How to get Santa to your house...

Santa is High Maintenance and that is all I have to say on that topic!!!



We had to bake Santa 3 different kinds of cookies because Kaelin insisted that he have a variety because she did not know what kind was his favorite. So we cooked chocolate chip with pecans, peanut butter with Hershey kisses, and white chocolate macadamia nut. She also set out a glass of chocolate milk to wash down the cookies.

Kaelin had to put reindeer sprinkles in the yard so the reindeer would have something to eat while Santa was delivering the presents.

We made a Gingerbread house (because Santa likes them). Our Gingerbread house ran into a bit of a storm and it did not fair so well. Sorry Santa.

Kaelin had a great idea...

She decided to leave Santa a movie to watch. She set up her little DVD player and put in Chevy Chase's Christmas Vacation. She insisted that Santa would like to watch a movie. (Which he did).

Kaelin thought Rudolph might have been tired of eating carrots, so she left him a box of cherry tomatoes and grapes. He ate everything except two grapes.

We helped her write Santa a letter and then she was off to bed.

I can honestly tell you that this was the best Christmas ever. Kaelin's face stayed lit up brighter than our Christmas tree. Every morning she would look around for Reddy (her elf), she would plug in all of the Christmas decorations, and everything even closely related to Christmas just brought pure joy to her. Kaelin brought the magic back into Christmas and that made it so much fun.

And of course we got our special little Christmas present a little before Christmas. This also contributed to a wonderful Christmas.

Days 11, 12, and 13

Yes, we have the 13 days of Christmas. Everyone has 12 days of Christmas, but we have gone above and beyond and (mistakenly) had 13 days of Christmas. The girls did not complain about the extra day.

On the 11th day of Christmas my mom and dad gave to us...

Kaelin- Christmas socks (which will probably be worn all year long)

Macie- a big flower hair band (of which Kaelin has put over her eyes rather than on her head)

and "A Christmas Story" DVD, A pair of black Christmas shoes, 3 pair of Christmas panties, a cute Christmas bib, a pair of Christmas pajamas that say "Santa thinks I am nice", a pair of candy cane striped baby leg warmers, "Christmas with Olivia" DVD, an adorable Christmas tutu that says "My 1st Christmas",a cute hat with crazy dangles, a pair of red tights that are suppose to be 0-6 months, but look more like 6 years, an adorable snowman t-shirt, a cute Christmas outfit with a dog wearing a Santa hat,sock monkey nightlights, a Christmas t-shirt, a cute pair of socks (that fall off of her feet)a hat that looks like a little lamb, cute velour outfit, a notepad to write a letter to Santa and a Praise Baby DVD.

On the 12th day of Christmas my mom and dad gave to us...

Kaelin- a Fancy Nancy book (Ooh La La It's Beauty Day)

Macie- a baby rattle

and Christmas socks (which will probably be worn all year long), a big flower hair band, "A Christmas Story" DVD, A pair of black Christmas shoes, 3 pair of Christmas panties, a cute Christmas bib, a pair of Christmas pajamas that say "Santa thinks I am nice", a pair of candy cane striped baby leg warmers, "Christmas with Olivia" DVD, an adorable Christmas tutu that says "My 1st Christmas",a cute hat with crazy dangles, a pair of red tights that are suppose to be 0-6 months, but look more like 6 years, an adorable snowman t-shirt, a cute Christmas outfit with a dog wearing a Santa hat,sock monkey nightlights, a Christmas t-shirt, a cute pair of socks (that fall off of her feet)a hat that looks like a little lamb, cute velour outfit, a notepad to write a letter to Santa and a Praise Baby DVD.

On the 13th (yes 13th) day of Christmas my mom and dad gave to us...

