Caylin's 1st Christmas song

I tried to get Caylin singing on video, but of course everytime we pull out the camera she wants to see herself in the screen. I did manage to get the 1st part of the song :)

When a 2 yr old is quiet, it's rarely a good sign!

Man, yesterday was just one of those days. Anika would not take a nap longer than 20 minutes and Caylin was testing boundaries to no end. I was exhausted! Right before putting Caylin down for a nap, I sat down to nurse Anika. Ahh, a minute to put my feet up and (try to) relax. The house was quiet. I got a little carried away enjoying the peace without even realizing that that was not normal with a 2 yr old who is still awake. All of the sudden Caylin came in to the room and I then understood why it had been so quiet. She had gotten into sister's room and found a stamp pad and went to town. I do not know how she managed to paint her entire face with it, but she did! Thank goodness she did not get this all over the carpet or walls! After attempting to wash this off about 10 times she finally looks normal again.

Aiana the 6th grader

Aiana is getting excited for Christmas break. She is really enjoying middle school so far. She had theater this quarter and just had her performance in which she was "Pam the cheerleader". She did GREAT! She is turning into a beautiful young lady. Will and I continue to be amazed at her patience with her little sisters.

Anika is one month old!

Anika is now one month old! She's still sleeping a lot (which we are enjoying). She is a very peaceful baby. She loves car and stroller rides and also loves to be carried in the sling. She's also very tolerant of her big sis Caylin. :)

This girl trips me out!

Caylin, in all her two-year-old glory, can really drive us crazy...but she makes us laugh so hard!

And what is with this face?!?

Reflections

Time goes by so fast! I am trying to take time to stop and just delight in all that God has done in my life. One of my goals for 08 is to journal more (ha, or just journal...period!) so I can have something to reflect on, and share with my friends and family. This is my first entry :)


Wow, I can't believe 07 is almost over! Once again it has been a year of many changes, with the biggest change being the newest member of our family, Anika Joy. She is such a blessing. The family is adjusting well, even Caylin. She loves her little sister, but she has a hard time understanding why she can't play and love on Anika the same way she does with her baby dolls. It is frustrating...especially when I'm sleep deprived...but more than that it is sweet to see her love for her little sister. Big sis Aiana is a great help. She is very protective over her little sisters.

We are enjoying the Christmas season so far. Christmas music fills our house everyday (Aiana looks forward to Christmas music ALL year). We had quite the fun time getting our tree. We decided to be adventerous and go out on a stormy night. We loaded up the kids and drove to Home Depot. As soon as I got Anika all bundled up in her wrap and Caylin in her big jacket, we headed out to the lot. I took Anika and found a tarp to stand under, Will and Caylin started picking through trees and it began to rain...hard! Now that Caylin and Will were drenched, I told Will to just pick a tree...any tree. Once we were home and dry we put the tree up and it was great, even in spite of the lean it has to the right and bald spot near the middle. :) It's got lots of character and smells wonderful!!

Also, with this being the Christmas season, it's time for my favorite thing...taking a Christmas photo! This year I wanted to keep it simple. So I decided to take the photo of just the girls, at home, in their pj's. Simple, right? Lord, why is it so hard to get a photo for Christmas cards??? Caylin smiles for photos ALL THE TIME, but today she decided to pout. Anika was happy and content, but as soon as I started shooting she started crying. And, well, Aiana just doesnt have the patience for posed pictures. To top it off, Will threw in a comment that was just enough for me to lose my patience. :) Fun! In the midst of all that, I did manage to get a decent photo. But, why is it that I can take tons of beautiful pictures for other families? Anyway, now that I'm over it, I think it's pretty funny. I think family photos are stressful for any family and it does take about 100 shots to get 1 good one when there are kids (and husbands) involved. :) We just never see the 99 that didnt turn out with everyone smiling with their eyes open. I think I need to make a scrap book of all the photos I have of my kids pouting, making a funny face, one person looking away or trying to get the little ones to smile, etc...









Well my personal time is up, I hear Anika waking up.