On the Second Day of Christmas

On the second day of Christmas, Claire and Lucy gave to me........ peeping out the window for Santa and Rudolph. Okay, really they were looking for the garbage truck. I grabbed the camera to capture this rare moment of sisterly affection.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

Welcome to the first of twelve daily posts to get you through the holiday season....... On the first day of Christmas, Claire and Lucy gave to me..... a 'not-so-happy' picture with Santa. Who is this guy? Where is my shoe? Where is your shoe? Can we go home now?

Cousin Slumber Party

Nick and Max came over this past weekend for the girls' first slumber party. We all had a great time, baking cookies, eating popcorn, playing guitar hero, making breakfast and being wild. Some of my favorite quotes from our time together are; "Nick..... Max" (the girls know the boys' names!), "We should do this more often", "I sure am glad that you had the BOGO's", "We are so lucky to all live in the same place", and perhaps my favorite, "Aunt Laura, your house is a bigger mess than it usually is"...... ahhh, around here, that is the sign of a good time! And yes, we are definitely blessed to have such wonderful family close by.

Look what I did!

This icing is good stuff!

I think I'll sit back and enjoy my work!

I need to get a closer look, up on the table

All for me!

Sprinkles on the cookies... or right in your mouth

What goes better with cookies than milk?!

Pajamas, Pigtails and Pasta

Here are some recent pictures of the girls in action!

Claire enjoying a meal of pasta and hot dogs
Lucy and her pigtail ready to go down the slide

A hug turned into wrestling

I just love them in pajamas

The First Snowfall

That's right; the girls had their first memorable snowfall on Friday night. While it quickly melted on Saturday afternoon, they managed to enjoy it for a little bit. All bundled up in their new snowsuits and gear, they weren't quite sure what to make of all of it. Grandad came over with a sled and pulled them around the yard. Claire was a little more excited than Lucy was. All in all though, they weren't really happy until they were back on their swingset. What can I say? They are girls of summer!

Two Boo-tiful Butterflies

The girls were butterflies for Halloween. They had a wonderful time, partying with friends on Friday and then trick-or-treating with more friends and their family on Sunday. They absolutely loved their costumes. Lucy ran around holding her arms back like she was flying. Claire brought us her costume three hours before trick-or-treating started and wore it until we left. She then wanted it on again Monday morning. They even got into the pumpkin carving!

Halloween Party at Azley and Bly's house

Claire in costume and ready to go... at 2pm!

Thank goodness for the flameless candles!

Claire, Lucy, Owen and Nora

Lucy, Claire and Lucy's blankie

We get the WHOLE bowl, right!?

A Little Lucy Love

I am sorry that this is so delayed! There was a problem and the blog wouldn't allow me to post videos. Better late than never though!

Lucy is such a darling. She has more and more of a personality everyday. She has developed quite a vocabulary. Her favorite words are "ball", "fish" and her cousin, "Nora" which she pronounces "No-wa". She also loves to babble. We aren't sure what she is saying but when she is quite excited, she gets her tongue into it (see video). She has also learned some sign language. She is our little bird watcher, making the sign for bird and pointing out the window or up in the sky on a walk. There really are birds too, she isn't just making it up! Her favorite outdoor activity is climbing on the swingset and going down the slide, which she does all by herself now. As adventurous as she is, she is just as happy getting a book and sitting down in your lap to read. If you are on the floor, she will turn around almost two feet ahead of you and back all the way up until she is in your lap. She brings so much joy to our lives. I love watching all the wonderment and awe that she finds in the simplest things.