Christmas Day 2011

I snuck downstairs early to get a photo of what Santa had left before the girls got up. It looks like Santa left American Girl Dolls with matching dresses.  Wow!

After the girls came down and saw what Santa had left.

Abbie got several matching outfits with her American Doll, but she says this one is her favorite.























One of Rylee's favorite gifts is her dollhouse that Jeremy and I gave her.  I love that she has spent so much time playing with it.










Rylee is pooped after all of the excitement of present opening.

We had a wonderful Christmas this year because the girls are so much fun to watch play and interact with each other.  It was fun to watch them be so excited about gifts and spend so much time playing with the gifts and with each other.

Christmas Eve 2011

Our annual Christmas Eve festivities were at Tante Lilli's house.  After church we headed to her house for a 'make your own taco bar' (a yummy new idea...hopefully it will be a tradition).  Next we took just a few family photos...

Then we started opening presents.  Yea!

Abbie asked for a rubber snake (not sure exactly) but Uncle Manfred was able to deliver on this present.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rylee asked for a blue puppy and Uncle Manfred found that too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During the middle of gift opening Rylee decided to climb up on Oma's lap and show her her tights.  They were black with silver sparkles on them and apparently Rylee wanted to make sure Oma got to see them in full effect.

She also tried on Oma's glasses...

and was willing to look up for a great picture of the two of them.

 

 

 

Abbie and Rylee got blankets from Tante Lilli and Uncle Harry.  Abbie's was a bunny and Rylee's was a cat.  The blankets are warm and cuddly and so both girls love them and use them to cuddle on the couch.  What a great idea!

Tante Lilli, thank you for the cuddly gift.  I love it!

Christmas with the Virts

We celebrated Christmas with Jeremy's family on December 23rd this year.  With Jeremy's work schedule and Josh's short time here in town, Jeremy ended up taking a day off of work to fit everything in.  I was still in the process of finishing a bedroom painting project so we didn't spend all day there, but still had a good time.  We ate dinner, opened presents, and stayed to play with all of the presents too.

Abbie and Ashley

Abbie got  a dress-up skirt from Auntie Rosie

Rylee got some Polly Pocket Dolls from Grandma and Grandpa

Abbie loved her new computer from Grandma Nita and Grandpa Jerry.  It is filled with all sorts of learning games and drawing tools.

She's so cute and nerdy.  She wants to open up the computer and start to play with the learning stuff right away.  That's my girl!

Fire Department Christmas Party

December 18, 2011

The annual Fire Department Christmas Party played out just like in previous years.  Abbie loves to make the crafts including decorating cookies, making ornaments, and coloring pictures.  Rylee loves to eat the cookies that are decorated and doesn't want anything to do with Santa.  Sounds like years past, doesn't it?

At the cookie decorating table

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trying out one of the decorated cookies

As Santa arrives and talks to the kids about good behavior and what types of cookies he likes to eat, my girls are taking it all in...

As usual Abbie climbs right up on Santa's lap

Abbie is even willing to hug Santa, thanking him for the gift

Rylee, on the other hand, wants nothing to do with Santa.  She even considers it may not be worth getting a gift if she has to get close.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nope, still don't want to get close. 

Rylee didn't like her gift from Santa. It was a singing Ernie and she liked someone else's gift better so she wasn't happy with Santa.  Abbie got a Barbie head so she could fix Barbie's hair.  She liked her gift so she was willing to pose for a picture.

Church Christmas Program

December 18, 2011

This year the church Children's Christmas Program was before Christmas rather than in January.  I get disappointed about the Children's Christmas Program since the children do very little singing and speaking (doesn't it seem like we should be watching and listening to the kids?)  This year Abbie and Rylee still were fun to watch although they didn't sing or talk.  Abbie was Mary and Rylee was an angel.  Both walked to the front of the church and stood by the manger...or at least that is what they were supposed to do.

This is Mary before the show





















Mary and the Angel (is it just me or does the angel seem to look mischievous?)










All of the "actors" in this year's program waiting to walk down the aisle.  Mary, Joseph, the angels, and the shepherds were the non-speaking parts this year.












The scene around the manger










Rylee has decided to leave her post at the manger because she felt her lips were dry so she came down to me in the audience and applied lip balm.  After lubricating her lips, she went up and sat by the manger rather than standing at her original spot.

Now Rylee decided she needed to fix her shoe.  Maybe they were too tight, or not tight enough?  Not sure, but she did get some laughs from the audience.  Meanwhile, Abbie continued her role of Mary flawlessly.  It's fun to have children alike, yet so very different!

