Anna Rileys first haircut

The week before Christmas, I finally decided it was time to shape Anna Riley's hair up.  Her hair is so thin and kind of "ratty."  I had been asking Janet when when we should get it trimmed and she said to wait to give the sides time to grow out a little so we decided it was time. I was really worried she wouldn't sit still and might have a meltdown but she did so great! She was such a big girl!!  I don't know if it was the diet Mt. dew and suckers that Janet was bribing her with or what but it worked! Haha!

Before

Getting Started

"Ok, Mom...are you going to do this the whole time??"

Taking the first cut

Such a big girl!

After...
It wasn't a lot taken off but it made a
lot of difference in her hair and hopefully
it will help it grow better!

I think even she was proud!

Oh she looks so big!!

Thank you Mrs. Janet!!

Visit from friends

On Friday, December 16th, Becca was in town for Christmas with Zach's family, so she got to stop by for a visit!  It was so nice to spend some time catching up with her...well in between the "girls, you need to share...girls, what is wrong, why are you crying?"  We just don't get to see each other enough so the time we have together goes by too quickly! 

The girls watching Mickey Mouse and eating a snack
(Kendall came along to play too!)

Sweet little Evan

How sweet is this??
Already trying to hold hands! :)

Ava Kate & Evan
2 1/2 nonths apart

Goodbye 2011--Hello 2012!

2011 was a pretty great year for us!!  We found out that our family would be growing in February and welcomed our sweet Ava Kate in October!  Anna Riley is growing so fast and really amazes us each day with the new things she is learning!  God has really blessed me with two beautiful, healthy little girls and a wonderful husband and I could not be more thankful!! 

I, like most, have goals for 2012.  My goals are really things that I was already doing but just really need to work on doing them better and being more consistent.  Since Ava Kate, I feel like we have been just on survive mode.  But now, things are getting better there so I can focus on these things as well. 

--Of course, I want to be healthy.  No diets here...just a healthy lifestyle...healthy eating and exercising.  We are for the most part pretty heath conscious anyways but lets just say the holidays throws everything out of whack so we definitely need to get back to this!  Of course, my hopes are to loose weight, but being healthy is so much more than loosing weight to me!  Also, I have never been a "runner"  but I started jogging today! Yay! I was very proud!
--Being organized and staying organized.  I love to organize...I really do!  BUT...its so hard to keep it organized when you have two small kids!  My goal is to try my best to stay on top of it so I don't have to spend a long time organizing!  Cleaning out closets and decluttering definitely needs to be done soon! 
--Reading in my bible more.  This is a big one that I really have to work on!  I guess right now, I am exhausted so when I sit to read, I get so sleepy!  But I really have to make it a priority! 
--Being a better wife and mother
--And this is one that Riley insists that I make a goal:  Being able to say no to things and not feel like we have to do it all!  I often run myself to death just trying to make sure we do all these activities that honestly Anna Riley would probably not even care about and not even remember.  I just don't want my kids to miss out on anything and so its hard to say no.  This year the holidays exhausted me because I never even took time to recover from having Ava Kate...I was taking Anna Riley places the next week and never even took time to rest so by Christmas, I was exhausted!   SO...I will work on this! 

I hope everyone had a wonderful start to the year!!

Christmas Day

Last of the Christmas posts...promise! 

After we opened presents and got ready, we headed to "Pop Pop's" house for breakfast. 

Sweet John-Ross

John-Ross and Ava Kate
(John-Ross is almost 9 months and AK is almost 3 months!)

Santa Came to our house...

Ava Kate got up around 7 to eat and we ended up waking Anna Riley up close to 8.  I wasn't sure how she would be because she is one child that really doesn't care about opening presents.  She likes the present, but really doesn't care about opening the present or playing with the paper.  She was like that last year too!   When she came in and saw her tricycle, it was over.  That was all she needed to be happy.  I opened most of the other presents, because she just wanted to play on the tricycle.  She did decide to open a few while sitting on it! Ava Kate sat in her bouncy and watched Big Sis open everything.  She will be in on all the excitement next year.  We enjoyed seeing her eyes light up and I can't imagine how much fun the coming years will be!! 

This picture is so funny to me...She would NOT
leave the tricycle! haha

Make-up brushes like Mommy's!!

Christmas Eve Night

     Last year, Riley and I started a few traditions with our family on Christmas Eve.  It starts with the Christmas Eve Candlight Communion service at church that night.  I sent both girls to the nursery so we could enjoy it (and actually they were the only ones since we have 3 times you can go...everyone with young kids went to the first service, but we couldn't do that this year).  I love this service and I usually find myself crying through most of it!  I feel like with all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, you sometimes loose track off what the real meaning of it all is.  And of course the music gets me everytime!  I also think about Riley's mom and how much she loved the Christmas eve service, too and how we wish she were here with us all the time but especially during the holidays.  I just remind myelf she is having the best Christmas in heaven celebrating Jesus' birth!

       When we got home from church, we got baths and got in our pjs. I get the girls a new ornament each year and then we have a new family ornament each year that we hang on the tree on Christmas eve. Riley reads Luke 2 and then I read The Night Before Christmas. We get cookies and milk ready for Santa and then its off to bed for the girls! After the girls are in bed, Riley and I always watch the movie Christmas Vacation (our favorite) on Christmas eve and get things ready for Christmas morning!

All ready for church

Of course we had to have the sippy cup in the picture! :)

Pop Pop, Riley, Anna Riley and Ava Kate before leaving
for church (and the sippy cup yet again!)

Christmas Eve 2011
(AND my child is smiling for the camera!! YAY!)



Anna Riley and Daddy hanging her ornament on the tree



Hanging the family ornanament on the tree





Leaving cookies and milk for
Santa or "HoHo" as Anna Riley says

Sorry Santa...Anna Riley couldn't resist taking a bite of
your cookie!!