Happy 1st Birthday Sophia

Such a joy to be around,  a love bug...not a cuddle bug, but definitely a love bug.  Just the best little girl, so laid back, calm, peaceful.  You have given us the easiest year.  We kept thinking at some point you would certainly start to give us trouble, but nope.  You are wonderful Sophia Rielle.  You brought in your 1 year at 21lbs, a head full of bright red hair, beautiful brown eyes, and the biggest smile that could make your heart melt in a second.  

You started walking at 9months and haven't stopped since.  You are a go, go , go girl like her mama. Anytime you are on the phone you automatically say "yaya" since your yaya gave you a little phone and taught you to say "hewoooo" over the Thanksgiving holiday.  


We are so thankful that you are ours.

Isabella 8th Birthday

So apparently you can't have started a post last year and forgotten (slacker) to publish it and have it be dumped into that days post.  This was actually started in Isabella's 8th Birthday last year on December 19th.

I can't believe I just put 8 on there.  I really feel like I am getting a little scared of this whole getting older thing, and I am not talking about me.  I mean, each year there are more challenges, things that get easier, harder, make me pick and choose my battles, make me stop and think...wait, where did she hear THAT from, dig deeper...back off.  So many choices.
My straight A student, little girl of so many words and questions, so much love and attitude all given in the same day.  The one who can still crawl in my lap and know I will hold her till she wants down.  At 58lbs and coming to my shoulders you sure are growing sweet Angel.

For your Birthday you wanted a Rockstar Runway fashion show with a Sleepover.  5 of your friends came and were packing their best "Rockstar" outfits for the show.   I did hair, makeup and nails.   Bella and her wanting straight hair is going to be the end of my patience.  It hurtse, it takes FOREVER, it does not last long, and she cries the entire time I do it...really she does, why do I agree.  I told her this was the last time I was doing it. 

Liv Doll

More presents

Rockin out after the fashion show, which was great and on video, but I have no idea how to load on here and then they danced and sang.  Here is where I also started talking under my breath, and saying prayers to get me through the night...

Oh what it's bedtime already

Goodnight.  

Christmas 2009

Every year we have a little tradition we do.  We let the girls open 1 gift on Christmas Eve, but the gift is always the same, pj's.  They get to wear them to bed and wake up in the morning to open presents in them.  

h

I guess the slacker in me is getting what I deserve, cause I thought by starting a post on the same day I wanted that post to be would be sufficient, even though I never actually ever published it...or finished it either, but that doesn't matter.  Just knowing I could start it, come back to it later and finish it would work good, but not so much.  The Mocha post was started in Sept of last year :)

Ok, so on to Christmas.  We had snow on Christmas, which I know alot of people wish for.  It wasn't much, but enough to make it beautiful and white outside.   The girls were really into it this year.  I  think this will be the last year Bella believes in Santa.  We had a whole discussion a few months ago when we were busted with the Tooth Fairy and bella said "hmmmm what else can I ask you about that's not real"  then came the Santa question, we were honest, told her the whole Santa/Saint Nick story and explained everything.  Sometime between then and Christmas she forgot all about it.  I told Nick at one point I thought she was trying to trick us.  It was like we never had "the talk", just vanished.

Bella says these are her Lucky jammers, cause she always gets what she wanted when she wears them.  I need to make a mental note to tell her NO the next time she wears them and asks for something.

Opening the Race Track from Pawpaw and Meemaw.  Check out Abby's face. 

Opening presents.

Sophia was so freaked out by that little Pluto dog thingy.  It has a remote and walks and barks and wags his tail and she ran screaming stomping her feet to get away.  I had a little fun chasing her a few times and then it was back to the twist ties and opening of packages.

Mocha, Moocha, Muucka...and Isabella

Oh boy, Isabella wanted a Mocha from McDonald's so bad.  I mean really, really really wanted a coffee from there. She came up with so many different ways to say Mocha, always got it wrong, would come out one way and she would try to correct herself with another way.  Her friend Claira has had a few and raved to her about how good it is, and how adults have coffee, and how she gets it sometimes on the days when it is free.  
We tried to talk her out of it... for weeks.  Every week on Mocha Monday Bella would beg, plead, cry, whine, get on her knees and say how much she would love it and how good it must be.  How she would drink the whole thing and how happy it would make her...sooooo we caved.  Nick and knew she would not like it, we tried telling her that...she does not exactly have a taste for things new should I say, she likes what she is used to and not really willing to try different.  
The drink was bought, (not on a Monday) and she HATED it.  Nick said she had to drink the whole thing since she begged so hard for it for so long, the look on her face said it all.  She was not impressed and then questioned why people drink that stuff.  

