Christmas 2009

Christmas 2009 was great to our family! The month of December was a flurry of Christmas activity with Christmas parties, tree lightings and a visit from Nana and Pop. We were lucky enough to have Nana and Pop visit in mid-December to celebrate Christmas with us early this year. The girls had a great time with them and we had a fun Christmas celebration!

We opened presents from our families and each other on Christmas Eve morning. Mikaiya loved "helping" Braenna to open hers! Braenna really got into it after awhile and we couldn't stop her from opening every present she could get her hands on!

We had our Texas Family over for Christmas Eve festivities. We are up to 9 kids now and 10 adults. It was a full house, and a bit on the crazy side! The best part was that it actually snowed! We couldn't believe it, snow...in Texas...on Christmas Eve! It was a lot of fun! Here are Mikaiya and Rylie out in the snow:

And the snow coming down in the backyard:

Apparently it was even a little cold out for the local wildlife. On top of all the people in the house, we had a nice visit from a bird at one point in the night! Just imagine 10 adults trying to chase down a bird while 9 children watch in awe. It was very amusing and one of the more memorable events of the evening!!

We woke up Christmas morning to find that Santa had arrived...and boy was he good to the girls this year! Here they are in their jammies in front of the tree before we opened presents:

And when we looked outside on Christmas morning, we were shocked to see that the snow had actually stuck around for Christmas day! We got a beautiful, white Christmas! It's amazing how you tend to take something like that for granted when it's no longer a given that it snows on Christmas!

We hope that this holiday season was as good to you and your family as it was to ours! I have really tried to relish in the holidays with the kids now, knowing that this time will be gone before we even know it! We had so much fun with the girls, and watching their eyes light up with each gift that the received and gave! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Here are the rest of our Christmas pics:

http://photos2.walmart.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=2646675002/a=3342801_3342801/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/

Santa Visits Daycare!

On December 18, Santa and Mrs Claus stopped by daycare for a nice visit! The girls got their picture taken with them...this is the picture where Braenna is the most calmed down:

Santa also visited the girls classrooms for group pictures. Braenna didn't cry in this one, but her teacher said the only way they stopped her was by holding her. As you can see, Mikaiya is quite the ham in her class!!

Work Christmas Party

December 5 was our work Christmas party. The girls got right up on Santa's lap and posed for a picture without any tears! We were shocked! Mikaiya even told him exactly what she wanted him to bring her for Christmas this year...a train, a hula hoop and a doll house. Luckily, that's exactly what she's been saying all season, so Santa's got it covered!!

There was a train set up at the party and Mikaiya had a blast watching it go around:

Braenna had a blast dancing around to the Christmas music and Mikaiya made a cookie, cards and several other crafty things. This is always a nice little party and best of all, it's FREE to all employees! What a deal!! And the girls had so much fun!!

City of Murphy Tree Lighting

On December 4 we attended the City of Murphy Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony. It was COLD...well, for TX anyway! It was actually pretty chilly! The girls got all bundled up and we walked down to the City Hall for the festivities.

The girls posed for a picture at Santa's Workshop and apparently someone from the Murphy Messenger (our local paper) took one too and it made it into the paper! Here's my copy:

Santa was there and the line was a little long for Braenna to handle, so we didn't see him. We did get to see his reindeer though!

And after the tree was all lit, the girls posed for a cute picture in front of it for us:

Christmas Pictures

We got our Christmas pictures back on CD last week. Thought I would share them with everyone! It was fun getting them taken, although you can tell from the pictures that a certain toddler was anything but cooperative! Here's the link:

http://photos2.walmart.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=2278689002/a=3342801_3342801/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/

November 2009

What a fun month we had in November! The month started out with a visit from Grammy and Grampa. The girls had a great time and I think Grammy and Grampa did too! We went to the zoo and had awesome weather (for November!). It was like spring out every day. Here are a few pics from the visit:

We had a really nice Thanksgiving with great friends...thanks to the Schwendeman's for hosting us! The girls had a blast! Mikaiya and Rylie are really fun to watch these days...they can entertain each other for hours, which is great for the adults!!

We also put up our Christmas decorations this month. The girls had so much fun putting the ornaments on the tree. It was like a mad dash to see who could get them up the fastest! It was great fun for mommy and daddy too...trying to catch the breakable ones before the 18 month old chucks them at the wood floor because she thinks they're a ball was really a challenge!! It will definitely be a fun memory as the girls grow up. Here are a few pictures of them helping out with the decorating:

Here's the link to the rest of our November pictures: http://photos2.walmart.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=2129060002/a=3342801_3342801/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/

The Picky Eater

This is too funny...Braenna decided that she did not like her stir fry that we were having for dinner tonight. Watch what she does...and listen closely to Mikaiya's narration in the back ground! They always keep us laughing here!!

Bath Time Fun

It's been forever since I've uploaded a video! Here is one of the girls playing in the bathtub a few weeks ago. They came up with this game all by themselves and were just having a great time!!

October Photos

What a fun month we had this month! So much going on! We travelled to NY (pics posted earlier this month) and then the month continued to be busy from then on! I feel like we've been catching up ever since!

The girls are doing great. Mikaiya is still loving preschool and we got to have her parent/teacher conference this month. She is doing very well in her class and is quite the little leader. We are so proud of all she has learned in such a short time. She's getting really good with recognizing and even writing her letters. She is also now a PRO at controlling the mouse and LOVES to play on her Fisher Price Cool School computer or to log onto PlayHouseDisney.com and entertain herself!

