Happy Baby

Everybody was jolly yesterday!

Merry Christmas 2010

Merry Christmas to all.  The girls have had a good Christmas.  Christmas Eve was marked with service at church, complete with songs and candle lights.  We returned home to open the traditional present -- jammies!

Christmas morning came around 6:30 (Tennyson was the first to awaken).  Olivia had the great idea that Santa may not be able to deliver a whole trampoline in his sled, so he may have to bring it in boxes.  That is exactly what he did.  That didn't stop the girls from looking outside to see if their only Christmas wish was delivered.  As can be seen from the picture below, they were a bit disappointed to see nothing set up in the back yard. 

 This didn't stop the Christmas cheer though.  It turns out that Santa left clues throughout the house, and the girls had to figure out where the next clue was hidden.  They finally ended up in the garage and found three large cardboard boxes marked "Trampoline."  They still weren't too impressed with three large cardboard boxes.  But, the festivities continued.

We opened presents.  We ate sausage balls.  We ate chocolate.  We ate Little Debbie Christmas cakes.  We ate biscuits and gravy.  We ate candy canes and lollipops.  We played with our toys.  We had fashion shows.  We ate some more.  Then, it was nap time.

And, good things come to those who wait.  In this case, they waited about four hours to have the trampoline up and going for business.  Fortunately, it was a beautiful day without wind, so the assembly wasn't too bad.  It did take some time, but it was well worth the wait.  The girls and Mark played in it about one hour, which may have burned off a few needed calories. 

Finally, we headed to the neighbor's house to enjoy some good company and great smoked ham and turkey, sweet yams, stuffing, bacon-wrapped green beans, cheesy potatoes, fudge, cookies, chocolate pretzels, etc.   It was a good thing too; we were getting hungry.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

They Keep Growing

Olivia survived her first semester of Kindergarten, and she kicked off her winter break with a Christmas program.  She had her own part . . . shouting "like a light bulb" during the Rudolph song.  She has enjoyed the time away from school -- helping mom cook, playing with Katelee, and eating lots of sweets. 

Tennyson continues to grow and learn.  She has her smile down pat (as well as pooping).  She is also sleeping around 8 hours per night now.  Yeah!!!

Katelee has enjoyed a playmate while Olivia has been out of school . . . well, in between fighting.  She continues to spend most of her day in her dress up clothes.  I'm assuming this is early training for changing clothes as she gets older.

Christmas Time is Coming to Town

December has been a busy time thus far.  We made a trip to MO for Thanksgiving, and the festivities seemed to begin then!  Trees were decorated and cookies were baked (and eaten).  This continued once we returned home.  Today was especially important since it allowed the girls to reveal their Christmas gift wishes to Santa.  We were able to eat breakfast, meet with Santa, and do some crafts this morning.  Now, we'll see if the girls are nice enough to get their wishes . . . only 14 days left!!!

Hang On!

2010 Nov 034, originally uploaded by counsel14.

Sleep is good

2010 Nov 055, originally uploaded by counsel14.

Hanging On

2010 Nov 033, originally uploaded by counsel14.

There Was a Little Girl

THERE WAS A LITTLE GIRL

There was a little girl,

 And she had a little curl

Right in the middle of her forehead.


When she was good


She was very, very good,


And when she was bad she was horrid.


One day she went upstairs,


When her parents, unawares,


In the kitchen were occupied with meals,


And she stood upon her head


In her little trundle-bed,


And then began hooraying with her heels.


Her mother heard the noise,


And she thought it was the boys


A-playing at a combat in the attic;


But when she climbed the stair,


And found Jemima there,


She took and she did spank her most emphatic.


HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW

Happy Birthday Katelee

Katelee celebrated her 3rd birthday this week.  She managed to snag a chocolate cake -- complete with candles -- and some good gifts.  We had a good dinner at the neighbors Friday night, so the girls got to play with some other kids.  Then, on Saturday, we made the trek to Lubbock to partake in Chuck E Cheese festivities.  The girls had a blast.  Then, we checked into a hotel and swam for awhile.  To top off the evening, we got decked out in our Mizzou gear and braved the Red Raider football fans.  Evidently, we were good luck for the Tigers.  They were winning when we left the game at half-time, but they ended up losing.  The girls didn't really care since they got to meet Truman the Tiger! 

Halloween -- The final cut

Tonight was the final night of our Halloween week.  Of course, the pentacle of the pumpkin celebration is Trick or Treating!  We set the pumpkins out on our sidewalk, turned up the spooky music, and loaded two baskets with candy.  While Courtney and Tennyson stayed behind to hand out candy, Mark and the girls headed around the block.  Olivia was sporting a butterfly costume, Katelee was a Flower Princess, and Tennyson made a tu-tu look good.  The girls must have done well based on them complaining that their bags were getting too heavy.  So, after a practical sprint from house to house, we ended back at our house in time to unload the stash and begin a healthy binge of sweets right before bedtime.  All in all, the girls had a good time.  Hope you had a Happy Halloween too!

 

The End

Fall Festival

Continuing with our Halloween all Week activities, today was the Fall Festival on base.  The girls enjoyed face and hair painting, Needle-in-a-Haystack candy search, ducks in a pond, pin the beak on the owl, fishing game, pumpkin ring toss, and bouncy castles.  The girls also enjoyed touring an ambulance, the EOD robots, and the static air display.  They managed to snag some more candy also -- of course.

Halloween is Scarier with Three Girls

Halloween kicked off on Wednesday this week for us.  The medical group had a trick or treat after work on Wednesday.  So, the girls dressed up in the costumes and made the rounds to secure two bags of candy.  Then, on Friday, Olivia's school had their Halloween party.  Courtney rushed from the clinic's "Welcome Taylors" potluck lunch to the school Halloween party.  The kids all dressed up and looked great.  We completed the night by carving pumpkins.  We bet Katelee would not like the pumpkin gunk, but she dove right in helped design her pumpkin.  Meanwhile, Tennyson was less than impressed.

Somebody is sleeping

2010 Oct 091 edit, originally uploaded by counsel14.

Little bit of Liv Love

2010 Oct 116 edit bw, originally uploaded by counsel14.

Sisterly Love

DSC08195 edit, originally uploaded by counsel14.

Katelee enjoying being a big little sister!

Getting Settled . . . Again

After nearly 3 months of watching the girls, Grandma Gerri headed back to her home.  It has been such a blessing to have grandma watching the girls, especially for so long.  It was great to get back together as a family.  The girls are settling into their new surroundings and with their new sibling just fine.  They are making friends with the neighborhood kids, as well as enjoying their own games together (usually involving some type of dress up). 

Tennyson continues to eat, sleep, and poop.  Although, she is having a bit of problem with the "sleep" part in the middle of the night.  She might have a touch of reflux.  Or, she is just mean and enjoys torturing her parents.  She had a check up last week and is weighing in at a whopping 5 pounds 8 ounces.  She seems to especially enjoy her bath time.

Enjoy a few new pics below.

Olivia's K Pic

Meet the Family

Courtney woke at o-dark-thirty to hop a plane to New Mexico today.  She bid farewell to Orlando and her awesome friends, placed Miss Tennyson in her Moby wrap, and boarded the plane.  She was able to meet up with her dad in Dallas, and both of them flew up to Amarillo.  Then, they drove home.  Mark also made part two of his drive across the country, and he made it home about 6:00.  The girls were ecstatic to meet their new sister, and Grandma and Grandpa may have enjoyed the moment a bit too.