It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

We started decorating the house for Christmas this past month. About 4 weeks ago we put up the outside lights and then the week of Thanksgiving Gracelyn helped me decorate inside! Everything was up and ready... we just had to wait for our tree. This year we made the switch to an artificial... I am so glad we did! We waited until Black Friday (although it was hard for me to wait ;) and got our tree 33% off! It was so fun to put up and decorate! Gracelyn doesn't like the glitter (which I have on every ornament ball) and would say "Messy" so I did most of the tree trimming but she helped Daddy put the (sparkly) star on top!

We had a lot of fun putting the tree up and decorating it! Gracelyn is at such a fun age right now and she wanted to help in any way she could! Now teaching her not to take them OFF the tree... we are still working on that one ;)

Briella like the tree too! She would just stare into the lights! 

I can't wait to see what the rest of this Christmas fun brings! It is so fun to watch our sweet girl take it all in and experience the magic of this season! She already gets so excited about "Sonta" and she has been waiting to put "Baby Desus" on the tree (our little nativity ornaments for the advent calendar) we start TOMORROW!!!! 25 Days of Christmas here we come!

We have so many fun parties, events and outings planned I can't wait to share pictures and memories from each one! Stay tuned!

Thanksgiving!

We started decorating for Christmas the week of Thanksgiving... Gigi got to decorate her own tree with ornaments she could touch and do whatever she wants with :) This tree is now in her room since we now have our beautiful tree! We got it on Black Friday and my sweet hubby picked it up on such a crazy day! More picture of our new tree to come :)

Ella is starting to do much better... she doesn't scream all day and actually she smiles a ton! Once this colic passes I can see her being a very happy easy going baby... **Crossing fingers**

We are so blessed to have both of our families here... so we get to have Thanksgiving TWICE! First we headed to Buckeye to spend the morning with David's family!

 Then we headed down to Scottsdale to spend the evening with my family!

 We had a wonderful day spending time with family and enjoying such a delicious meal! I was so excited to see my Cowboys play but it was definitely a bummer that they lost... regardless of the outcome I didn't let that ruin my evening! We listened to Christmas music and talked about our trip next fall to DISNEYLAND!!! It will be so much fun with my girls! Gigi will be almost three and Ella will be 1 not to mention my niece/nephew will be around 4 months old!! Starting out young ;)

All in all we had a wonderful day! I am so thankful for our loving family who is always there to support us and  and love on our children! I am so thankful for my handsome loving selfless husband who works so hard so that I can stay home with our girls!

I am so thankful for our amazing God who is full of never ending mercy and grace and though we don't deserve it he loves us no matter what!

Trusting you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

2 months... well... 2.5 ;)

Our sweet baby girl is two in a half months old! I can't believe how fast it flies by! She is growing growing growing one would never guess she was almost a month premature! She now weighs close to 12 pounds and is almost 11.5 pounds and is close to 22 inches long! I love watching her little cheeks fill out :) I am so in love with her blue eyes and blonde hair! I still can't believe I have a blondie!

She went to her 2 month appt and we found out she has colic. That would explain her hysterical screaming when she is put down or laid on her back. Poor thing has been trying to roll onto her tummy since the week we brought her home... now she does it almost immediately... and now she can roll from her tummy to her back but then screams and screams until she gets back to her tummy. Because she was held a ton due to her pain and major projectile spitting up she is one attached babe! Most of the time I don't mind, Gigi wasn't a cuddler so it is nice to have one that always wants her Mommy! except when I am cooking dinner, or trying to clean or decorate for Christmas... it would just be easier if I didn't have a monkey on me :)

Briella is starting to handle her feedings better... I am back to nursing every feeding but that only lasts 5 minutes before I am empty so then we also give her 4 oz of formula. (5.5 before bed) She sleeps amazing... on her tummy (I know I know) we put her down around 7 ish and then she will go till about 8! Gigi gets up around 7ish so I get some snuggle time with her in my bed while we watch "Bah-nee... choo choo" (Barney's Christmas) EVERY SINGLE MORNING... seriously we can't even try a new show... she LOVES the one with "Son-ta" and then says "Ho ho ho" too stinkin' cute :) We are VERY excited about Christmas as you can see :)

She smiles A TON! I have gotten a few pictures but have yet to really capture her adorable grin! She will sit and stare at you and just smile and coo... telling us stories! When she sees her big sister she smiles real big... nothing more lovely for a mama's soul :)

They enjoy taking their baths together and now I have it down to a science! Ella is just like Gigi and prefers warm/hot water to luke warm... just like their parents too! The Dr. and other people encouraged me that the crying until hoarse phase would start to dwindle around 3 months... I am definitely starting to see that. Unless we are in the car and stopped or in a store she HATES being in her carseat if we are in a store... so that makes shopping fun ;) Hence the reason why I now do my grocery shopping at 8 at night!!

All in all she is a wonderful baby! I can't imagine my life without my girls! Ella has challenged me and forced me to fall on my knees praying for answers and patience... did I mention patience ;) I am so thankful that I get to be her Mommy and although it is tough to her a crying baby all day I am so thankful for that precious cry!

A Minnie Mouse Party for a special girl!

I know this is late... but better than it never showing up on this blog :)

We had a fun party at the Railroad Park... I grew up right around it but because I had a summer birthday it was always too hot to have my party there. My brother's birthday is in the spring so he always got to have them at Railroad Park! I was so so excited for her to have her party there especially since she has been really into trains and Carousels lately and the park has both! My sweet Mom and sister got to the park Saturday morning REALLY early to save a spot for us! I am so glad they did since it was CROWDED by 8am!

My big girl !!

 My sweet baby girl!

 Peek-a-BOO! haha

 Ella didn't like wearing her ears very much!

We had so much fun decorating for the party!! We went with the old fashined red, black and yellow Minnie mouse instead of the new pink Minnie!

 My Mom and I made Minnie Mouse ice cream cone cupcakes and Debby made the most adorable cake!

Lots of family and friends came to celebrate with us!

 All the Grandpas, and Uncles

Sleeping Babies!!!

 Grandma's Aunts and their grandbabies!

 Adorable friends! Miss Colette

 Brand new baby friends... sweet Hadley!

 My little brother..Uncle Ryan and Ella :)

 and cousins!

 All the Mouseketeers!

The amazing cake David's Mom made.... just minutes before....

 it hit the ground... the person who knocked it over... ME! AHH! Thankfully Gigi didn't mind ;)

Eating her ice cream cone cupcake.. upside down!

She got some really neat things... lots of bath toys and much needed clothes! Some really cute books and a lot of Minnie mouse things!! This girl is stinkin' blessed by you all!

 She was so excited about her bath time paints!!

Of course there was a train ride or two.. and a ride on the carousel!

Choo Choo!

 WOO HOO!

We had a great time celebrating our sweet girl! Thank you to all our family that helped make this special and to all our friends who made it memorable!

I still can't believe my baby is 2 and that our littlest will be one is a little more than 9 months! EEKKK why does time have to fly so fast. Until then, I will be treasuring every single moment with my girls! I am so so thankful to the Lord for letting me be the Mommy of these precious lives! I still can't believe he chose me! David and I are beyond blessed!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET GIGI... we can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for your next year... I am sure it will be filled with a lot of laughs and a lot of sass!