Kaelin- Christmas PJ's (I love that cute little grin)

Macie- Christmas PJ's

and Christmas socks (which will probably be worn all year long), a big flower hair band, "A Christmas Story" DVD, A pair of black Christmas shoes, 3 pair of Christmas panties, a cute Christmas bib, a pair of Christmas pajamas that say "Santa thinks I am nice", a pair of candy cane striped baby leg warmers, "Christmas with Olivia" DVD, an adorable Christmas tutu that says "My 1st Christmas",a cute hat with crazy dangles, a pair of red tights that are suppose to be 0-6 months, but look more like 6 years, an adorable snowman t-shirt, a cute Christmas outfit with a dog wearing a Santa hat,sock monkey nightlights, a Christmas t-shirt, a cute pair of socks (that fall off of her feet)a hat that looks like a little lamb, cute velour outfit, a notepad to write a letter to Santa and a Praise Baby DVD

Whewwww.... I am tired now

2 months old

We did not have the heart to wake her up to see her cupcakes.

Kaelin went to Aunt Debbie's house and helped make Macie some cupcakes for her two month old birthday party.

Macie had to go to the doctor for her two month check up. The appointment went pretty good minus the 5 shots she had to get.

She weighed 10.0 lbs (which is just below the 25 percentile)

She was 22 7/8 inches long (in the 75th percentile)

She is wearing 3 month clothes, sleeping all night and loving it, and laughing and smiling constantly.

Macie's doctor finally diagnosed her with acid reflux, which we had suspected for awhile. Kaelin had acid reflux when she was a baby and Macie was showing the same signs. After she would eat, she would arch her back and throw herself around. These are just a few of the symptoms that Macie was showing. This is part of the reason for the slow down in weight. She had stopped eating like she should because of the pain she was in after she ate (poor baby). So, the doctor prescribed Zantac. The really good medicine is Prevacid, but because of ridiculous insurance regulations, they make you go through Zantac first then you can be blessed with Prevacid. Isn't that just the craziest thing you have ever heard....

Day 7, 8, 9, 10

So... I can't count. Rather than 12 days of Christmas, my spoiled rotten babies will be celebrating the 13 days of Christmas. I kept wondering why I was short presents. I just thought I was losing it (which is still up for debate).

On the 7th day of Christmas my mom and dad gave to us...

Kaelin- "Christmas with Olivia" DVD

Macie- an adorable Christmas tutu that says "My 1st Christmas" (doesn't she just look ecstatic over the outfit...)

and a cute hat with crazy dangles, a pair of red tights that are suppose to be 0-6 months, but look more like 6 years, an adorable snowman t-shirt, a cute Christmas outfit with a dog wearing a Santa hat,sock monkey nightlights, a Christmas t-shirt, a cute pair of socks (that fall off of her feet)a hat that looks like a little lamb, cute velour outfit, a notepad to write a letter to Santa and a Praise Baby DVD.

On the 8th day of Christmas my mom and dad gave to us...

Kaelin- a pair of Christmas pajamas that say "Santa thinks I am nice"

Macie- a pair of candy cane striped baby leg warmers

and "Christmas with Olivia" DVD, an adorable Christmas tutu that says "My 1st Christmas",a cute hat with crazy dangles, a pair of red tights that are suppose to be 0-6 months, but look more like 6 years, an adorable snowman t-shirt, a cute Christmas outfit with a dog wearing a Santa hat,sock monkey nightlights, a Christmas t-shirt, a cute pair of socks (that fall off of her feet)a hat that looks like a little lamb, cute velour outfit, a notepad to write a letter to Santa and a Praise Baby DVD.

On the 9th day of Christmas my mom and dad gave to us...

Kaelin- 3 pair of Christmas panties

Macie- a cute Christmas bib

and a pair of Christmas pajamas that say "Santa thinks I am nice", a pair of candy cane striped baby leg warmers, "Christmas with Olivia" DVD, an adorable Christmas tutu that says "My 1st Christmas",a cute hat with crazy dangles, a pair of red tights that are suppose to be 0-6 months, but look more like 6 years, an adorable snowman t-shirt, a cute Christmas outfit with a dog wearing a Santa hat,sock monkey nightlights, a Christmas t-shirt, a cute pair of socks (that fall off of her feet)a hat that looks like a little lamb, cute velour outfit, a notepad to write a letter to Santa and a Praise Baby DVD.
On the 10th day of Christmas my mom and dad gave to us...

