Christmas 2011...

We had a great Christmas celebrating with family over the past week.  We seemed to take a ton of pictures so prepare for picture overload.

We started our Christmas celebrations on Christmas Eve with Grammy, Grampy and Aunt Kym.  We went over early for breakfast and presents.  We came back home in the afternoon and then joined everyone for the Christmas Eve service at our church.  Both girls did surprisingly well sitting through the hour long service.  Saturday evening we went back over to Grammy and Grampy's for dinner before putting the girls in bed.

Sweet girl waiting patiently for a picture with big sis

Trying to convince Kens to sit next to Aves for a picture

Best picture we could get of the girls

Opening her stocking at Grammy's

Reading a new book with Aunt Kym

Sweet girl staring at her daddy

and getting some kisses!

Best family picture we could get after the Christmas Eve service

Playing with her new toy

  Sunday morning we woke up to celebrate Christmas at our house.  After breakfast, we attempted to open presents as a family.  Unfortunately Avery didn't make it through too many presents as she was ready for a nap.  So, we put her down and let Kens open and play with her toys.

  

Ready to open presents

Testing out her new camera...along with her hat, mittens and scarf.

Happy girl with her stocking in her new chair!

After cleaning up our mess at home and packing up the car, we headed to Nana and Papa's to celebrate Christmas with them.  We got smart this year and decided to open our presents (the adults) while the kids were napping.  It proved to be much more relaxing and enjoyable this way.  After the older girls woke up and we managed to coax them upstairs and away from all the toys, they opened all of their presents. 

Sweet peanut

Her favorite part...the tissue and wrapping paper.

Cleaning Nana's kitchen with her new broom

Christmas dinner at their own little table

Cousins in their Christmas pj's

The littlest cousins hanging together.

  

 Monday, Great Grandma and Grandpa Zurcher and Great Aunt Carla came to celebrate Christmas with us as well.  We opened presents with them and mom made us another good dinner.

  

Avery checking out Great Grandma Z

Kens holding Connor....she was mildly obsessed with him this past week.

Kisses for "Baby Tonnor"

Happy Avery...she loves to smile!

Hiding...the girls are really into playing hide-and-go-seek these days.

Where are Kensley and Elli?

There they are...hiding in the dark with their flashlight.

  Because we all were off this week and had some extra time, everyone (Nana, Papa, Ash, Scott, Elli and Connor) came down and stayed at our house a night.  We took the girls swimming, played around the house, did a little shopping, etc.

  

Little Aves got to go swimming too!  She loved splashing and playing with daddy!

Smiling for mommy

We had a great Christmas and we're still enjoying our week together as a family.

Christmas Happenings...

Disclaimer: I had intended to post this a week ago and must of forgotten.  So here it is...better late, than never.

We've been enjoying this holiday season and have been partaking in various Christmas activities.  We're in a little bit of a 'different' stage as we are trying to start some traditions with the girls, but of course they (or more so Kens) only understand so much.  Kens can identify most things Christmas (trees, lights, baby Jesus, Santa, etc.), but doesn't get how it all ties together or the meaning each holds.

We're already finding that holidays are much more fun when seeing and experiencing the excitement with little ones.  Here's what all we've been up to...

Wearing adorable Christmas dresses from Nana.

Avery flaps her arms when she gets excited...it's so funny.

Kens was done with pictures, but Aves posed for a few more.

Baking Christmas cookies!  Kensley loves to help out and was the perfect sous chef as we made Christmas cookies.  She was adamant that she have her own pile of dough and rolling pin.

No pictures for these, but we've also taken the girls several times to see Christmas lights.  We load the girls up in their pj's, make some hot chocolate and drive around to see the lights.  Kens often requests hot chocolate now and associates it with going to see lights.

A few weeks ago we attended Breakfast in Bethlehem at our church.  It was a program tailored to preschoolers including a pancake breakfast and reenactment of the Christmas story.  Because the audience was made up of lots of small children, Kens was sure she kept hearing Baby Jesus.  Anytime a baby cried she would say, "I hear baby Jesus" as she put her right hand up to her ear.

