salon.. I have the bruised scalp to prove it!! So they HAD to have a vanity!

Getting ready to play salon!

Charlotte in her new pink satin Princess night gown, high heel dress up shoes, playing train!!

Lily with her Leapster game!

There is NO way this day could have been better! The girls played ALL day! They didn't even take a nap (oh we tried!)! I will say this evening if we had our camera out we could have won 10,000 from America's Home Videos. Charlotte and Chris were playing with the train on the floor, Chris put another little car on the tracks. He tells Charlotte to stop the train with her train controller. What does she do? What any other two year old would.... she hit the train with all her might with the controller, then yelled out 'Yeahhh!! I did it!!' OMG it had us rolling on the floor!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Tomorrow we got to visit with Chris' family in the afternoon! We are excited to see everyone!