Kaelin- "A Christmas Story" DVD (everyone must have this and Christmas Vacation to complete your Christmas classic collection). Hopefully Kaelin won't be adding a Red Rider BB gun to her Christmas list this year.

Macie- A pair of black Christmas shoes

and 3 pair of Christmas panties, a cute Christmas bib, a pair of Christmas pajamas that say "Santa thinks I am nice", a pair of candy cane striped baby leg warmers, "Christmas with Olivia" DVD, an adorable Christmas tutu that says "My 1st Christmas",a cute hat with crazy dangles, a pair of red tights that are suppose to be 0-6 months, but look more like 6 years, an adorable snowman t-shirt, a cute Christmas outfit with a dog wearing a Santa hat,sock monkey nightlights, a Christmas t-shirt, a cute pair of socks (that fall off of her feet)a hat that looks like a little lamb, cute velour outfit, a notepad to write a letter to Santa and a Praise Baby DVD.

Days 4, 5, 6

Better late than never....

On the fourth day of Christmas my mom and dad gave to us...

Kaelin and Macie- sock monkey nightlights

and a Christmas t-shirt, a cute pair of socks (that fall off of her feet)a hat that looks like a little lamb, cute velour outfit, a notepad to write a letter to Santa and a Praise Baby DVD.

On the fifth day of Christmas my mom and dad gave to us...

Kaelin- an adorable snowman t-shirt

Macie- a cute Christmas outfit with a dog wearing a Santa hat

and sock monkey nightlights, a Christmas t-shirt, a cute pair of socks (that fall off of her feet)a hat that looks like a little lamb, cute velour outfit, a notepad to write a letter to Santa and a Praise Baby DVD.

On the sixth day of Christmas my mom and dad gave to us...

Kaelin- a cute hat with crazy dangles

Macie- a pair of red tights that are suppose to be 0-6 months, but look more like 6 years.

and an adorable snowman t-shirt, a cute Christmas outfit with a dog wearing a Santa hat,sock monkey nightlights, a Christmas t-shirt, a cute pair of socks (that fall off of her feet)a hat that looks like a little lamb, cute velour outfit, a notepad to write a letter to Santa and a Praise Baby DVD.

Snow Much Love Christmas Program

Kaelin had her school Christmas program last week. It was really cute.

The name of the program was "Snow Much Love". They sang about 10 songs. Kaelin's favorite song was "Feliz Navidad". We have been singing that song around the house for about a week.

Kaelin is on the back row (she is the one with the big red bow in her hair, if you can imagine that).

8 weeks

It is kind of silly to do an 8 week post because I am going to do a 2 month post with her Happy 2 Month Birthday cupcakes.

But, technically... she was 8 weeks old on Friday at 11:54 AM and she doesn't turn 2 months until December 22.

I want to be able to look back and see how far we have come, so Happy 8 weeks of life Macie.

We love you and you have given us a whole new meaning to our lives.

Macie's Christmas List

Dear Santa,

My wants are pretty small this year. Milk, pacifiers, and diapers pretty much meet all of my needs.

Mommy wants me to get a baby walker because she says in a few months I will love it.

I guess I could use some new clothes since I am busting out of the clothes I currently have.

Other than that, what else does a 2 month baby need. I am open to suggestions.

Love,
Macie

Kaelin's Christmas List

Dear Santa...

I have been very good this year (mom and dad would like a definition of what qualifies as good).

For Christmas this year, I would like...

a sleigh for her baby dolls to ride in (this is a new request and it will not be making the cut)

a bell to ring in her room when she needs me (yes we are now resorting to me being their servant at their beckon call... this will definitely not happen)

a bow and ear (this is more commonly known as a bow and arrow)- Todd is brain washing my baby. I have teased (not really teased because I am serious) about buying her a bow for her hair because that is the only bow I know.

a hand held video game (omg... we have already reached this age where video games have become a request on the Santa list- it will be an educational Leapfrog Explorer with educational games- I am not going to let her corrupt her mind at such a young age... that is to be saved for her teenage years)

a little bicycle for Aunt Debbie's house

a Barbie animal vet center (this keeps making the Christmas list, but it is a really big toy and we are OUT of room at our house- so we are looking for a bigger house, but in the mean time, I am trying to get out of buying this toy)

The list has been pretty mild, which must mean she is spoiled rotten and has everythimg a 4 year old could ever want or need.