This year Grammy got us a fun Advent calendar and we've been enjoying it as we countdown the days to Christmas.  I've stocked it with little presents and we've tried to remember to open one each day.

We are also listening (and dancing) to lots of Christmas music on Pandora through our TV.  I love listening to Christmas music and hope that our girls will eventually share this love as well.

Our days in photos...

I'm trying to get better about taking more pictures as we go throughout our days.  Unfortunately a good portion of those photos are taken on my phone...not great quality, but documentation none-the-less.  Here is a random sprinkling of what things look like around here.

Oh man, are we in trouble...

Timeouts...and no we didn't put her there.  She determined that she wanted to go to timeout after we told her "no" about something and she got mad.

Hanging out in the foyer during church.  This little girl will be heading to the nursery after the holidays as she is too wiggly and noisy to sit in the service anymore.  Side note: don't you just want to kiss that sweet face?!

Testing out the highchair...looks like she approves!

Kens and her entourage 'hiding'.  And yes, those babies ALL go everywhere with her throughout the house.

Doing laundry in heels of course...because you know that's how mommy does it (yeah right).

Driving us around Kroger during an early morning run for necessities...milk and donuts (wait, you don't consider donuts a necessity?).

Growing hair!  Ok maybe not something we're doing, but look how much hair this girl has.  It's coming in fast! 

More to come on our Christmas happenings.

Doctor and Stats...

After a suggestion from a nurse in our pediatrician's office, I scheduled the girls' latest well check visits at the same time (Kensley 2 years and Avery 6 months).  I have to admit I was a little nervous about how it would all shake out as I had visions of having to console two upset girls at the same time.  I'm happy to say, the appointment actually went very well (despite feeling pretty guilty, but more on that later).

Kensley did so good.  I was shocked at how brave and social she was to the nurses and doctor.  At one point in time, I even commented that I wasn't sure it was my child I was watching as she sat on the exam table, playing with the doctor's instruments, talking to her and even giggling.  She even went down the hall with the nurse by herself to get weighed and measured.  She didn't even look back as she left me in the room. 

Here are Kensley's 2 year stats:

Weight: 27 lbs (49%)

Height: 33.5 in (30%)

Avery also did quite well, despite the somewhat rough appointment/findings.  We quickly discovered that Avery has an ear infection in her right ear.  I was shocked and felt terrible that she's had this and has most likely been in pain.  The doctor assured me that all babies have different signs and symptoms and she is not the first baby where an ear infection has gone unnoticed.  She asked if she's had interrupted sleep, been fussy or less interested in eating.  Unfortunately those symptoms are pretty much Avery's "normal".  So little Aves, is now taking her first antibiotic.

We also found out that Avery is still our little peanut.  Actually she weighed in less than what the doctor would have liked to see at 6 months.  So she suggested we try upping the ounces in her bottle feedings when I am working.  They also said to add a pat of butter or oil to her solid foods.  Everything about that seems wrong to me, but they assured me it would be fine and would give her a few extra calories.

Aves finished up her exam with 2 shots and an oral vaccination.  After a short stint of tears and screams, she calmed down.  What a little trooper she was.  She even toughed it out and lasted without a nap as we made a brief stop at Target to fill her prescription. 

Here are Avery's stats:

Weight: 14 lbs 8 oz (17%)

Height: 25.25 in (27%)

Head: 16.5 in (29%)

Family Pictures...

Thanksgiving weekend we had more family pictures taken.  These were initially intended to be Avery's 6 month photos and Kensley's 2 year.  Unfortuantely this photo shoot, did not go as planned.  Kensley was a stinker...she was on the run doing her own thing and she refused to hold her sister (outside of the one pose).  Avery was not herself at all, she did not smile for one single photo.  Our smiley, little baby was serious throughout the entire shoot.  Despite not having cooperative subjects, the pictures turned out suprisingly well.  Here are some of our favorites.