Anticipating Christmas...

Christmas is coming! Christmas is coming!

Of course we hope and pray that our girls caught a glimpse moreso this year than in prior years of why we celebrate Christmas, why it's such good news, and why because of Christmas morning we have hope for eternity! Far from perfect, but we made it our goal each day to attempt to center every conversation regarding Christmas to the manger. To talk about Jesus' birth in a way that showcased the glorious news of the Gospel! Because after all, had Jesus not come to earth to rescue sinners and redeem our lives, then we would be without hope and without the assurance that if we place our faith and hope in a risen Lord, we will have the amazing privilege to praise our Savior for eternity. Now THAT'S worth celebrating we told our girls...all year long!

We knew we would be out of town for a full week of Christmas tree enjoyment with our ski trip this year so we opted to get it a tad earlier than usual! The girls had a ball running through the tree lot and pointing out all the ones that were ridiculously huge that they wanted to be ours...we finally after much debate settled on one and it filled our home with much enjoyment! (even well into January, ha!)

And then it was time to pull out all the ornaments and lights and decorations and I had completely forgotten that this was truly the first year that our twins could really enjoy all the excitement of decorating a Christmas tree! Last year, we were cooped up in our two bedroom apartment with three kids sporting our Charlie Brown Christmas tree and the years before that they were just babies! So...they wanted to help with EVERYTHING. And I mean everything! They were right by daddy's side through it all...=) Sweet, sweet!

They didn't fully understand the point of testing out all the lights, but every dad can attest to the fact that that quite possibly is the most important task to do before decorating begins...it was simply moving a tad too slow for their liking! =) They sure did enjoy setting up the little nativity sets though!

Drinking a little hot chocolate kept their spirits up...and kept them up late that night too!!

Night complete! Up next: decorating the tree the following day! They loved, loved decorating one a little more their size that they later found out would be residing in their very own room!!

Believe it or not, we survived the entire Christmas season with only three ornament causalities and well to be honest I'm shocked! Especially with this cutie pie pulling them off whenever they caught her eye...

Once the tree was up and decorated and the outside was twinkling in lights, we kicked off the most wonderful time of the year by baking Christmas cookies! I'm not sure if they helped really other than to take some extra cookie dough off my hands...=) I love precious little hands helping me dump and stir and mix!

And since my girls are avid lovers of reading books and seriously could sit in my lap for as long as I would let them, we decided to open up a new Christmas book each morning and read it right after breakfast! They loved this!!

We try to squeeze in as many Christmas memories as our sweet little town of Auburn has to offer so off we headed to Monkey Park on a Friday night to meet up with some friends and enjoy a train ride through Santa's workshop! The wait was long, but the girls had a blast and loved every minute of it!

Then came the dreaded time to attempt a few Christmas card pics...surprisingly they turned out amazingly well considering how quickly we were able to capture the three girls! Mommy may or may not have lost all dignity in the process of getting them to smile. =)

And our family loves going to Cracker Barrel anytime of year but Christmas? SO MUCH FUN! The girls love the gift shop, the food, and the whole experience and Christmas time makes it that much more enjoyable!

Not wanting to miss a single memory available, we headed out one afternoon after naps to the Auburn Conference Center to see the Gingerbread Village! So, so neat!! The architecture department creates a little village of Auburn completely made out of gingerbread. It was quite impressive to say the least! and thankfully we made it out without any damage!

And then of course there's the obligatory trips to the mall just for traditions' sake...and Ashton Kate screamed her head off both times she was forced to sit in his lap. 

The twins had their first "performance" at CBS as they sang their songs they've learned at CBS. Boy are we so thankful for all that they have learned there and the foundation they continue to help lay in their hearts! It was hysterical watching the roles reverse and seeing our "shy" little girl sing ALL the words and do ALL the motions and our "spunky, wild" one stand like a statue looking petrified. It was so precious though seeing Maddie Grace's beaming eyes as we clapped and gave her our excited approval! She loved every ounce of affirmation...note taken! And the best part?! Daddy surprised the girls during his busiest week of the year and was there to love and support them!