Days 1, 2, and 3

We are doing the 12 days of Christmas with both of our girls this year... wow... busy...crazy...exciting times.

I am on day 8 of Christmas and just now posting about it.

Oh well.... this is just one of the many things we have done late recently.

We are not just fashionably late... we are setting a whole new standard for being late. It has become almost comical now. I can't seem to get into a groove when it comes to getting 3 high maintenance ladies ready to do anything. The two little ladies seem to be much more demanding and high maintenance than I have been lately. In fact, by the time I have them ready to go (all gear packed), I am worn out. Example... last night we were all going to a Christmas party and I was putting makeup on in the car in the dark. When we got to the party, I told Todd to just take a look at my nighttime makeover to make sure I had not pulled some kind of makeup catastrophe. I did not want to go into the party looking like death warmed over or like I had just coming in from working a street corner. I was going for something in between the two.

My take on the twelve days of Christmas...

A couple of years ago, I started wrapping up 12 gifts for Kaelin so she would have a little something to open every day. It helped keep her out of the real presents under the tree. It also allowed me to buy some of those super cute Christmas outfits, shirts, sweaters, etc. and not be forced to give them to her at Christmas. (No one wants to be the kid wearing the Rudolph sweater to school in January.)

On the first day of Christmas my mom and dad gave to us...

Kaelin-a notepad to write Santa a letter

Macie- a Praise Baby Christmas DVD

On the second day of Christmas my mom and dad gave to us...

Kaelin- a hat that looks like a little lamb

Macie- a red velour Christmas outfit

and a notepad to write a letter to Santa and a Praise Baby DVD.

On the third day of my mom and dad gave to us...

Kaelin... a Christmas t-shirt

Macie- a cute pair of socks (that fall off of her feet)

and a hat that looks like a little lamb, cute velour outfit, a notepad to write a letter to Santa and a Praise Baby DVD.

Christmas Party Recap

We had our annual Christmas Party Saturday night. It was incredible. We had some great friends over, delicious food, the REAL Santa Clause, and lots of fun.

Todd and I really enjoyed the Christmas Party we had last year, so we decided to do a repeat. My theme this year was "Wild and Crazy" because I could not describe our past year (7 weeks) any better. We made 3 kinds of chili: our friend Terry made his famous chili that is made with a stew meat, Todd made a chili with ground beef that was served with fritos (frito pie) or on top of hot dogs (chili dogs), and I made a chicken chili (which I LOVE and will post the recipe soon).

We asked all of the parents to bring their child a gift (and sneak it into Santa's bag). We also adopted a needy family and asked all of the kids to bring things for the needy family. All of those gifts went under the Christmas tree. (I will do a seperate post on the family and the wonderful Christmas that our friends helped us give them).

Santa was amazing. After he was attacked by all of the kids in the yard (some of them even attacked him as he was getting out of his vehicle and trying to put on his Santa suit) he came in and really entertained the kids. He had them singing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, told them a story about his keys, and then showed them the magic key that he uses to open doors when there is no chimney.

Hello Santa... I have been very good. I promise.

Santa explaining all of his keys (one for his house, one for his sleigh, one for the toy shop, and one for the reindeer barn). Then he had a magic key for opening houses with no chimneys or in case there is a fire in the chimney. Who knew Santa had so many keys????

Kaelin was just mesmerized with Santa. She could probably sit there all night listening to him and asking 1000 questions.

Kaelin was telling Santa her Christmas wish list and I think she gave him a list of about 100 things. I am quite sure he won't be filling all of her list.

My two favorite girls sitting with Santa.

This is where Macie spent the majority of the night- in Mamaw's arms. I don't think either of them were complaining.

When Macie wasn't in Mamaw's lap, she spent her time with Pawpaw.

Santa and Trip just chillin' North Pole style.

