Mini Me :)

Okay, so I really think we look alike...especially through the eyes...our left eye is squinty and our right one opens up just a little bit more...

Kameron Jo is still an easy baby...even though she eats throughout the night hours...

Kameron's first Christmas is tomorrow!!

Twas the night before Christmas...

so the girls got to open one gift after our evening service and an AWeSome German meal with the Honeymans :) They have two strollers already, but they asked Santa for some more...so they opened those tonight...and believe it or not, they were really excited and took their babies on a few laps around the house...

Before bed, we set out a muffin and some milk for Santa...this year Erin was concerned about Santa getting too much sugar...she actually cried when I told her we could set out cookies for him...she said "NO! Cookies have TOO much sugar...we need to give him a cereal bar".

This is not unusual, lately she likes to tell people that there is nothing healthy at Burger King...

Anyways, as Brooke was climbing the stairs towards bed, she was apparently still thinking about Santa coming down the chimney to eat his muffin, she stopped to tell her daddy, with a serious look on her face, to "make sure Santa doesn't get my stroller".

"I'm annoyed"...

says Kyle as he sits down beside me on the couch....

me: why?

Kyle: because everything you make lately is crappy...stick to the same five things and rotate...I'm so tired of artichoke and something...

me: laughing hysterically

Kyle: I had to eat peanut butter on crackers tonight to avoid eating the stuff you make.

It's true...I've been making some creative/uncreative food as of late...and I have been including the before mentioned ingredient in almost all my entrees...

Here's the latest meals...none were very good (with the exception of the first and I think it was the catalyst to the rest of my creations)

Tuesday night: chicken, cherry tomatoes, pine nuts, fresh basil and artichoke (with orzo noodles)

Thursday night: ground turkey, olives, fresh oregano (over egg noodles)

Saturday night: lemon butter chicken, lemon and herb noodles, cherry tomatoes and artichoke

Monday night: organic roasted portabello mushrooms and tomato sauce (with angel hair)...really, it was the worst spaghetti ever...

this meal broke the camel's back...back to safe and easy casseroles :)

Winter Wonderland....

We went to a Christmas party tonight and it was extravagant...and so much fun for the girls.  When we walked up to their home, we were greeted by Frosty (who gave out glow necklaces, see Santa picture) and there was snow in the air (thanks to a snow blower), and hot chocolate or coffee at the door...once you got inside Santa, jugglers, and a balloon artist were there to give the children whatever their hearts desired...

Brooke didn't like Frosty, I think he reminded her of the Chick-fil-a cow (who terrifies her)...but, this year she did like Santa...and Kameron had no problem with him either...of course, Erin isn't afraid of anyone...so she walked right up to him and before he could ask she told him she wanted a camera...

as a sidebar, I don't know where this obsession with cameras and taking pictures is coming from...hmmm, not really, I know EXACTLY where it's coming from...watching her Aunt Rachel take pictures all over the place...every time I pick up my camera it has pictures of our coffee table, our TV, a toy on the floor, a picture on the wall...all nicely centered...

back to the party, there was a cheese fountain there bigger than any I've seen, cooks cooking...and buckets of different flavored popcorn...and that's where Brooke landed for the night...

Brooke's favorite...'Dill' popcorn...and Rachel caught this...notice anything? :)

Our girls with Santa...

Tis the Season...

to celebrate our Savior's birth, to remember that He was born to die, to know that you are loved by the Most High, to pick up the cross and follow Him, to be thankful for your family, to love and give to others who need, to share Jesus with people...the greatest gift of all.

We have a family FAVORITE Christmas song, O Holy Night, (please click and watch)...Kyle sings this to and with the girls at night in their room with the lights off and their Christmas tree lit up...it's beautiful to see and hear :)

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,

It is the night of our dear Savior's birth.

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

'Til He appear'd and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees! O, hear the angels' voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was born;

O night divine, O night, O night Divine.

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,

With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.

So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,

Here come the wise men from Orient land.

The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger;

In all our trials born to be our friend.

He knows our need, to our weakness He's no stranger,

Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!

Behold your King, Behold your King.

Truly He taught us to love one another;

His law is love and His gospel is peace.

Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;

And in His name all oppression shall cease.

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,

Let all within us praise His holy name.

Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,

His power and glory evermore proclaim.

His power and glory evermore proclaim.

Rice and Rudolph

Kameron had rice cereal yesterday...we started in the bumbo, moved to my arms, and ended up in the swing...she ate it all and seemed to enjoy it :)  I was relieved that it wasn't a struggle...Brooke didn't eat solids until she was nine months old because of her corroded esophagus from silent acid reflux :)  In comparison, it was a SMOOTH and EASY experience with solids for Kameron...

Still under the weather, but a full belly of rice :)

We went to watch Erin do her Rudolph dance on Tuesday...it was really cute and she ABSOLUTELY LOVES dance...she exaggerates each move and smiles from ear to ear the entire dance...she also has hops!!  I think she can jump at least a foot off the ground when she gets excited :)!

Santa's reindeers pulling the sleigh!

Marriage...a Test and a Tool

I've mentioned before that Kyle and I took a Love and Respect course...and we now have a prayer that we pray every morning...we started a couple of weeks ago and plan on continuing for awhile...

So, after praying our prayer this morning, I started a little blog surfing and landed on a site that I loved.  I'm sure a lot of blog surfers have linked up to hers, over 2 million according to her blog, and I'm so glad I finally did.  She wrote on submission and it was SO well said. Here's her link, www.mycharmingkids.net, click on it and read December 17th.  It's so true and worth the five minutes it will take you to read :)

4 months!!

Kameron had her four month well check today, and no I didn't forget...like I did for her two month appointment!  She is THRIVING (according to me)...although her weight may not show it!

Here's her stats:

Weight: 12 lb 11 oz (25-50%)

Length: 25 3/4 inches (95%!)

Head circumference: 16 1/4 inches (50-75%)

Kameron's got a terrible sounding cough, but still no fever...so thankful that Brooke's cough and 104 temp on Wednesday night didn't fully pass to her sister...Bhakta says it's the breastmilk! :) She's still sleeping pretty well through the night...last night about 8:00 to 5:00...Nice Kam, keep it up...

Our Baby Girl...

It's neat having a baby around Christmas time...because it's a constant reminder of what Christmas is all about...it's about a precious baby who was born and would be the world's Savior...I'm so thankful that Kameron is my baby and that when I look at her during this time of year, she reminds me of baby Jesus' birth...MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Kissing Cousins

Erin and Brooke LOVE their cousins...they're growing up like brothers and sisters and it makes my heart smile :)  Rachel had the boys and I had the girls...so we both get to enjoy the VERY different worlds of raising girls vs. boys!!  We were at Market Street yesterday listening to our church choir...they were wonderful, but the little ones are a little young for the attention span needed for their Christmas performance...

They ran around and Rachel got a picture of Erin and Brooke loving on Tyler...

love, love, love!

New Babies!!

The playgroup is growing...six new babies (six months old and younger)! Three of the six are brand new moms to our playgroup...I don't know if they'll stick around for all the craziness of our preschoolers :)

I can remember going to playgroup for the first time when Erin was three weeks old and I looked at one of the mom's oldest child, who was only 2, and wondered why he wasn't in school :) So funny!! and so naive to the reality of how quick they grow up...I didn't realize that those two and three year olds are still babies to their moms and it 'was just yesterday' that their little one was as small as Erin :)

Paige, Kameron, Pierson, Harper, Brady and Ellie

Gingerbread House

Erin and Brooke like it when their Mimi tells stories...one in particular is Hansel and Gretel. When Mimi would get to the part of the story where Hansel and Gretel, and sometimes Erin's made up friend, Do Little Dinkty,  would approach the house, eat some of it, and eventually go inside the witch's house, Erin would ask WHY? She didn't understand why they would go near the house, knowing the witch wanted to eat them...so, Mimi would say it was the witch's gingerbread house, having all sorts of good things to eat on the outside, that would entice little children to come close....last night, they got to make their own house and can fully understand the draw Hansel and Gretel had toward the house :)

The Gingerbread House...

The gingerbread house workers :)

Toothless smiles...

I love the toothless grins that I get from Kameron...they're beautiful and don't last long. Rachel captured this one with her new camera...Erin got her bottom two teeth at six months and Brooke at nine months...I'm wondering when this little one will get her first tooth?

Grin of gums :)