We grabbed a quick lunch to celebrate the occasion at MK's Asian Kitchen and then it was back to work for daddy! So thankful he made the sacrifice to be there!

And then we squeezed in one more festive thing before heading out on our ski trip! We headed downtown to watch the Christmas parade makes its way through town. Not gonna lie-it was freezing and we waited a LONG time before it finally headed our way! The highlight was seeing Santa on top of the firetruck! The kids seemed to enjoy though and of course that's our main reason for going, right?! Afterwards, we took our wild crew to Chick-Fil-A for family night and pictures with Santa! Take 2 for Ashton Kate and still not a fan!

Then on Saturday morning, we boarded a plane to head west...Go ahead and call us crazy! We know it! =) But we love every almost every minute of the adventure along the way!

Full of Thanksgiving

Our hearts seem to be bursting with thanksgiving this year. As we look around us and see all the hurt and pain, we can't help but pause to give thanks to the One who has numbered our days, fashioned us in His image perfectly, and holds our future in His hands. Especially as we look into the eyes of these three precious blessings. We have been exceedingly blessed beyond measure and we celebrate His goodness now in the great times and pray for grace to do the same when the days aren't as bright. Today, we thank HIM for the greatest blessing of all: the hope of a life spent with Him for eternity! And we thank Him for these girls we call our daughters. They bring much joy, laughter, and smiles that we otherwise wouldn't have the privilege of experiencing if it weren't for their sweet lives! Humbled doesn't even begin to describe how we feel parenting them...thankful for His grace that is sufficient for each day of this journey!

And I can't remember the days of not cherishing time with family, but now that I'm officially a mother to three little girls, family means even that much more. We are so, so grateful for our families and the time we and our children get to spend with them. Never quite as restful as it once might have been, but wouldn't have it any other way...at least most days. =)

 The girls absolutely adore their Uncle Nathan and Aunt Kim...wonder why!? =)

Hot chocolate right before bedtime? Yep, that's what grandparents are for...

Having a ball on the play set with Abbie & Evie!

Disregard the fashion statement the girls are making...they're deeply engaged in learning how to shell a pecan from G-Dad!

All bundled up after a fun dinner out at Huggin Molly's to celebrate Nana & G-Dad's anniversary! (We didn't promise it would be a nice, quiet dinner =)

And they're off for a little adventure with their daddies and G-Dad! First time down to the farm to go fishing...thankful they caught one or we might have seen some tears...=)

All eyes watching for this "potty break!"

Getting everything ready to throw the fishin' pole in...quite a captive audience he has I might add!

Sweet, sweet memories!

AND we have a fish!!!

These four girls have little understanding yet of just how sacrificial and loving G-dad is! Their agenda is his agenda which means these four +AK are very well loved and cared for!

A little braver than her twin sissy!

Love these two so deeply!

Thankful for the love these two have for each other. Such a privilege being their mommy and daddy!

A small snapshot of what it's like to feed five little ones under the age of three and a half...=)

Thanksgiving 2014 is now complete...and was such fun!

Ashton Kate's 13 Month Update

Ashton Kate,

Boy oh boy do you keep us on our toes? You are the cutest lil’ stinker in the world! Truly our days are much brighter with you a part of them, but we are in that stage with you where we literally can’t take our eyes off of you for one second. Good thing we have a couple extra sets of eyes helping look out for you! And oh do they. Not always the most gentle, but they sure are great momma bears to you! Your sisters think you hung the moon. They protect you, play with you, love on you, want to hold you, snuggle you, and simply be with you when you’re awake. They can’t stand when we put you down for nap and they haven’t gotten to tell you night night! And the feeling is mutual. You look lost if you are brought down the stairs and aren’t greeted with their sheer delight! You will look around the room for them and look so sad if your playmates are missing! Daddy and I are so thankful for the sweet relationship you three already have. We are praying you always feel loved and accepted by your older sisters, but way more than that from your Jesus. He will be your rock. He will always love you. He will never leave you. Your worth is in Him. Your satisfaction and validation should always be in Him. We hope and pray we lead you well so those things are so true in your life. We want you to treasure Him above all. He is worth it. We can’t believe you are 13 months already! You’re growing up right before our eyes WAY TOO FAST! As thankful as we are that you keep learning and growing, a piece of our hearts is so saddened that the baby stage of you is coming to an end! So grateful you’re our daughter. We love you more than words can say!

Love, Mommy & Daddy

Milestone and Memories from 12-13months:

-Still the same ole same ole for your schedule these days. You typically go down around 7:30/8 at the latest and you sleep til around 7:30ish as well (close to 12 hours every night) and you rarely wake up in between! You take two naps if we’re home or a super long one if we have something in the morning. If that’s the case, you go down right after lunch around 12:30 and you will often sleep close to 4 hours! It’s insane but not complaining a bit!

-You still get 4 bottles a day (around 4-5oz each)-we’ve started introducing the sippy cup some in place of the afternoon bottle but not consistently yet. And while I thought we would be done nursing at a year, we have officially let it linger until 13months. I think we are done as of a few days past 13months. It sure has been sweet and it’s bittersweet for that season to be over already. However, the freedom will be wonderful. So thankful that the Lord allowed mommy to nurse/pump for a full year for your nourishment!

-Still a FANTASTIC eater! Cannot complain a bit. You eat what is put in front of you almost every single time. On the rare occasion you’re not a huge fan of something, you just pick ever so carefully around it and eat everything else. But truthfully, you’ve been the best eater as a baby we’ve ever had!

-Still not walking yet, but getting oh so close! You have taken several steps a few different times but then you drop to the ground and take off crawling. I get it-it’s way faster that way, but I have a feeling once you discover and get the hang of walking you will take off quickly! We’re not rushing you that’s for sure!

-CLIMBER…that’s what I think when I think of you at this stage! You climb on any and everything and up rather high! You make mommy a nervous wreck when I turn around and see you standing on top of the picnic table, the slide, the banister going up the stairs, or even making it to the middle landing on the stairs and you do it fast! You are one determined little cookie and you hate to be taken down from what you just accomplished!

-The other thing that stands out over this past month is that as soon as a “closed” door becomes open, you’re there! You don’t waste a second seizing the opportunity to explore a forbidden area! You are there in a heartbeat and you squeal when you have to be removed…poor baby!

-Because you have older sisters, it seems you have matured in a few areas way faster than they ever did. Specifically with baby dolls, it’s amazing to watch you nurture them. It’s like you’ve seen it done before =) You will rock them, love on them, feed them, and lay them in the crib and you do it pretty well. Such a little mother already and that simply is astounding to me to watch that at a year old.

-You’re a wild little girl! Again, probably because your sisters love to rough house with you and climb in the crib with you and bounce like crazy. But you already know how to jump and down in your crib and laugh hysterically + jump on the mattress that they have slid under their bed. You love doing just what they do-including gymnastics moves. It’s hysterical to watch you attempt to do a handstand as a baby! But you copy their every move.

-Not a fan of loud noises anymore such as the blender, vacuum, or when we talk to you over the monitor. It will send you into sobbing mode instantly…=(

-You absolutely LOVE being outside and playing with your riding toys and cozy coupe! It can keep you occupied for a while-but again just can’t take our eyes off of you because you are a little dare devil! You will stand up on the seat and lean your head out the little window! You also love playing in the backyard in the sandbox, the little play house, and climbing up and down the slide!

-Still difficult to get you to sit still for more than a minute, but if we are reading, your books of choice for a few minutes are animal books and textured ones. Hands down, those are your favorite!

-Important dates this month: 11/12-drank from your sippy cup instead of your bottle for your afternoon feeding; 11/16-we moved you into your new carseat; 11/17-You took your very 1^st step! 11/23-Signed please for more yogurt melts and have done it well since & also had your first taste of whole milk; 11/24-discovered the fun of unrolling toilet paper; 11/28-took TWO more steps unassisted two different times; 11/29-your top right incisor tooth broke through; 12/3-pumped milk for you for the last time & 12/4-nursed you for the last time! (a few days past 13months!)