New Favorite Pics

It was beautiful outside yesterday so we spent some time outside.  That is my favorite time to get pictures of the girls.  They both had so much fun on the swing set and then we brought Braelyn's exersaucer outside.  I LOVE both of these pictures!

More Presents!!!

When we got home from Shreveport, Emerson was pleasantly surprised that we still had presents from Grandma and Papa to open!

I can do it all by myself!

Em went to tearing into packages so fast it was hard to keep up with who sent what!

Em with her new Dollie from Grandma and Papa

Braelyn still working on her first present and Emerson was done!

 Em's and her Dollie have matching outfits and pajamas...so cute!

Em with all the stuff in her Ariel spa kit from Aunt Sissy...hilarious!  Her face was covered with lip gloss within seconds and she was trying to get into the nail polish!

Christmas on the Farm

This year we spent Christmas on the farm in Shreveport.  We were so excited to catch it on a year when everybody was there.  We got there on Thursday and stayed until Tuesday.  Unfortunately it rained pretty much the whole time we were there but we still had a great time.  We went to see the Christmas lights at the American Rose Center one night.  Emerson and Gransan bundled up and rode in the bed of the truck on the way in to get a good look and once we parked Em, Gransan, Patsy, and I walked through some of the lights while Daddy kept Braelyn nice and warm in the truck watching Toy Story!  On Christmas Eve, Emerson and I baked cookies for Santa and then we all went up to Jerry and Janet's for amazing food and presents.  When we got back to Gransan's we opened more presents, Em worked on her letter for Santa, put out his cookies and milk and then it was off to bed.  Christmas morning was so much fun.  Emerson was so cute coming in half asleep to see what Santa had brought.  First she saw that he had eaten his cookies and drank his milk and then ran to see what was under the tree.  She was so excited to see the pink watch and camera that she has been asking for for weeks...her reaction was priceless!  Seeing her and Braelyn looking through their stockings side by side was all the Christmas present that I needed!  After church we headed back to Jerry and Janet's to eat and for all the kids to play.  It was a perfect Christmas!

Cheers!  Em insisted that Gransan sit at her table every meal.

Gransan and Braelyn playing ball

This year Em and I took the easy route for Santa's cookies and did slice and bake...he didn't seem to mind!

Emerson was very meticulous about putting on the sprinkles just right!

Are they ever going to be ready?!

She had to do a taste test to make sure they were perfect for Santa!

It would be Christmas on the farm without family picture sessions!  They all turned out really good!

Gransan's girls

Braelyn is quite the Daddy's girl these days!

Emerson loves her Gransan!

Bailey and Braelyn

Emerson wasn't so sure about Janet's singing Christmas puppy but Braelyn loved it...she cried when it stopped singing!

FINALLY! Time for presents!  Bailey and Jenna got Em off to a good start!

Braelyn loved her new book

Thank you Jaf and Shell for my princess tent!

Emerson followed the ribbon to the ballerina doll from Jerry and Janet

I loved just watching her face

Emerson, Jamie, and Braelyn in Braelyn's princess tent(Emerson and Braelyn both got princess tents from Jaf, Shell, and the girls).

Braelyn and Emerson got things monogrammed from Gransan with her name...you can't find Gransan on things in a store!  Braelyn got a Gransan Spoils me bib.

Braelyn, Gransan and Emerson having fun opening presents

Hard at work "writing" her letter to Santa.  She had to give the cookies one more try before she put them out for him too!

YEA!  Santa found us at Gransan's house!!!!

So cute!  Em rolled up her sleeves and went to work finding out what Santa brought!  I was surprised that Braelyn actually got her's out by herself too!

Wait a second...I think Santa brought Em more!

Emerson was so excited about her camera.  Before the day was done she had taken over 100 pictures!

My new favorite family picture!  Best Christmas yet!

So many fun memories made at Gransan's house!

Jon and Dondi were so sweet to be on Braelyn duty while Shawn and I got to eat.

Braelyn snuggling with Janet

Jerry and Braelyn

Patsy and Emerson playing while Mommy and Daddy got a date night.

Christmas Lights

Before we headed to Shreveport for Christmas we took the girls to the winter wonderland by The Woodlands mall.  There are Christmas lights and an ice skating rink.  It is not a very big wonderland at all but my guess is in the eyes of a 2 1/2 year old and a 6 month old, it was big enough!  First we had dinner at Chipotle and then loaded the girls in the stroller all bundled up.

 Too cute...we looked down and Em was holding Braelyn's hand!

 I think they were having a good time!

6

With all the excitement of Christmas I am a little behind in posting this but our sweet Braelyn turned 6 months on December 21.  A couple of weeks before her 6 month check up, I took her in to get some advice from the nurse practioner because she was still pretty fussy and not sleeping very well at night.  She had us change her formula to the hypoallergenic Enfamil Nutramigen( a.k.a Liquid Gold!).  Within a day we noticed a difference in her.  She has always clasped her hands together so tight-her teachers at The Academy have always joked that she prays all day long...within a day she stopped doing that and was so relaxed.  It made us feel terrible to know that she has probably felt horrible for 6 months and we had no idea it was because of the formula!  She is all smiles most of the time now.  She still is not happy when it comes to being around new people, especially in unfamiliar places.  She likes to be at home with Mommy, Daddy and Em!  She can now sit up by herself and no longer needs to be swaddled to go to sleep.  She loves playing pat-a cake, especially when I have her laying on her back and do it with her feet.  She also loves to jump.  If you hold her where she is standing she starts jumping, she goes crazy jumping in her Jenny Jump Up and in the jumper at The Academy.  She still wants no part of eating cereal and we have learned that it has nothing to do with the taste of cereal...she will inhale it if we will put it in a bottle.  She just doesn't want the spoon!  At her 6 month check up, developmentally she got an A+, but we got the bad news that she had her first ear infection!  That helped explain the return of the fussiness and lack of sleep the two nights before!  She was 16 pounds 5 ounces(55%), 26 1/4 inches(74%), and her head was 16 1/4 inches(22%).

Mommy's Big Helper

Emerson always likes to help me by taking Braelyn's empty bottles and putting them in the sink.  I was walking through the living room and asked her if she would put the bottle lid that was on the floor in the sink.  While I was in my bathroom I heard something but wasn't sure what it was.  When I came back into the living room this is what I found...

"I've got to clean this!"

She had gone to her bathroom to get her stool and was cleaning the bottle the exact same way she has watched me do it a million times!

A Christmas Miracle

I never dreamed in a million years that both our girls would sit on Santa's lap and that there would be no tears...it happened!  Sunday afternoon after Emerson's nap we finally made it to see Santa.  Em seemed so excited the whole way but that was also how it went last year and we all know how that ended!  Braelyn has always lived by the theme of "stranger danger", only wanting Mom or Dad most of the time but given our miraculous turn of moods with the new formula, I was anxious to see if that had changed as well.  The little boy in front of us was not happy at all about sitting with Santa and I was convinced that that might derail our oldest one.  Much to my surprise, as soon as they pulled back the rope signaling that it was our turn Emerson made a beeline to Santa and gave him a big hug!  I put Braelyn on his other knee and, while she never smiled, she didn't cry either!  She stared up at him most of the time but we were able to get her attention long enough for a picture.  We couldn't hear but Em was planning to tell him she wanted a camera and a pink watch!

 Such a big girl now!

 Waiting so patiently to see Santa!

Hey guys, I've been good this year too!  What do you think I should ask for?!

 Hey Em, who is this guy?!

Precious memories!

Hey look Mom!  I even got a candy cane!  This was GREAT!!