Braenna is growing up so fast! She is really talking a lot now, although we don't understand everything she says! She was saying something all weekend that we couldn't figure out and finally realized she was saying (and signing!) "pumpkin"! It's her new favorite word! She is really starting to understand things too and follows simple commands very well. She has also turned into a bookworm just like her older sister and cannot get enough of reading!

Here is the link to our pictures for this month:
http://photos2.walmart.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=1868024002/a=3342801_3342801/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/

Beauty and the "Bee"

Here are some pics of the girls from Halloween this year. We had themed costumes this year...Mikaiya was Belle, aka Beauty, from Beauty and the Beast. Braenna was a Bee, mostly because we call her "B" all the time! So our theme was "Beauty and the Bee"...haha!!

Here are the girls together all dressed up:

Here is Mikaiya, looking beautiful as Belle:

And here is our adorable little bee:

September Picture Link

Here is the link to our September pictures:
http://photos2.walmart.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=1744900002/a=3342801_3342801/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/

It was such a busy month again! We had Jeff''s birthday, Taverly's Birthday party, Alina's Birthday party, the Plano Balloon Festival and the Murphy Maize Days all this month. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

New York Trip

We had a great trip to NY October 7 though October 13. That's my excuse for being so behind on everything at the moment ; ) I promise, I will eventually load September pictures!!

We got to do a lot while we were there. Jeff and I took a nice two day trip to Foxwoods Casino and Resort up in CT all on our own. It was so nice to get some one on one time with no screaming toddler or chatty preschooler. Thanks so much to Nana and Pop for letting us have that time! I'm pretty sure they enjoyed their alone time with the girls also...I know the girls enjoyed it!! We also got to spend time with John, Jen and Max while we were there. It was so great to see all of the cousins together and it's always great to get together with the whole family. We went to the pumpkin patch and to Bear Mtn Park. We got to have a nice mini "reunion" with the Stampf side of the family while there too! It was so nice to see everyone! Here is the link to the pictures from our trip:
http://photos2.walmart.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=1733833002/a=3342801_3342801/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/

Football Season Begins

Our poor girls are so confused! Are they Bears Fans?

Or Steelers Fans?

Princess Party

A couple of weekends ago, Mikaiya went to her friend Taverly's fourth birthday party. Braenna got to go too! It was a princess themed party and all of the girls were told to where their "most royal attire". Let's just say that is right up Mikaiya's alley and she had a lot of fun picking out her princess outfit. Here she is all dressed up for the party:

Here is Braenna (and Daddy!) at the princess party:

Here are all the girls at the party:

Daddy's Birthday

We had a fun day on Jeff's birthday. He got to open presents in the morning, we went out to lunch and then Mikaiya and I made him cupcakes to celebrate. Here are some birthday pictures...

Mikaiya's New Trick

I am once again playing catch up! Here's a video I've been wanting to share from the weekend of Jeff's birthday.

This is Mikaiya's new trick, we are so proud!:

Braenna 1 Year Photos

I'm a little late with these, but here are Braenna's 1 year photos and some family shots that we had done. The ones in the beginning are the ones that the photographer modified, the rest are all the proofs. Enjoy!

http://photos2.walmart.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=517440002/a=3342801_3342801/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/

August 2009

Yet another month has passed. It's hard to believe how fast time goes these days. Our little angels are getting bigger and bigger by the day.

Braenna is getting cuter and cuter! She is still obsessed with the stairs and is getting very quick at climbing up them. She hasn't figured out the down thing yet...mostly because we haven't let her try. She is getting to have quite a few little personality traits. For instance, when she is done with her food, she tips her plate over (if she hasn't already done it earlier in the meal) and proceeds to "sweep" all the food off her tray. You'd think we'd catch on, but she is QUICK! She has also become our dancing queen. She loves music and as soon as she hears it she starts clapping and dancing. It's so fun to watch her come up with her own little moves. She is getting to be pretty quick on her feet these days too and loves when Mikaiya and daddy chase her around the house. She also moved up a class at daycare this month. She has entered the world of "Young Toddlers". She likes it...I'm still adjusting : )

Mikaiya is doing well also. No big changes for her this month. She's been loving her swim lessons with Amy (our neighbor across the street) and is getting really good at going under. She is still really enjoying preschool and she's really getting into her letters. She can now recognize a lot more than just the ones in her name. Yay Mikaiya! On to reading next month...haha! I know it will be before we know it!!

Here are the pictures from this month...
http://photos2.walmart.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=1389229002/a=3342801_3342801/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/

A trip to the park...

We took the girls to the park last weekend. It was finally"cool" enough here that we could go...less than 100...woohoo!! They really had a great time though. Here's some pics I thought I'd share:

Peek-a-boo

It's so great, Braenna is finally getting to the age that she can interact with Mikaiya. Today they were playing peek-a-boo through Mikaiya's easel. It was so cute! Braenna was having a great time and Mikaiya just LOVES to make her laugh:

Butterflies!

We took the girls to the butterfly exhibit at the Heard Natural Science Museum that is here near our house. It was a pretty small exhibit compared to others we have seen, but it was actually nice because it was not crowded and they got to spend a lot of interrupted time looking at the butterflies. Here are some pics that we took: