Christmas 2011

What a blessed Christmas we had this year! We decided to stay home and celebrate Christmas by waking up in our own house (we then headed to Nebraska on the 27th).
Christmas Eve we went to church at 4pm. The girls looked so beautiful in their matching dresses!

Emma at church

Bree at church...she wouldn't put her sippy cup down so I could get a picture!

During the service, they let the kids come up and sing. See if you can pick out Emma!

Emma and Bree
(taken out in the commons of our church by the fireplace)

Our very blessed family!

Emma by the Christmas tree...Bree fell asleep on the way home!

Mommy and Emma

Daddy and Emma

Bree refusing to keep her headband and bow on for a picture!

Bree climbing up on the chair for her turn to get her picture taken

LOVE this smile!

LOVE this kid!

Reading Christmas stories by the tree before bedtime!

Emma setting out milk and a cookie for Santa Claus

The tree Christmas morning before the girls came down!

Emma finally seeing the long-awaited castle she wanted!

Bree was mainly interested in playing with the castle, while Emma opened gifts.

Bella playing with her new ball!

Emma supper excited about her Ariel dress!

Emma trying on her new Ariel dress!

Emma opening her new Rapunzel doll

My hubby's impressive wrapping job on a gift for me!

Bree found standing on the present more fun than opening it!

Bree doing a little dance!

Sister finally had to help Bree open her present...a little people horse and carriage with a prince, princess, dragon, puppy and other accessories.

Bree still decides that standing on the box is more fun than playing with her new present!

Bree upset that she can't fit thru the princess castle door!

'Belle' sipping on some tea!

Aftermath!

Daddy and girls playing with their new cash register

Singing 'happy birthday' and blowing out a candle for baby Jesus!

December Pictures

Here are some random pictures to wrap up December:

Emma wanted her hair done like Rapunzel's from the scene where she gets her hair braided and has flowers all over.

Bree has a fascination with the dishwasher!

On December 4th, Emma and I had a long awaited 'Princess Day'!
Emma kept talking about wanting a princess day, I don't know where it came from, or what she was wanting, so I planned something to surprise her with! I got us front row tickets to Disney on Ice! Here she is on the morning of the show, I wrapped up a little present to give her to wear.

Emma's new Cinderella shirt! I also got her a Rapunzel doll that I gave to her during the intermission at the show. She LOVED the show, and so did I...we will definitely be doing it again...hopefully next year Bree will be old enough to go and enjoy too!

Bree loves purses...putting things in them and carrying them around!

The weekend of December 10th, we went to Dubuque, IA to stay at the waterpark hotel we like to celebrate Bree and I's birthdays, and to reward Emma for being fully potty trained (she had been for quite a while, but we were saving the trip to do in December). These were the only 2 pictures I got from the weekend!

Emma wanted her dad to make a Rapunzel tower (see a tiny Rapunzel at top, that's the one she got on her princess day)

My 28th birthday was on December 14th...Shane even surprised me with a present (the red one under the tree!) Usually, I just pick me out some clothes for my birthday. But Shane surprised me with a wireless speaker for my laptop/ipod touch. Its pretty cool, and something I definitely enjoy. My speakers on my laptop just plain suck...and well, us girls love to dance, especially in the kitchen, and I always enjoy having music on, plus I can take the speaker anywhere in the house! I also got some other great gifts from family and friends...it was a very blessed day!

Me and my girls on my birthday!

We had some visitors December 15th!
My cousin, Tracy and her husband, Ethan, and kids Taya and Rory stopped by on their way from Ohio, where they live, to Nebraska to spend Christmas with family!
Taya and Emma are 28 days apart, and Bree and Rory are 8 days apart! It would be really freaky if our 3rd babies were even closer together! ha!

Bree playing!

Shane and I heading out for a work Christmas party on a Friday night

Us with some pretty happy girls!

The girls hanging out on a shelf!

They love sitting on it...and no we don't just throw them up there and leave them unattended!

The 'night before the night before Christmas'...Shane worked on putting the 'ultimate dream castle' together, while I wrapped, and wrapped and wrapped...Shane made it to bed way before I did, I was up til 4am!

There you have it...December is wrapped up, other than our trip to Nebraska for Christmas!