Christmas

Christmas this year was AWESOME! We had gotten almost all our shopping done by October with only a couple things left to get. The girls were so cute and fun this year. They were both able to understand a little bit more about Christmas. We took them to a place in Burnet, Texas where they have a live Bethlehem. This church puts it on every year for a few days, for free. You walk around this place and visit these homes/places of work and talk to the people about their lives at that time. They have people paying their taxes, leather makers, food vendors, soap makers, people who take care of animals with real camels to pet, soldiers, inns that are all full and the last part is a little cave where you look in the see Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. Afton LOVED it and still talks about it to this day. I am sooo glad to hear her talk about what a good thing it was for her and her favorite part was seeing baby Jesus! We had church on Christmas day just for the first hour. I got up to get ready and then woke up the girls. (They stayed up late reading books.) I told Afton that Santa had come and said, "Mom, what do we do know?" I think most kids would just run right out to look at all the presents but she was so reserved about it all...so cute! We ate breakfast and finished getting ready and the girls didn't even try to get into the presents! Then it was off to church...it was such a good meeting listening to the beautiful music and messages. After church we came home and opened presents, which was sooo fun. After that we played and ate all day and loved every minute of spending time together as a family. Tad had the whole week afterwards off, so we were able to sit around and play all day!

Later on, I tried to straighten Reesa's hair. I'd done this once before but it look a bit funny...like a mullet. Now it's grown out a little bit more and doesn't look as funny, but then she doesn't really look like Reesa without those curls!

It's official...

It's official...we are out of the diaper stage! Reesa is potty-trained. I have no more need to buy those overpriced pieces of whatever they are made out of! I don't know what I did to deserve such an easy child but I am soooo grateful. Afton has never been very hard, until potty training came along. (Well, she wasn't the best sleeper either.) Afton had accidents all the time and number 2 was really rough. At the beginning of this week I realized I had 3 days in a row where I didn't have to be anywhere/do anything. That's the first time in a LONG time! I decided to go for it, because she was already going on the toilet every once and a while. Monday we had a few accidents; Tuesday was a lot better with only one real accident; Wednesday was awesome...no accidents. I had gone to the store on Thursday evening and while I was gone I got a phone call from a little girl who told me that she had gone number 2 on the potty all by herself. Tad was working on dinner and didn't know she had to go, but he said next thing he knew she's calling for him from the bathroom. I cannot believe how easy this has been. I feel so spoiled! I'm glad to say I just have one of those children. Now I realize I said that I will probably have the worst experience ever some time with one of our other children, but I'll take what I can get!

So I know it's maybe a little improper to show pictures of my children naked, but seriously how cute is this little girl?! She LOVES her Rapunzel panties (Thanks Grammy and Poppy!) and just loves being a big girl.

Had to be the view from behind! Sooooo funny!

Thing number 2, (not related to the number 2 we were previously talking about), I am doing this:

I'm not doing the full, just the half, but it will be my first! I'm so excited and anxious at the same time. It's down in Beaumont, kind of near Houston, and on March 10th. I decided it was time I set a goal for myself instead of just "takin' it easy" with my running. We really want to do it together, but we have two little girls who need watching! Tad's being a good sport about it and encouraging me! Love him. 

So life is busy, busy, but that's the way I like it. I find the best version of myself and strive to be the person I want to be more whenever I am busy. 

Afton's Story

On Saturday Tad was doing some work on his computer and Afton kept saying she wanted to help. Tad told her that she could make a picture, so they did. Then they had to assign names and stories to it all and this is what it came out to be! It was so funny. She would run her finger under the words like she was reading the story that she just made up. So cute and sooo smart! Love my little girl who loves to learn and is chopping at the bit to do homework like everyone in school!

If you can't read it very well, here's the story:

Pin and his bird friend Pock had so much fun playing with their toys. In the door he saw his whole bedroom. In his bedroom he had toys and picky banks and some of his candy and he remembered what his Mom and Pin talked about him eating his candy and he said, “OK Mom, I won’t eat my candy.” When his Mom came back, Pin and his friend bird and Pin’s Mom ate lunch.. And when Pin was done with his lunch, he said, “Now can I have my candy?” and she said, “of course Dear.” And he understood his Mom.

Pin and his best bird Lone were having so much fun in their backyard

On the first night, Pin missed his firned bird. Nad when he was staying home with his mom and dad, he said Mom can I have mycandy? And his Mom said, “yeah, after we eat lunch… dun dun dun ruff, dun dun dun ruff.” And so...

BeSt ViDeO oF aLl TiMe!