Chicken Chili Recipe

We had several requests for the recipe for Chicken Chili that we served at our Christmas Party, so I decided to just post it. (I doubled the recipe for the Christmas Party and it barely fit into my large crock pot)

Chicken Chili (thanks to Gary Lowry)

3 cans Northern Beans, undrained (can use 4 cans if you want)
1 can chopped green chilies (found by the Mexican food)
4 to 6 chicken breasts (I use about 6 large ones)
6 cups of chicken broth (or 3 cans of broth)
3/4 cup of onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped or crushed
2 T. Olive Oil
2 t. cumin
1 1/2 t. oregano
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
2-3 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese (1 lb. block shredded)

Cook chicken breasts in water seasoned with salt and lots of black pepper until tender. Reserve broth if wanting to use. (I recommend using the broth from cooking the chicken rather than the cans of broth.) Let cool and skim off fat from broth. Cut up chicken and set aside.

Saute onion in olive oil until transparent. Add garlic, green chilies, cumin, oregano, and cayenne pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes.

Bring out the big pot. Add the undrained beans, broth, chicken, and the saute'd mixture from above. Bring to a slow boil. Cook on low heat for an hour. Add cheese a little at a time during this hour.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Best if made a day ahead and refrigerated overnight.

Heat on low heat before serving (or warm up in your crock pot). Garnish with chopped cilantro or green onions. (makes it look pretty, but I don't do it if I am serving a large crowd).

7 weeks

Macie turned 7 weeks old this past Friday.

Wow... where has the time gone. I have to return to work this week (only 2 days, but it still makes me SUPER sad).

Macie has had the best week so far. She is sleeping AWESOME (going to bed between 9 and 10 at night and not waking up until 5:30 and 6:30 in the morning). That is a schedule that I can work with.

She is eating like a small horse. She would be happy if you would feed her about every 2-3 hours during the day, but at least during the night she prefers to sleep (probably sleeping off all of that milk she drank during the day).

We have had to say goodbye to all of the newborn sized clothes. That made me a little (a lot) sad. I absolutely hated putting them in the box. Those were the clothes I brought to the hospital for her to wear and come home in. Those were also some of the same clothes I brought to the hospital when Kaelin was born. Each outfit has such great memories that I just hated to see them get put away. We are now into the 0-3 month clothes (but not for long) and the 3 or 3-6 month clothes.

She is smiling A LOT.

The medicine the doctor gave her for thrush has worked miracles. Macie is feeling so much better and is a very happy baby (except for what we refer to as grumpy 30). That is the time of day when Macie has just had enough and she really lets us know about it (usually about the time Todd gets home from work).

Pajama Day

Last Tuesday, Kaelin had pajama day at school. They watched to Polar Express, ate cookies and drank hot chocolate.

Kaelin loved it.

MOTY moment: (Mom of the year)


When I dropped Kaelin off at school, her teacher asked if she had any other shoes. (Kaelin was wearing her super cute Santa Clause slippers.) I told the teacher that was all I sent her. The teacher informs me that they were going to go play on the playground. So, I have to hurry to store and pick up Kaelin a pair of tennis shoes. I also forgot to send her a jacket (who does that... it was about 40 degrees outside).





There are always notes and flyers in her folder that discuss upcoming events. Since we were in Austin the week before, we missed all of the communication (this is my defense). There was a flyer talking about the pajama day. In big BOLD letters, it says "No Slippers". (Uh Oh...) Then the next flyer says Brrrr... and discusses making sure you send a jacket with your child every day. (Uh Oh...)

Happy Birthday Aunt Debbie

Today is Aunt Debbie's birthday.

Happy Birthday to You! Happy Birthday to You! Happy Birthday to Aunt Debbie! Happy Birthday to You!

We are so thankful that Aunt Debbie is so involved in our lives. Both of my girls just love spending time with her. We get the pleasure of eating dinner with her about 4 nights a week (sometimes more).

Thank you for everything you do for us and with us. We love you and hope you have a very happy birthday.