Abbie's 1st grade Christmas Program

December 14, 2011

Abbie's 1st grade Holiday Program was so cute.  Of course Abbie was in the back row since she is so tall, but we were able to see her really well.  The 1st graders sang Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, Hanukkah, My Two Front Teeth, Who is it, and Rocking Roll Snowman.  Each song has actions which make it even more cute to watch.

All smiles and waiting to start









Where is my mom and dad?










Abbie held a candle during the Hanukkah song

This is just one of the actions to the song "Who is it?"  Cute song about spelling Santa's name.









"Do you wanna see the Rocking Roll Snowman?"









Snapping away to the Rocking Roll Snowman

Rylee Family Birthday

December 4, 2011

Rylee's birthday weekend was a fun filled weekend with her friend party on Saturday and then Sunday was her family party.  The girls sang at church first and then we went to the restaurant of Rylee's choice...McDonalds.  We invited the whole family and everyone showed for this gourmet meal, even Oma!  We ate, the kids played, and then headed to our house for cake, ice cream, and presents of course!

This time I made a funfetti cake, no blue cupcakes.

What a cutie at 3!

 

Happy Birthday to me!  I am a big girls who is 3!

Yummy cake!

Abbie, Rylee, and their cousins 

Now, bring on the presents...

Look at Abbie hovering close to see if Rylee needs help opening her gifts.  She's a magnificent big sister!

Dress-up skirt and a trunk full of clothes!

Minnie is one of Rylee's favorite things right now.  She had picked Minnie's house and dress-up out of a catalog weeks before her birthday.

Rylee is also very much into puppies right now.  She loves them and when asked says she wants a puppy for her gift.  Meanwhile, she loves on Sissy a lot.   So much in fact that Sissy probably wouldn't mind some of the love being redirected to a stuffed puppy.  The puppy Rylee got for her birthday is one that is sick and Rylee will act as the vet making it better.  Her gifts for her birthday were perfect.  She loves puppies, she has talked about Minnie since our Disneyland trip, and she loves to play dress-up so these toys will bring hours of fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are Rylee's answers to some of the routine questions I ask at each age.  Some of them I didn't ask her, I just knew.

Favorite Color:   Blue

Favorite Toy:   Minnie

Favorite Food: Pie (apple)

Favorite Drink:   Chocolate Milk

Favorite Restaurant: McDonalds

Favorite Movie: Higgly Town Heros (although she calls them the Weeble Wobbles)

Favorite Cartoon:  Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

Favorite Book: Any search and find books

Favorite Thing to Play Right Now: House or Teacher with Abbie as the teacher

What is your favorite thing to do with mom?   Play Candyland

What is your favorite thing to do with dad?   Swing me (Jeremy is a big jungle gym for the girls and they love it when he swings them, throws them, etc)

What is your favorite thing to do with Abbie?   Play house


Rylee,

This year it seems like we have seen so much growth and change in you.  You started the year just barely talking and now you are jabbering constantly.  You talk while you eat, while you play, while we drive, all the time. If you aren't talking and telling me, "Mom, you're bugging me" then you are singing Row, Row Your Boat or your ABCs or any of the songs from church.  The fun part of your conversations is that you talk like you are 5, not 3.  What you say always brings a smile to our faces.  You apologize for lots of things like, "Sorry I didn't drink all my juice." or "Sorry I told you I didn't like these pants, Sorry Mommy!"  One of my favorite things is when you are headed to swimming or dance lesson and you come running back and say, "Mommy, I forgot to give you a hug and a smooch."  How can that not warm everybody's heart?

You also are so smart and are able to sing your ABCs, count to 10, know all your colors, and are able to recognize all of the pictures on the learning to read flashcards.  Abbie is working hard at having you read since she constantly is having you do her 1st grade sight word flashcards or is reading you her stories.  You are much more of a mover than Abbie was at this age.  You don't really like to sit and color or do crafts, instead you prefer to be up and moving and doing rather than sitting.  You play with toys a lot and you have a great imagination.  Even when Abbie is at school you sit and talk to the babies or toys and make up stories about what is going and the conversations they are having. 

This year you did swimming lessons yourself (even though you were supposed to be 3) and you started tap dance lessons.  You seem to be fearless and are willing to try anything, especially if Abbie is doing it too.  You have no fear of water and will jump in repeatedly on your own.  We have to be careful when we take you swimming because you will jump in even when we aren't watching so we always have to be on our toes.  At dance class we have to wait one hour while Abbie does jazz and ballet and you like it so much that you are always asking if it is time for you to dance.  I am happy that we have found some things that you enjoy and you are excelling at them as well.

Rylee, thank you for your curiosity, your determination, and your sense of humor.   You are an individual and you make me smile everyday.  Your carefree spirit is so refreshing and a good reminder to all of us!  Happy 3rd Birthday!  I love you so much!
                                                                                                           Love,
                                                                                                               Mom