Lately...

I captured this cute moment on my phone the other day. Ella loves to look a Lia and just grin so big!! It is really adorable seeing my two girls getting to know each other : )

I came out of my room the other night to find this - Lia had gotten herself "all dressed up" to go look at the Christmas lights in our neighborhood. She looked hilarious! Of course, no outfit would be complete without all her accessories - hat, sunglasses, necklace and a purse full of stuff.

Daddy let her "drive" the car around to look at all the Christmas lights. She had a blast!


Lia and Ella playing on the activity mat

Ella at 4 weeks

This post is a little late, but I didn't want to forget it. Here is a photo of Ella at 4 weeks old. She weighs 8 lbs 10 oz. She is starting to smile at me when I say "I Love You!" She is eating every 2 1/2 to 3 hours. We are so happy to have another healthy daughter! Our family has a totally different dynamic now that we are 4 instead of only 3, and I can't imagine life without my precious Ella!!
Here is a photo of Lia at 4 weeks for comparison:

Photos of our Christmas decorations

Meeting Santa 2011

Well folks, here it is, the best photo we were able to get with Santa. After a week of excitement and anticipation, Lia was all ready to meet Santa last night and even had a list of questions prepared to ask him (What kind of cookies does he like and does Rudolph want big or little carrots.) When we got there, she couldn't wait for it to be her turn. Then, as soon as she got in his lap, she promptly began to boo hoo! Santa was very patient (although he does look a bit perplexed in the photo) and tried to calm her down to no avail. Finally, I came and picked her up and through tears, she first asked for a kleenex then told me that I needed to tell Santa what she wanted for Christmas (an easel) and she was ready to go home. Oh well, it will be a funny keepsake for years to come : )

Ella with Nana and Papa

Cliff sent me a few more photos from the hospital. Here are some great ones of Ella with Nana and Papa...

Thanksgiving

For the first time, Philip and I stayed home for Thanksgiving instead of traveling because Ella is still too little to fly. We had such a great holiday with our two amazing girls! On Thursday, we enjoyed a great Thanksgiving meal with ham, turkey, dressing, rice, rolls and pie! Then on Friday, we loaded up the kiddos and went to Old Time Christmas Tree farm for another first - picking out a real Christmas tree! We had so much fun choosing just the right one and enjoying the festivities. Over the weekend, we just relaxed at home and spent lots of quality time as a family. Lia had so much fun helping us "decoration" the tree with "ormanaments." : ) Although we missed seeing our families, it was really nice to spend the holiday in our own house and to have 4 whole days to spend with Daddy at home. It's so cool to realize we are a family of 4 now, and we felt so blessed as we enjoyed the holiday with our two beautiful daughters. It was the best Thanksgiving ever!!!

Check out that bird!


Heading to pick out our tree


Helping Daddy choose just the right one


Riding the train with Mama


Going down the bouncy slide all by herself!


The perfect tree!!


Helping Mama decorate


A little help from Daddy


Enjoying the weekend with her sister

A few more...