Tonight is our annual Christmas party. We have been frantically running around trying to get everything done before the party. We cooked 3 different kinds of chili. Santa is scheduled to pay us a visit at 5:3o. Kaelin is just too excited. We also adopted a needy family again this year. We have asked everyone attending the party to bring a gift or food for the family. We plan on delivering everything sometime next week.

6 weeks

I am a little late posting this, but it is crazy around here.

Macie turned 6 weeks old the day we left Austin. We had a long week.

But 6 weeks turned out to be a wonderful week. Things really started getting a lot better.

Week in review:

On Monday, we both went to the doctor. They put Macie on a pretty strong medicine to finally knock out the thrush. It did take care of the thrush which has made for a very happy baby. (The medicine was a little strong which caused some MAJOR explosive diapers).

Updates:

Macie weighed 9 pounds 11 ounces. (Girl likes her food).

What is she doing:

Macie is very alert. She is holding her head up and looking around. She is sleeping SO MUCH better.

Likes and dislikes:

She still dislikes baths (but she will tolerate them for a little while), hates having her diaper changed, and does not care for having her clothes changed. Basically, she just prefers to be dirty.

She loves sitting in her swing and is beginning to sit in her Bumbo chair. She does good for a while, then begins to lean a little bit.

Crazy on a whole new level

If you are wondering why I have not posted anything lately... we (Kaelin, Macie, and I) have been in Austin. I had to go to Austin for a business trip.

If you are saying "I thought you weren't suppose to return to work until January"... you are correct, but duty calls. I had a conference that was a "must" for my job. So, as a compromise, my girls went with me (along with Aunt Debbie and Uncle Truman).

What was I thinking... (that I can't be away from my kids and that my youngest needs to eat and what a dull week if I could not be with my babies)

This week proved to be the week of all weeks. I am exhausted just trying to type a recap.

Along with 9 hour days spent in back to back training and being a presenter at one of the sessions, we got to spend one of the days in the Dell Children's Hospital. Now before you get all worried, everything is okay. Macie just gave us a little (a big) scare.

This is how the whole thing went down... (involves some boob talk, so skip to the end because some of it really is TMI -too much information)

I will give the story from the beginning (keep in mind it has only been 6 weeks). About a week after getting released from the hospital, I started running fever and could not get it to break. This was not just a little fever, it was staying around 104 (that is the scary range). The fever was taking absolutely everything out of me (which is hard to admit because I never own up to defeat). Several calls to the doctor, three different prescriptions, and a threat of returning to the hospital, they concluded that I had mastitis (google it if you don't know what it is).

The doctor prescribes an antibiotic for the mastitis. Good for the infection (bad for a breast fed baby). The antibiotic gets rid of the antibodies (even the good ones). This causes Macie to get Thrush (yeast infection of the mouth), which is pretty painful. So, when Macie eats... this causes me to get Thrush (as if mastitis is not enough). Macie's doctor prescribes an anti-fungal medicine for her and an anti-fungal cream for me. (Yes... we are up to 5 prescriptions for those counting).

We are into week 4 of Thrush and it is still not looking good on the home front. Macie's mouth will clear up for a day and then it starts looking bad again. We are passing the thrush back and forth. It is a very vicious cycle. Feeding Macie had become EXTREMELY painful from all of the cracks, cuts, and bleeding (again TMI, but it leads to the end of the story).

So, we are in Austin (3 hours from home). I wake up (if you call 3 hours of sleep a good nights sleep). I feed Macie, get dressed for my confernce, go to my first session, and then I get a text saying "to call now". So, I call Aunt Debbie and she informs me that Macie has just thrown up blood.

WOW... scary. So, I go up to the room, assess the situation, call Todd for help, and then call our nurses line with our insurance. They tell me to take Macie to the emergency room due to her age. So, off to Dell Children's Hospital we go. Five hours later we walk out with a few answers. Due to the Thrush (in Macie's mouth and on my chest), the cuts have caused Macie to ingest blood rather than milk. Since blood doesn't really digest, it just comes back up (and scares the hell out of you).

