January

Jane can be such a ham! This is her sporting a smoothie mustache one morning at breakfast.

Go Navy! At the last minute we decided to take in the Texas Bowl on New Year's Eve. We had so much fun and a nice lady gave the girls each a big foam hand to wave.

Jane's first haircut ever (it was getting a little shaggy). She doesn't look excited in the picture, but in reality, she was thrilled, sat still the entire time and preened in front of the mirror afterwards.

One Sunday Abby wanted to have hair like Kirsten, the American Girl doll and posed gracefully for me to take her picture.

Jane was so excited to become a Sunbeam in Primary! She is consumed with the idea of being "bigger" because there are so many things she is told she can do once she's bigger. She saw this as a definite step in that direction and loved it. She especially loves singing time.

Jane and Abby on Jane's first day as a Sunbeam in Primary

We enjoyed a visit from Jennifer and her kids from Dallas.

Christmas!

First shot of Christmas morning. Millie and Abby actually awakened first at 3:30 and came in to our room excitedly tugging on us to come and see what Santa had brought. Thankfully, we were able to coax them back to sleep until 8:00.

Abby loved her new dress-up -- a gift from Santa to Jane, but which accidentally got into Abby's pile. What can one do when Abby opens it and says, "Oh, it's my favorite!" They are now sharing it, but I have yet to see Jane wear it and Abby loves it even though it is a little on the small side :).

A mother of one of Millie's school friends called a week before Christmas offering to give us this horse as her youngest had outgrown it. It makes sounds, moves its head, swishes its tale, and the girls love it.

Jane loved her pink plastic Barbie car with zebra-print upholstery.

Jane was obviously thrilled with her Barbie house. She played with it nonstop all day long and really got after Millie when Millie relocated the furniture to upstairs to Millie's room.

Jane taking a ride on the pony.

Millie was desperately hoping to get the American Girl doll, Kirsten (1846 Swedish immigrant), this year as it is being discontinued. Needless to say, she was thrilled and the doll has barely left her arms since! She loves laying out her clothes the night before and gets her dressed every morning first thing.

Abby with her Kit Kittredge doll (1936). She takes such tender care of her dolls! She, too, has hardly let her out of her sight and loves dressing her.

The girls enjoying our Christmas Eve dinner in their Christmas pajamas from Mrs. Claus that were mysteriously left on our doorstep by some stealthy elves.

Visiting Santa on Christmas Eve (Jane was a little nervous and we couldn't coax a smile). The Santa was great -- the beard was actually his own!

We had such a fun time with our friends Jason and Verity Cushing who were in town visiting family and were nice enough to come for dinner and to spend time with us. It was so great to get caught up!

The girls had a magnificent time with the Cuching's kids, Rhiannon and Wade. It was hard to tear them away from them when it was time for them to leave.

The Monday before Christmas the older two girls and I went to see Houston Ballet's version of The Nutcracker. They felt so pretty in their sparkly gold dresses and we had a great time! It took about 15 minutes of answering questions like: Does this have any words? Is this a movie? Why aren't they talking? before they settled down to watch. After intermission, Millie leaned over and whispered, "This is a lot funner than I thought it was going to be!" They both loved the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Russian Dancer (only one in this version). Millie thought the Snow Queen and Snowflake dancers were "so beautiful" and Abby liked when the Christmas tree grew. They did a great job and we had fun meeting up with Daddy and Jane for dinner at The Cheesecake Factory afterward.

Posing with a toy soldier.

Posing with one of the mean mice after the performance.

Jane wanted to get in on some of the pre-Nutcracker photo action.

We visited some of Mark's friends from work for cookies and hot chocolate and the girls loved meeting their new dog, Crumpet.

Millie with her 2nd Grade teacher, Mrs. Sosebee, at her class Christmas party. She and Abby made treat bags of chocolate covered pretzels for their classmates.

Abby singing in her school Christmas program -- she was sooo excited!

It was so special for Abby that Grandma and Grandpa McLaughlin could be in town for both her preschool program and ballet Christmas performance. All of the girls loved having them around so much, and they were a great help to me while I was down with the flu (again, humph!).

Let it Snow!

A few weeks ago, we were surprised by a glorious snowfall! This may not seem like much for those in the east suffering from the effects of a giant nor'easter, but around here, this apparently only happens every 10-15 years! School got out early, we dug our snow clothes out of hibernation, had a ball playing in the snow, and enjoyed coming home for a cozy cup of hot cocoa! It made it feel like it really is Christmas time!

