Amelia's Family Birthday Party

Eric and I opted not to throw a big birthday bash for Miss Amelia's second birthday.  This holiday season has been super busy, and we decided that she wouldn't remember that we didn't have a huge party for her.  Eric's parents were coming for a post-Amelia birthday/pre-Christmas visit, so we decided that we could invite my parents over to celebrate Amelia's second birthday.  What a lucky girl to have all four of her grandparents there to celebrate her birthday!

 

We got another wear out of her birthday outfit and hat!  Again, Amelia was super excited that this day was all about her!!  We enjoyed a yummy dinner together.

My girls don't love cake, so I made brownies instead.  After Tuesday, Amelia was well aware of what to do with the candles.

Singing to the birthday girl

Sweet Sisters although the big one doesn't enjoy posed pictures right now

We waited to open all gifts at "the party".

What a special day for a super special little girl!

Thanksgiving 2012

Eric and I are most thankful for these two sweeties.

 

 

These little moments of sisterly love make me especially thankful that I was chosen to be their mother.

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving, 2012

Christmas Eve & Other Pre-Christmas Celebrations

Our family had several pre-Christmas gatherings in order to accommodate everyone's desire to visit with as much family as possible during this busy time of year.

Nana and Papa came to visit us Christmas Eve Eve and Christmas Eve. We enjoyed playing with them and opening a few gifts. We had a nice visit with our Stewart grandparents. We also had a pre-Christmas celebration with my brothers and their families. We had a lovely day of heavy appetizers, gift opening, and visiting.

Amelia showing off her walking skills for Nana and Papa. Notice she is not in the above picture. She wanted nothing to do with a group picture.

Madeline especially loved her matching jammas. Now she and Stella can be twins!
Uncle Pat and Aunt Kim made an appearance.

Amelia just chillin in the middle of the festivities.

Opening gifts with Nana and Papa.

On Christmas Eve night, we set out our reindeer food. Madeline really enjoyed this little activity!

Santa sent us a special request for brownies and milk, so of course, we happily obliged.
All bathed up and ready for night night! Snuggles with Grandma!
Sweet dreams and Merry Christmas!

We Actually Saw Horses
Eric and I were able to go to the Camden Cup horse races this year, and we had a wonderful day with our closest friends, Brian, Jen, Shay, and John. We also had no children with us which made the day even more refreshing! Eric and I had a wonderful day with our friends and being together. As you can see from the pictures it was a beautiful day although the wind was whipping making it quite chilly. Of course my age showed when I showed up in weather appropriate clothing instead of some strapless dress and high heels, while super cute, not comfortable or warm!

On the other hand, this little girl had a WONDERFUL time with her Nana and Papa. They indulged her by climbing to the third floor numerous times to play in the newly established playroom, reading lots of stories, talking, looking for squirrels, eating "chocolate sammiches" (Nutella sandwiches), cooking omelets, and baking cookies! Of course it wouldn't be a complete weekend if Madeline didn't try to slip a fast one past Nana every now and then! Unfortunately for Madeline, Nana knows the house rules! :)

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend for everyone!

Christmas 2010

This Christmas was extra special with the birth of Amelia in early December, but it was also extra special because this was the first year that we celebrated Christmas at home. We were lucky to have both sets of grandparents stay with us over the holiday. It was simple, quiet, and low key, but considering we had a newborn in the house, it was perfect for this year. We skipped out on a few "typical traditions" this year in light of the fact that Amelia was so new, and we were getting our acts together as parents of two little ones. Hopefully, Madeline didn't feel too jipped this year not seeing the Christmas lights at our local park, keeping the house decorations to a minimum, setting out cookies and milk for Santa, using our Elf on the Shelf, and leaving reindeer food on the front lawn.

On Christmas Eve, we enjoyed a traditional turkey dinner. With my mom's help, I was able to prepare a pretty yummy meal. It was a first for me to make such an elaborate holiday meal, and I'm looking forward to next Thanksgiving when I host my side of the family. I think I'll be able to reproduce the deliciousness!

My first ever turkey --- after we cut into it.

We've decided that we want our children to wake up in their own home on Christmas morning. Madeline experienced her first Christmas morning with gifts from Santa under the tree. We didn't build up the whole Santa thing with cookies & milk & reindeer food nor did we use our Elf on the Shelf since Madeline is just not quite there yet with understanding all these concepts. I mean, she did call her baby sister Jesus, so I think she had a lot to comprehend this year. We plan to add these traditions next year.

Santa indeed found us in our new neighborhood.
Eric and I really enjoyed setting out the gifts.
However, Madeline was pretty stoked up about her gifts under the tree on Christmas morning, but it was also a little overwhelming for her. She knew something big was happening, and she totally understood the present thing. But, it was definitely a lot for her to take in with all of us watching her and making such a fuss over her. Madeline really seems to like to keep a low profile when it comes to being the "center of attention".


Eric and I have decided that quality is more important than quantity when it comes to gifts from us and from Santa. For us personally, we just don't believe that our children need gobs and gobs of gifts from us & Santa --- a few special items under the tree & some stocking stuffers are certainly a gracious plenty for our children in our minds. Madeline was very excited about her new tricycle, a Fancy Nancy book, Dora slippers, and some Fruit Loops in her stocking. (Yes, I am the mean mom who makes her kids eat "healthy" cereals, so that means Fruit Loops become a great treat!) Honestly, I think the Fruit Loops and Dora slippers were among the favorites.






Amelia really got into the festivities.
Madeline enjoyed wearing one of her dress up gowns, entertaining Amelia, and hanging out with us in the kitchen while we prepared our Christmas dinner.

We had a wonderful Christmas, and we were able to create many Christmas traditions of our own this year. We look forward to carrying out these traditions in years to come, and start a few more as we are more settled with our home & neighborhood, Amelia, and our circle of friends.

Christmas with the Stewart Family, 2009

We spent our Christmas with Eric's mom and dad this year. Our long weekend was filled with lots of catching up and visiting, reading stories with Papa, eating good food, and playing with Madeline.

I snuck in some snuggle time with my sweet girl.

Madeline was a pretty good traveler to Clemmons (around Winston Salem for those of you not familiar with the NC area), but toward the end of the trip, our little native became restless, so bunny lovey & paci were a necessity.

Again, just a smattering of pictures of our lovely weekend, but we were lucky to have special Nana and Papa time.