Solution... time (and an assortment of medicine) will heal all wounds. I went to Target, bought Macie some formula to help fill her tummy and relieve some of the demands that she has on me (her 24 hour vending machine).

3 days later... we are all doing much better. Macie's mouth is looking better (not perfect), cuts are healing (not perfect), and the fussiness is easing (mine and Macie's).

We both have doctors appointments on Monday (probably for more prescriptions).

The past 6 weeks have been overly busy and overly exhausting. Saving all of my Christmas shopping until Christmas Eve could not even come close to stressing me out as much as the past 6 weeks. We are all heading uphill which is beginning to feel like winning the lottery.

Reddy Arrived

We had a special Christmas guest arrive yesterday. He will be here with us all through the holidays as long as we don't touch him. His name is Reddy and he is our Elf on the Shelf.

Reddy hangs out all day watching over Kaelin and Macie. Then after everyone is asleep, he flys back to the North Pole and reports everything to Santa. He will tell Santa their Christmas wishes as well as give a Naughty/Nice report. The only rule is... we can't touch him. If we touch him, he will begin losing his magic and won't be able to fly back to the North Pole.

Every morning he lands in a different spot. It is Kaelin (and eventually Macie's) mission to try to find Reddy every morning.

When Kaelin came down the stairs this morning, she looked in the spot that Reddy was in yesterday. He was gone, but had left a note from Santa. Now the chore of finding where Reddy decided to sit today.

Kaelin has spotted Reddy. She was so super excited. She started jumping up and down saying "There he is. I see him. I see him. Mom, look."

This was Reddy's spot of choice this morning. I wonder where we will find him tomorrow? I hope we don't end up on the Naughty list today.

Things I am Thankful For...

So, this is a little after Thanksgiving, but I spend most of my time these days running behind... running late... missing things all together... or forgetting that I had something I should have been doing.

Oh Well...

One thing I forgot on Thanksgiving... was to take pictures. (I know... I know... my baby's first Thanksgiving... how could I forget to take pictures).

I did take one picture, but it was after we returned from our Thanksgiving dinner at Aunt Debbie's house.

My Thanksgiving day began with a lot of craziness. Macie decided she preferred me in my pajamas (not a bad idea) because every time I went to get dressed, she would just begin bawling. Then once I picked her up, the fit stopped. So, I would put her back down, make it to the bathroom to get dressed, and then the bawling would resume. We did this routine for about 1 1/2 hours. It was not the highlight of my day.

After I finally was able to get myself dressed, get Kaelin dressed with minimal arguments, and then wrestle Macie into some clean clothes, we were able to leave the house.

So, despite the dramatic beginning to our Thanksgiving day, we were all able to enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving lunch.

I am very thankful...

for my two wonderful girls that keep me on my toes and provide color to my life

for my fabulous husband who is much calmer than I am

for having such a wonderful family that always offers to help out when they know I need a break

Happy 1 Month Birthday Macie

Last night, we celebrated Macie's 1 month birthday. It is amazing how much can change in 1 month. 1 month ago, we were not changing diapers, washing bottles, looking for burp rags, trying to find the missing pacifier, packing diaper bags, or doing the majority of our shopping on the baby aisles.

Macie has definitely added a new level of craziness to our wild and crazy life and I would not change a thing. She is a very sweet baby (with an evening attitude). She is into discovering new things. She has figured out that the animals on her baby swing move- that keeps her occupied for quite a while. She recognizes voices and tries sooooo hard to find out who is talking. She is holding her head up, looking around, sleeping pretty good, eating like she is practicing for the competitive eating circuit, and snuggling with anyone that will snuggle her. She has begun to tolerate baths and diaper changes (not liking them, but finally succumbing to the fact that they are part of a babies life).

What... I am 1 month old today?

The best big sister in the world helped Aunt Debbie make 1 month birthday cupcakes for Macie. She was so proud of herself. She would do ANYTHING for her little sister. It is so sweet to watch.

Happy 1 Month Birthday Macie!!!!

This picture cracks me up because it looks like Macie is about to blow out the candle. This is just so sweet. Big Sister and Little Sister.

Little Sister rocking the hair bow