We Had Ourselves A Merry Little Christmas

December 26th. The most melancholy day of the year. Everything you have been doing for and celebrating for a little over a month is done. Life is basically back to normal. Such a depressing little day.

I was extra excited for Christmas this year. Having two girls to spoil was so much fun! And, this was the first year Abby was excited for presents and Santa. I still don't think she quite gets that Santa was the one to drop off the presents, but she did talk about him a lot and had fun opening her presents and helping Madalyn open hers as well.

We started our festivities on Chrsitmas Eve by going to breakfast with my parents. Whats better than starting off a day with strawberry crepes, sausage, and hashbrowns? Nothing, that's what. Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures of that, but it was so much fun and hopefully a yearly tradition, as long as Sam keeps having work off. That day was spent baking banana bread, watching Miracle on 34th Street, and napping. That night we visited with Sams dad, then got home and had our own traditional Christmas Eve dinner while watching Grinch, Elf, and Christmas Story.

We always open Christmas Eve jammies. This year, we got the girls some, but decided to skip us to save a little bit of money. This is the first year in my 27 years of life that I have not had new Christmas jammies. Sad right?  Also, we have a tradition that comes from South Africa where Santa leaves the gifts he brings in a pillowcase. Once Abby and Maddi finally went to sleep (after 11 mind you) I got busy and made Madalyn's pillowcase. I love how it turned out. After that, Santa was able to come and we were able to go to bed, at about 2. Late night, but so fun to spend together watching movies without our kids!

Christmas morning everyone slept in until 8:30. It was nice, but I was getting too anxious. We all got a pretty good haul. Sam spoiled me rotten. I was only supposed to get my Kitchen-aid, but he also got me Vans shoes, Death Cab for Cutie CD's and a waterbottle. I know, it sounds silly to get a waterbottle, but for some reason I LOVE new waterbottles. And this one is so nice. After we opened our presents, we sat around and enjoyed our new toys in the mess.

That afternoon, we visited Dan and Nonie again, dropped of medicine to a sick mother in law, and then spent the rest of the evening at my moms opening more presents and stuffing our faces. My girls got spoiled!! And I loved dressing them in the same outfits. Can't believe I haven't done it yet. I just love my little girls so much!! Holidays truly are better with little ones.

 That night, my girls had it and both crashed at my parents house. When we got home, they decided to wake up and we were up late again with them. But, it was a lot of fun. I somewhat didn't mind them awake. And an added bonus, they slept in until 8:30 again AND are both down for naps at the same time. Score!

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas as we did! I am sad Christmas is over, but I am looking forward to the New Year and what that brings. 

The 4th Month

Months: I can't believe my little chubby cheeked Maddi is already 4 months old! I just can't believe how fast time is going!!

Weight: I stepped on my scale with her yesterday and she was an even 15 pounds! That is with clothes and a diaper on but still. She is growing! (sadly with the holidays, so is her mama. But the chub suits her more than it does me.)

How She Is Sleeping: She is doing better lately. Ever since my rant on the fact that I've gotten no sleep lately, she has really stepped it up. She wakes up between 4:30 and 5:30 to eat, and then goes back to sleep. Not too shabby. Not too shabby at all.

What Madalyn Loves: She loves to sit up, so thank goodness we have the bumbo. We also have a toy she can sit in that she loves as well for short periods of time. Usually until Abby tries to climb in it with her. She also loves her mama! Since Abby is not so much a mama's girl, it's nice to have one child be. Until she is older, then I am sure Maddi will walk in the footsteps of her sister and be a big fan of daddy. But for now, she is my number one fan!! (ps, she loves her daddy too, but lets face it. I am the eating source and by the amount of chub on her, we know she loves to eat) She also loves coke apparently.

Don't mind my death look here.

What Madalyn Hates: Maddi pretty much hates when I clean or get ready or do anything other than pay attention to her. She also despises tummy time still. She also hates sitting now when I burp her and insists on standing.

What's new: She is giggling. And it is the sweetest sound in the world!

What Madalyn is learning: She looks like she might roll over from back to front very soon. She is also learning how to reach for things she wants. Nothing is sweeter than feeling a little hand grab at my face.

How Mommy is doing: I have been fighting a nasty cold for a week, but other than that not too shabby. It's still hard being a mommy of two sometimes, especially when I need to run a whole bunch of errands or I want to clean my house, but slowly it's working out.

What we are working on: We are still working on trying to roll over, and getting her out of our room.

What we are looking forward to: Meeting Uncle Tim, Aunt Ashley, Emmy and Jack for the first time, and of course Christmas. Particularity, Christmas Eve! Our Christmas Eve tradition is becoming my favorite. We stuff our faces with a huge feast, prepared mostly by Sam, and watch Christmas movie after Christmas movie while wrapping any last minute gifts. Bliss!

Oh my little Madalyn, I sure do love you! What did I do without you?

