Christmas #2

We traveled to a snowy Little Rock 2 days after Christmas. Most of the city was without power, but somehow my mom's street never lost it! So we all met there...each car stopping outside LR for different groceries since the stores in LR were out of everything! (Sidenote: Harper and I were just about the only people in the Arkadelphia Wal-Mart not wearing pajama pants!) We had a great time with my family! Eliana and Harper had such a blast playing together, and I loved being at my mom's house! It's just so relaxing being there! She is SO ridiculously helpful with the kids, and she still finds time to make delicious food for us! Since the roads weren't the best and strep and pink eye also joined the family, we stayed at my mom's for several days straight. By the time Sunday rolled around, we ate our first meal at a restaurant...we were all thrilled to be out of the house! I stayed a few extra days with the girls, and I successfully traveled 5 hours with them in the car...without stopping. Henley slept the whole time and Harper stayed very busy with her Christmas presents. I was thankful it went so well!

My mom's tree before opening gifts

 Harper and the snowman that was built with the help of Uncle Chris and Uncle Mike

 Hanging with her namesake

She loves her Gran-D

I had a passenger on the way home... 

the giant bear that my sister Lindsey gave to Harper for Christmas! 

One other thing... we have a tradition of the pickle gift. My mom hides the pickle ornament somewhere in the house and the first to find it, gets the gift. Well, after several years in a row of me winning, my sisters complained to the point that my mom now buys a gift for all of us. But it's still fun to compete, and I'd like to note that I won again this year! But the gift was a new game called Quelf. It is hysterical! We played several rounds each night, and would laugh so loudly that we were afraid we'd wake up the girls, while they slept upstairs. The game consists of 5 cards, some with actions you have to do, others with quiz questions. The things you have to do are absolutely ridiculous! Here was my favorite... Ann had to stay under the table until her next turn.

Christmas #1

Corby's family came to our house for Christmas. We had such a fun time together. Saturday night the kids spent their evening with a babysitter, so we could enjoy a kid-free dinner at The Porch. A great evening was had by all! The plan on Sunday was for everyone to go to his parent's house near Tyler. Unfortunately, Harper threw up on the way there, so we had to go back home. Thankfully her sickness ended there! Monday we went to our church's Christmas Eve service and enjoyed a great fajita dinner! Christmas day was a blast! The kids had a great time opening their gifts. Harper asked for the Lorax and surprises. We decided to surprise her with a big trampoline for our backyard. Sadly, it was raining, then it snowed, then we left town, so she hasn't been able to jump on it yet! Such a bummer!!!

We are thankful that Corby's family was able to come see us. Although hosting is a lot of work, traveling with a lot of gifts is harder! I didn't get many pictures but here are the few that I did take!





























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Merry Christmas!

Our Christmas card doubled as a birth announcement...

The front:



The inside:



I thought it was perfect!

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Santa Success

We went on Thursday night to see Santa. Our Santa is fabulous!!! The line can be crazy long, so I got our number that morning, so we wouldn't have to wait very long. Harper was so excited. Henley was indifferent. Unfortunately, Harper couldn't think of anything she wanted for Christmas. She just kept saying, "let me fink." Santa's helpers were hoping for a little more guidance. Since the visit, she's told me that she just wants surprises. So I certainly hope she likes her surprises!!!



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The Christmas train

Last year, Harper did a Christmas activity each day of December. With a newborn, I decided to forego that plan and pick it back up next year. We've done a few things...just not something every day. Tonight we went to the Christmas train with the Smileys. It's a house in Richardson that has a small train and tons of lights and decorations. It's free and such a fun Christmas tradition we've created with the Smileys. Harper had a blast, and I think Henley enjoyed herself too!














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Twinsies

Harper loves when she and Henley wear the same outfit. This works out because I love it too! Once they are dressed, she always requests for a picture to be taken! Here are my sweet girls!












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One Month...a week and a half late

Henley turned 1 month a week and a half ago... but clearly I never got around to taking her picture until today. I don't have any weight or length stats because she doesn't go back to the doctor until 2 months. I do know she is smaller than 9 lbs because the newborn I held in the hospital this week is heavier than she is.

Here are some things she is doing:
-She eats every 3 hours, but I usually have to wake her up during the day to stay on that schedule
-She sleeps great at night! She sleeps in her bed and has been that way since her second week. Some nights are better than others, and we do have those awful nights. But she didn't seem to have her days and nights mixed up like I remember with Harper. We have had one night of a 7-hour stretch! I didn't know what to do with myself when I saw the time on the clock!
-When she's tired, she wants to be swaddled. Once she's swaddled, all you have to do is pat her bottom and she's out.
-She will occasionally take a pacifier, but she's not dependent on it.
-She has had a few bottles. She didn't suffer from confusion, but she gets choked every time she drinks from a bottle, so we don't do them often.
-Her fussiest time is in the evening before her last feeding. We try to keep her awake so that she goes to sleep right after eating, but we have to deal with an unhappy baby!
-She LOVES her bath! Our faucet pulls out, so I can wash her with it, and she loves it. We let the bath last a long time because she will just sit there, so happy.
-I've seen a couple smiles that I think might have been intentional, but I have no idea. She should start smiling more in the next few weeks.
-She has a few nicknames... the hen, the little red hen, mrs. skinny legs

We are pretty obsessed with our sweet baby. Harper is especially smitten. She talks to her all of the time, and that has been when Henley has cooed back and smiled. She has done so well with the transition, and for that, we are extremely thankful.