MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

We hope all of you had a VERY MERRY Christmas!! We sure did!!

We opened one gift each on Christmas Eve per our family tradition. This momma likes for everyone to have fresh, new PJ's on Christmas Eve so we all look fantastic (stop giggling) on Christmas morning for all the photo taking... Here's Maddy when she got to open a gift early:


Amelia and Daddy:



After opening our new PJ's, we ate a quick dinner and got ready for church. Mass started at 6 PM, but we got there early to ensure that we got seats. During the homily, the children of the parish put on a little production of the nativity story, then mass continued as normal. All in all, we were at church for almost 2 hours... The girls did FANTASTIC (especially considering the length of time and the time of day... bedtime)!!! Here we are all dressed up and ready to go:



Our day started around the normal "wake up" time (6:30 AM) when Momo and Maddy woke up! We all got up (with the exception of Amelia) to check out what Santa brought for us. Here's a little snip-it of "the first glimpse" taken with my new Flip video camera that Santa let me open on Christmas Eve after the kiddos were in bed. The camera takes pretty good quality video, but since we didn't have very many lights on (and it was still pitch black outside), this video in particular isn't the best...




Amelia slept through all of Maddy's gift opening. Shortly after Bryan and I started opening our gifts, she woke up and joined us. Here are some photos of us opening gifts:


Opening stockings:



The first gift:


A remote controlled car for Maddy:


Hide & Seek JoJo the Bunny:


The Polar Express:


A Baby Alive baby doll...


The Thomas the Tank Engine Misty Island playset:


Amelia's awake!!!


Amelia's first gift was her Bumbo seat. That worked out nicely because then she could sit up while we opened more gifts!!



SHREK FOREVER AFTER!!



Maddy even snapped a few photos for us:



The girls got a wagon... Maddy immediately asked if we could go to the pool because our neighbors always took their wagon to the pool this past summer. LoL...


Maddy's new playhouse!!


"It has a slide, Mommy!!" :)




Around lunchtime, two of our very dear friends from Abilene came to join us for dinner!! We were THRILLED to have Mike and Breezy as our company for Christmas dinner... especially since they'll be heading to Japan in January for a 3 year assignment... When it was almost time for them to head home, we took a few pictures of the girls to document the occasion!! I sure hope it's not 3 years before we see them again... I'm already trying to research taking a space available flight to Japan with the girls for a visit... Wonder how that would go?!?! :)



I hope all of you are recovering from all the Christmas excitement!! We love you all!!

Also, a special congrats to Kelly & Andrew!! We couldn't be more excited!! I can't wait to hear all the details and plans!! :)

Love you guys!!

Guess Who?!?!

Welcome to the Williams family holiday edition of Guess Who!!! Take a look at these two cuties and tell me if you know who is who... Keep in mind that one is a 2 year old photo (taken of Maddy on her first Christmas) and the other was taken this past weekend of Amelia for her first Christmas...

Ready...

Set...

Go!!!






Please leave your guesses in the comments section, and I'll try to remember to post a comment tomorrow with the correct answer... So, is the first one Maddy or Amelia?!?! And the second one?!?! :)

I hope everyone is ready for Christmas!! I know we are!! Our reindeer food is ready to go... Cookies for Santa are a CHECK!! The presents are all wrapped... Sausage pinwheels are chilling in the freezer ready to be sliced and baked Christmas morning... Ready to tear the bread for the stuffing tonight... Going out for Chinese food for Christmas Eve Eve (just for you Hannah, Heather, Uncle Mike & Aunt Michelle - isn't that what you usually do??)... Just waiting for the big day!!

Love you guys!! :)

**NOTE: Mom, since you and I have already compared these photos, you are disqualified... Don't tell anyone, but there is absolutely no prize, so no big deal!! :)**

Videos!!

I took a couple of videos today so you can see Amelia!! :)








Since Amelia wouldn't nap, we took Maddy's naptime to have a little Mommy and me time... She really enjoys just hanging out. She doesn't always want to be held which can be a good thing, but also a bad thing... Good when I need to get things done... Bad when we're somewhere that she can't just lay on the floor!! :) All in all Amelia is a pretty good baby!! Maddy is finally adjusting to having Amelia around all the time. We're figuring out how to give everyone the attention she deserves!! :)

We're really looking forward to having Bryan home for more than 1 or 2 days in a row!! Next week can't come and go fast enough! It'll be quiet here on our little cul-de-sac as all of our neighbors have plans to travel for the holidays (some have already left), but it'll be nice to have our family together for the holiday!!