Weekend Rundown

Friday:

The weekend started off with a pretty fun ward party. Good food, fun friends, and great activities.  Even though Sam's finger is in this picture, I sure do love this one of my family! (looks like Maddi has mastered the selfie kissy face.)

Saturday:

Double date date night with Erik and Ali to my moms last Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert. After 14 years of going, it will be weird next year to not go. Maybe we will still have to fight for tickets. Since we have been spoiled for 14 years, I am not sure I will be able to figure out how to actually get tickets...

Sunday:

I stayed home sick with this cold that just won't go away on Sunday with Maddi, while Sam and Abby went to church. Afterwards, Sam had a meeting and I was able to cuddle with my girls as they fell asleep on me. That evening we went to my moms for roast dinner where Maddi got some cousin time with Charlotte. That night, once the kids were in bed, Sam and I watched the horrible as always, "Holiday in Handcuffs."

Despite being sick the whole time, this weekend was a pretty great Christmas weekend!

Sleep Part 2

So, since I complained in my last blog about my girls and how they aren't sleeping, I just have to note that even though they were both up around 6 today, it was the first time either had woken up and they both fell back to sleep until 8. Which is awesome seeing as I have come down with Abby's cold she had last week. Looks like I got my one night of (almost) 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Isn't it funny? Just when you think you're at your wits end and can't take another night of lack of sleep or whatever it is you're struggling with,  you get a tender mercy that boosts you up?

So, I guess I will keep them at night for just a little longer. Because I mean really, they are super cute. Plus,  this mama is one happy lady having had sufficient sleep.

Sleep

Let me first start out by saying, of course I love my girls. Its obvious given that they are the stars of my blog/instagram/facebook. However, I think I am ready to let someone else take them at night.

First, there is Abby, who should be the one sleeping through the night. We were so pumped when we made the transition from the crib to the big girl bed. It was so easy! She had no problems going to sleep and sleeping all through the night. Until she did. Now, she comes in our room almost every night, and putting her back in bed isn't easy, what with the wailing and squiggling and nashing of teeth she does. Seriously.

Then, there is miss Maddi, who is expected to get up at night. She is, after all, not even 4 months. But, she was sleeping through the night, and when she would wake up she would eat and fall immediately back to sleep. Now when she wakes up, and I put her back in her back in her bassinet, she sleeps for maybe 20 min, enough time for me to just fall back to sleep and then wakes up again wanting to be cuddled. And we usually go back and forth like that until morning. 

After all this, they wake up like they just had the best nights sleep of their life, while Sam and I have huge bags under our eyes and can't say a sentence without yawning. 

So, if anyone wants a sleep over with two cuties, feel free. I just want one night of uninterrupted 8 hours of sleep.Just one night.

Our Little Firecracker

Our little Abbigale Mae is one spunky little girl. A lady in our ward referred to her as "a little firecracker" and that fits her to a T.

At almost two and a half, Abby is one fun toddler. She surprises Sam and I every day with new things she does or says.

Abby is most definitely a girly girl. I got a wig out of our Halloween things and she wears it every day. She asks for her "curly hair" and walks around delicately brushing it out of her face. Any time she sees someone with long curly hair, she asks to put their hair on her head. She is also recently into dress ups since Thanksgiving. It's a good thing my sisters family gave Abby this dress up, because I don't think she would have given it up easily. She didn't take it off for two days after. Other accessories she loves are her necklaces and her purses, and she loves to put on makeup and chapstick/lipgloss.

This is probably my very favorite picture of her!

Abby has the cutest little quirks. I often hear her in the next room let out a big annoyed sigh and say "oh man!" when she drops something or something doesn't go her way. She also has the best memory! She remembers people that she meets just once and asks about them all the time. For example, one of her most favorite people in the world is my step mother in laws dad. After going to his house one Sunday with Nonie, the rest of the week she asked for "Grandpa Don." Nonies aunt was there as well and so Abby also asked for "Aunt Bobby" for weeks.

One of my favorite things that is going on with Abby right now is I am 98% sure she has a crush on Jimmy Fallon. I mean, how can you not? (her mommy sure does.) Every time she sees him she knows exactly who he is and asks to watch this clip all day long.

She dances right along to it and watches it over and over again until I make her stop.

A few more tidbits about my favorite two year old, she loves to fast dance, (like Mr. Noodle on Sesame Street) she loves to walk like a penguin, she knows basically all her colors, knows most of her numbers, and can count pretty well too. She is into saying that everything is hers, particular the new Christmas present my parents gave us: "my Tablet". She also talks in third person. "Abby's big girl bed?" and when Maddi smiles at her she exclaims "She's smiling at you!"

Abby also loves to take pictures, and she loves to exclaim how she feels. "I'm so excited!" "I'm soooo maaaaad!!!!" and "I'm happy now." And, she loves Madalyn so much!

Lastly, Abby loves to sing. Her favorite songs are "I Am A Child Of God" "Snowman" "We are never ever getting back together" "I don't care, I love it" and "Royals" to name a few.

I sure do love my spunky, quirky, firecracker girl. I can't even believe I get to be her mommy.