So here is my tribute to Mocha Monday!!

Halloween 09

It was such a perfect night, clear, beautiful, crisp weather. Sophia was not at all up to going out, so Soph stayed home with Nick and passed out candy to all the polite, kind, sweet children.

My sweet little Fairies.

Freezing in October

Oh, it is so cold here right now. The high today is 49. This is so weird to me to be cold at this time of year. I knew it was going to be getting cold soon, but I feel like we totally skipped the fall weather, or maybe this is fall weather :) not sure about that one. I have been reading that this will be a very cold and snowy winter. The girls will love that for sure. I got out all the scarves, gloves, hats, snow boots etc. from last year. Unfortunately, they no longer fit who they are supposed to fit, so a winter shopping trip is in our very near future.

I had the craziest, busiest day yesterday and had some thoughts that totally caught me off guard. I was non stop yesterday from the time my feet hit the floor. I was hope for maybe 30min total the entire day till 8pm and when I laid down last night thinking of how tired I was, I missed Sophia like crazy. I didn't get to hold her but for a few min, in between passing her off to other people (Mops, mimi, laying her down for a nap so I could run back out the door to take Abby to the doctor) and I was so sad that I didn't play with her at all yesterday, didn't get to see if she could take 5 steps instead of 4, didn't get to kiss her as much as usual, didn't cuddle with her, didn't lay on the floor while she climbed all over me. I know this is not the normal day for us, so not like it will be happening again soon, but still. I really truly missed her. SO much so, that I got my tired, exhausted, aching body out of bed and walked into her room so I could see her sleeping so peacefully one last time before I closed my own eyes. I was really surprised I felt this way after only a day of crazy chaos. I did vow to really and truly revel in her squishy, sweet babyness since this will be our last baby, so maybe missing a day of her set that off.

I have been busy making the girls Halloween costumes and they will be ready soon. I am so excited to have accomplished this and before the deadline.

Bella is doing so awesome in school and I am so proud of her, she is working so hard and it is showing in all her work. Our parent/teacher conference was awesome and she has all A's and 1 B. She loves Math, and Reading the most. She loves going to school and really looks up to the Teachers and staff there. I could not be more proud or happy for her. I think how fortunate we are to not be dealing with any issues with school work right now, or her hating to go to school, or just not applying herself how she should. I know there are many children who struggle with this and for that I am thankful.

Abby is still Abby. She has good days, bad days. She is my little strong minded, my way or no way child. She likes to put together puzzles, play hide and seek, her favorite number is 4 cause that's how old she is and will tell you in a minute, she also thinks she needs 4 of everything. Abby showed her very strong willed self off at the bust stop this morning. 30 something degrees outside 7am standing on the street corner with neighbors, Abby decides to take off the white jacket I gave her, throw it on the wet ground and proceed to stand there and scream about how cold she is while wearing a Miami Dolphins cheerleading outfit (and not the Midwest possibly warm version) I am talking the tank top/skirt version, while holding an umbrella and refusing to put the jacket back on. How hard is it to behave for 4min while we walk Bella to the bus stop. We have been talking and praying for the homeless adults and children lately at night and Abby is especially concerned for them. Asking how they eat, where they sleep, why they don't have a house, etc. So yesterday Abby decides she will ask Santa to bring her a Dora tent, with a blanket and pillow and she will give it to the kids who sleep outside so they can have a house. Then she goes "dat work mama right? Dose kids will weally like that huh?" She is so sweet and caring, when you catch her at the right time :)

Sophia is taking steps, and she has 2 teeth that are starting to come in...finally. Bella and Abby both got their first teeth at 6m and Soph just wants to take it at her own pace. She is all over the place, crawling, pulling up, taking a few steps before falling back, or sometimes forward. I was hoping she would not walk for a while longer and would stay little forever and ever, but I know that is not happening, plus with her bug sisters walking all around her, I knew it would be no time before she figured it out. Still taking 2 naps for the most part of a normal day. Sleeping through the night most of the time. Eating like crazy and just being happy and smiley and giving lots of kisses and raspberries to most people.

Family...

It is so hard to find any pictures of us all together.

The days pass quickly, the months fly by and the years seem to pass with the blink of an eye.

I know all too soon, our girls will be young ladies, they will be independent and on their own and Nick and I will look back and wonder where the time went.

They will be strong women, who stand up for who and what they believe in.

We will give them every bit of knowledge we have and teach them to learn from every mistake made.

They will have learned to love each other and will have close relationships with one another.

They will not be afraid to love and be loved.

Best of all, Nick and I will have taught them, raised them, loved them.