Merry Christmas!!!...

Four Christmases this year, one less than last year, and all were great. Saturday's Christmas Eve cajun lunch was awesome and the girls had a blast with their cousins. Aren't they a group of cute tykes...??



Christmas morning Charlie waited patiently for sister to wake up but once she did...one-by-one each present was torn into. Of course, our neat freak [Sophie] was trying to clean her wrapping paper mess as she went. Daddy insisted she throw the paper everywhere so towards the end of the stack she started to let loose!






[Charlie checking out her activity gym...]


[Sophie testing out her new wheels...]

Third Christmas brought us to Pa and Ram's house for food and more gifts. Here Sophie stayed in her hanging tent [along with Daddy] while Charlie became attached to her bunny rattle.


[In the tent...]


[Trying to figure out the musical flowers...]

And finally the last Christmas back at our house for the traditional "Goedel" dinner. We had every italian dish you could think of and ate until we were sick. Of course, some might have been sick from other resources the next morning.

Christmas is never complete without family so thanks to all our family and friends for making this year special, yet again!

Merry Christmas!!! Love!

Weekend Fun...

Or really Saturday fun. Took the girls to the South Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation Center for their second open house [of the year]. Here workers/volunteers bring out all the injured wildlife rescued from the South Plains area. They have multiple owls and birds, a fox, a bobcat, and even a possum. We got to see baby squirrels being nurtured since falling out of their nests and a very sleepy prairie dog. Of course, Sophie's favorites were there...Huey and Jasper [or "Jaspert"] the owls. It was reassuring to see that most of the injured animals we saw earlier this year were already rehabilitated and delivered back to the wild.


[Bobby the bobcat...]


[One of Sophie's fav's, Huey....]


[Oh so sleepy, Charlie...]

Then, the evening took us to the POLAR EXPRESS!! [Or "Polar Fress"] Sophie was so anxious the entire trip waiting patiently to see Santa and his elf's. She talked to almost everyone who asked her about Christmas and what she wanted Santa to bring her. Charlie was pretty excited during the trip also...so much so, she talked herself to sleep.


[Seeing Santa's elf's climb aboard...]




[Couldn't wait for Santa any longer...]


[Getting nervous, Santa is approaching...but so excited to tell him she wants a bike for Christmas!...]

It's moments like these today that make parenthood so wonderful. Now we are anxiously awaiting CHRISTMAS!!!



Hope everyone has a great day!

Four Months...

Charlie had her 4 month checkup today and she's up a few more LB's weighing in at 14lbs 10oz. She measures 24.5 inches and is the happiest baby girl. She's a little under the weather with a nasty running nose but that hasn't stopped her from LAUGHING! Yes...Sophie got her to laugh for the first time last night. She probably thought we were crazy laughing so hard with her.



Aside from laughing, Charlie smiles ALL-THE-TIME. She likes to look around at her surroundings and loves to be talked to. She's recently started to sit in her bumbo chair and can hold her head up pretty well. We're thinking about tummy-time but not too sure we like that yet. She's suffered her very first ear infection and flew on her first plane ride all in the same month. And she's seen her first SNOW FALL!!





She's a puker so a bib is a necessity everyday. She likes to watch cartoons and loves to be cuddled in a soft blanket to fall asleep. Much like her sister...she likes to be held upright so she can see the world and is trying to sport a fuzzy mohawk.



To be continued...

Lots of love to everyone reading!

The Bahamas...

Mike's younger brother's wedding brought us to the Bahamas this year. The girls both did fantastic on the drive to Dallas and the flights to Nassau, Charlie sleeping through most of the flights. The weather was pretty nice, a little chilly with the wind in the evenings, but overall perfect.



We stayed at the Atlantis resort and if you've ever wonder about this place...it's pretty AMAZING and definitely a kid kind of place. The aquariums alone are great...we couldn't get Sophie away from them. Even Charlie was watching all the fish and stingray's swimming around.





We took Sophie to swim with the dolphins. [or dolphin...Kelly] She was the bravest little thing wanting to touch Kelly non-stop. She gave her a hug and a kiss. It was adorable...and she said "Kelly the dolphin is my friend". She's still talking about her on a daily basis. Most definitely the highlight of her trip.



We ate some awesome food at Carmine's, took the kids to make stuffed animals, shopped around...looked at more marine life [turtles, piranas, sharks, etc], went swimming...of course, not in this particular order and certainly not all on the same day. It was a great relaxing getaway.





And, finally...the WEDDING!! [With the cutest flowergirls and ring bearer, I might add.] Congrats to Stevie and Fallon [and little Miley, too]!! We wish you the best for your new life together. Thanks for bringing the family together in such a great place! We'll forever remember your special day!







Love, love, love.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!...

By the time this year ends we are definitely going to be 500 pounds. After two Thanksgiving meals I think food is the last thing on our minds...okay...maybe not the LAST. Afterall, Christmas cookies are not far behind! YUMMO!! I didn't get many pictures of either day. Too many little tykes to nail down for picture time so here are a few...


[Hope family Thanksgiving the weekend before...]


[Sophie outside Thanksgiving day...]


[Sophie feeding the chickens with PopPop...]


[Charlie's last meal before bedtime...]

So thankful for my family and friends. Hope everyone had a great holiday. Happy Thanksgiving!! LOVE!

Three Months...

Charlie is three months old and such a sweetheart...or "fweetheart" as Sophie says. I would guess she is about 12-13lbs at this point and is still doing good with this hypoallergenic formula. She's become a little chunk in her few months of life and we LOVE the cheeks!



She sleeps just about the entire night only waking up once in a blue moon to eat during the wee-hours. [PHEW!!] She's recently started playing with her fingers and still likes to suck on her fists. She talks back to you when you ask, even if it sounds more like she's gurgling her spit, but its the cutest sound of communication. And her voice...its the sweetest, softest little sound.


[Talking to Sock-Monkey...]

She LOVES her mobile. LOVES bath-time. Likes to sit up so she can see the world. Looks around for her Daddy when she hears his voice. And is fascinated by Sampson. Sampson is actually quite fond of her too, sticking his nose on her cheeks and forehead to make sure she's okay. He'll give her an occasional lick if he's in the mood.


[Watching her mobile...]



Yeah...she's a perfect, happy little baby.

And, To Mike's great Aunt Betty...may she rest in peace knowing she will never be forgotten. What an ambitious, adventurous, loving yet crazy lady.

Love, love, love.

Happy Halloween!!!...

Last night we painted our pumpkins [and ourselves...Daddy painted Charlie by accident] in hopes no one would smash these. Why is it so fun to smash pumpkins?? I mean, come on people...get a hold of yourself!! At least wait until AFTER Halloween to express your anger.




[The art of concentration...]





Sophie had been waiting weeks to put on her costume and go trick-or-treating and the day finally came. So after plenty of picture taking we set out to snag some treats!!




Thanks to all our family for walking the streets with our little Clown [and ladybug]. Sophie had so much fun and sat on the kitchen floor [with her Daddy] after we were done to see what she wanted to eat first. Yeah...we were up for awhile with our sweet tooth. And Charlie...well, she was happy to be completely bundled in the stroller. No complains from her...our sweet little bug.






[The whole crew - Uncle Johnny, Uncle Davy, Charlie, Sophie and Cousin Joseph...]





Ahhh...the holidays are approaching! LOVE this season!!

Happy Halloween!