I am pleased to report that our "good days" have begun to outnumber our "challenging days"!!! I think we may be getting the hang of this 4 person family! The transition from 1 kiddo to 2 has been a bit trying, but I think we might just make it. No one will be getting voted out of the family any time soon!! Maddy and Amelia have even started to interact a little. Amelia is really starting to think that Maddy is funny... Another good thing/bad thing, though. Sometimes Maddy is doing something I don't want her to do, but Amelia smiles at her, so she continues doing it. Oh well... Better than it upsetting Amelia, right?!?! :)

Maddy is really getting into Christmas this year!! That is helping A LOT because with our 70+ degree temperatures everyday, I'm having a difficult time getting into the spirit of things... Go figure, right?!?! Maddy is all about it this year!! She keeps telling me that Santa is bringing her a baby doll... I guess I better find a way to relay the message to the big guy before he leaves the North Pole next weekend!! I'd hate to have a disappointed little girl on my hands! She keeps asking where Santa is, and I keep reminding her that he has to stay at the North Pole to make all the toys!! :) She's having so much fun this year, and I'm LOVING it!!

Ok, so now I'm just rambling because I'm waiting for the videos to upload... I guess that means that I should step away for a few minutes and stop boring all of you!!

If I don't get a chance to blog again before Christmas, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Love you guys!!

And the stockings were hung...

...by the LCD with care! Once again, we do not have a fireplace, so our stockings are hung on our special stocking hangar by the TV!! :) More on that later, but for now, we purchased our Christmas Tree yesterday and got it decorated... Here are a few pictures from that:


Maddy putting the star on top!!



Showing off her Little Engine that Could ornament from Papa Jay & GiGi:



Posing, but refusing to look at the camera! :)



In other news, Maddy and Amelia each received a letter from Santa in the mail yesterday. Maddy was VERY excited... Here's a little video from after we read his letter!!



Well, Christmas is almost here, and our cards finally made it in the mail yesterday, so hopefully you'll be receiving yours soon!!! :)

The girls' naps did not overlap today, and Bryan had to go to work, so I better get back to Amelia before she gets upset and wakes Maddy!!

Love you guys!! :)

New Photos

Hey everyone! I took a few photos of the girls today and thought I'd share them with you!

Please let me preface the unveiling of these photos with this statement...

Taking photos of a newborn is difficult... Taking photos of a 2 year old is difficult... Taking photos of a newborn AND a 2 year old together is ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE!!!

Here are the photos I took of the girls:







Needless to say, this was where the "photoshoot" ended... HaHaHa!! :)


In other news, we attempted some holiday baking today. Maddy stood on one of our tall kitchen chairs by the counter... Amelia was in the Baby Bjorn (and wasn't happy about it)... Needless to say, after the first type of cookie was completed, we called it a day. Maddy was a happy camper getting to lick the spoon, though...







I'll continue trying to post photos of the girls, but things are pretty crazy around here right now!! I don't know why... LoL. I hope everyone is enjoying this holiday season. I know we are!! Maddy is so much fun this year! She really seems to understand who Santa is and what his job is... Now, we just need to work on the REAL reason for the season... :) We have watched Dora's Christmas Carol, Shrek the Halls and The Polar Express more times than I care to count this past week, but she's LOVING it!!!

I guess that's about it for now...

Love you guys!! :)

Dinner With Santa

Last night I took the girls for the annual base Christmas tree lighting, then we went to have dinner with Santa!! We had such a great time! It was my first real outing alone with both girls, and I was very proud of them! They did so well! Maddy was a little wild, but she's 2, so who can fault her?!?! LoL. Here are a few pictures of our little cuties!!


The girls, all dressed up before we left for our evening:



Col. Frankel (the base commander) with the kiddos just before they lit the tree:



The girls and I after the tree was lit:



Sorry that all you can see are Amelia's toes. I didn't realize that's how she was situated until I saw these pictures... Oh well... Here's a rundown... She was SLEEEEPING!! We all know the rule... Never wake a sleeping baby!! :)

Unfortunately, Bryan was still at work and missed out, but he got to see pictures and heard Maddy's rendition of how the evening went... Let's just say that she often gives Boomhauer (from King of the Hill) a run for his money!! HaHaHa.

No photos of the girls with Santa will be displayed at the moment. I chose the "best" one for our Christmas card this year!! No tears, but we still weren't too sure about the big guy!! :)

Check out this link for the base's news article about the evening... Photo number 3 makes Maddy our little celebrity!! ;)

I hope everyone's week is coming to a nice close!! I know I, for one, am SUPER thankful that this weekend is almost here!! We've had a long week!!

Love you guys!!