Thanksgiving Fun

We had such a fun getting away to Dallas for Thanksgiving this year. Jennifer, Matt, Mark, and I had a great time making Thanksgiving dinner together on Thursday morning and we all had a wonderful feast in the afternoon.

Then Jennifer convinced me to try shopping Black Friday for the first time ever! We got to Wal-Mart at 4:15 a.m., but fortunately for us, we weren't interested in any of the big-ticket items because we learned that many had been there all night waiting in line -- apparently there is a science to Black Friday. What an experience! It was fun, though, and we hit several stores and scored a few deals before ending up meeting some of Jennifer's friends for breakfast at about 7:00.

On Saturday we went to the famous and fabulous Gaylord Texan Hotel and Convention Center. They have a huge and amazing atrium which they deck to the hilt for Christmas. The kids loved all of the toy trains circling through little villages and the life-size gingerbread house and gingerbread people. We then went through the ICE exhibit of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas where everything was carved out of ice -- it was amazing! The highlight for the girls was going down the ice slides at the end of the exhibit.

Quote(s) of the Day

Just a few of the joys of motherhood. Over the dinner table tonight:

Millie: Mom, your lips are so dry and your eyes are so tired, you look like a monster!

And then after a rather long silence, "Don't worry, you don't always look like a monster!"

Which was immediately followed up by a call from Jane in the bathroom:

Mom, can you come and get the poo-poo off?!

Happy Thanksgiving

I asked the girls what they are thankful for:

Millie: House, food, people in our family, earth, animals . . . I can't think of anything, I'm busy

Abby: My family, my food, my sisters, books, maps (?), cities, flowers, couches, food (again), socks, clothes, scriptures, Jesus, Heavenly Father, telephones, suitcases (?), dresses, purses, pillows . . . (she would have gone on naming everything she laid eyes on, but I thought we had the general idea)

Jane: Daddy, sharing my toys with Millie and Abby, Mommy, Daddy (again), for our life, going to church and having snacks at church, Christmas and presents for me

The Dentist, A Birthday, and Halloween (finally)

Now that she's three, Jane had her first visit to the dentist. I expected her to be somewhat trepidatious what with all of the strange equipment and all, but when it was her turn, she hopped up into the chair like an old pro, demanded the pink sunglasses to shield her eyes from the overhead light, answered all of the questions, opened her mouth wide like an alligator on the first request, and remembered to tell the dentist that she had 20 teeth when he asked her. The dentist was very impressed with her courage. I asked her what her favorite thing about the dentist was and she answered, "My goody bag". I asked her what she did at the dentist and she said, "I laid down on the chair and they tickled my teeth."

Jane turns 3!

A birthday interview with Jane:
Favorite color: Pink
Favorite thing to eat: Breakfast and cereal and blackberries (what she ate this morning, this would be different if I asked her tomorrow)
Favorite treat: cake, pink cake
Favorite Toy: Bumblina (her Thumblina doll)
Favorite Movie: About Bumblina movie (again, Thumblina)
Favorite thing to Play: to play with Millie and with toys
Favorite Song: Hannah Montana
Favorite thing to do with sisters: Play with animals and play with Jack (the stray cat who lives outside and has adopted us)
Favorite person: Tate (one of her little friends)
Favorite game: Cariboo
Favorite thing about Daddy: playing and giving hugs and kisses
Favorite thing about Mommy: because she plays with the kids
Favorite Resaurant: Old McDonalds
What do you like to eat there? French fries and chicken nuggets
Favorite Princess: Seeping Booty (aka: Sleeping Beauty)
Favorite thing to do outside: Playing with Jack and playing on the trampoline
Favorite outing: going a trip to a picnic (we went on a picnic about 2 months ago and she still mentions going on a picnic in pretty much every prayer she says)

The girls enjoying Jane's gourmet birthday meal. Mommy was still recovering from the flu.

Another Barbie!

Since getting this costume for free from a neighbor's garage sale last summer (apparently no one wanted to buy it), Millie has been determined to be a cat for Halloween. We added a tail and I made a headband with ears and she was ready to go!

A cute kitty. It was nice to recycle Jane's costume again this year. Due to Millie's indoctrination, she was determined to be a kitty again rather than a princess.

Ready to go trick-or-treating!

Our only good Halloween pictures of Abby this year were at her ballet and school parties as she came down with the swine flu on Halloween Day. Fortunately for her, though, I went trick-or-treating for her and when I mentioned that she was home sick, everyone felt sorry for her and gave her extra candy. I think she got the biggest haul of all.

Abby after performing the "Monster Mash" at her ballet/tap Halloween party. This girl loves ballet!