Family Pictures!

Our friend Kasee did a little photo shoot for us and we are thrilled with all the good pictures we got! She was so good at bringing out natural smiles in the girls and capturing cute moments they had. 

 I love this one, with her giggly smile.

 Maya really makes some funny faces.

 Maya is so funny, the first dozen pictures she looked exactly like this.

 Another favorite.

 I love this one with Maya's annoyed face.

 Isn't this so cute, the girls smiling at each other.

I'm excited to get some printed for the girls' room and a new family picture up with Maya actually in it! Thanks Kasee, you're the best.

Life

Both girls are struggling with naps these days. I feel like I spend more time and energy and sanity listening to them cry/kick the door than if I'd just let them stay up and cry of tiredness. I guess it is payback, I have a clear memory of trying to get my lips under the crack of my mom and dad's door, thinking they'd hear me just a little louder. I just breathe and remind myself it is a phase. But is it some kind of joke that they both go through a "phase" at the same time? I guess so.

Besides the protested napping, they both are in such fun stages right now. Amelia is saying the funniest things and just loving to talk nonstop. She loves to say, "I can't mom." At this very moment she is talking to me through her door, I can't go to bed mom-mom (what she is calling me lately, I love it), I can't. And she has recently started saying, "I made it!" kind of like I did it, but on more exhaustive tasks as if she almost did make it. And she says "All right" instead of yes. Which I guess I must say? There is a wall along our sidewalk that she calls "my wall", and she walks along the top of it. Every time we have the same conversations about the yucky dirt, and the white bird poop-white is definitely her favorite color, and the garage across that street that is halfway open. It is so fun to talk with her and she is just starting to ask me questions like, "You ok mom?" if I trip or say ouch about something. I love her.

And Maya. She is so sweet. She is more stubborn than Amelia. She can "cry it out" for a LONG time, where Amelia never cried more than 10 minutes. She watches Juan pack up and leave in the morning, but it isn't until after the door shuts behind him that she'll lift her little hand and wave. She understands everything we say lately. I can tell her to go get her milk and she will crawl over to the fridge and wait patiently until I catch up with her. I tell her to stop screaming and she will mimic my soft voice when I ask her to. But then she'll go back to screaming 5 seconds later. She is starting to get it. She signs Eat and we are working on More, Please, and Thank You. She says Mamamama but it mostly means she wants to eat. I like to think it means Mom, but no, it is definitely said in reference to food. She lights up when she sees Juan. She is such a happy girl.

We are visiting family for Christmas this year and I am getting more and more excited every day! I can't wait to see family and experience some of my family traditions with the girls. Scones at Winder Dairy, the lights at Temple Square, snow. In no way do I miss having snow where I live. Not in the least. But I'm excited to visit snow. Less than 3 weeks away.

Thanksgiving and Santa!

We had a lovely Thanksgiving at home this year. Juan did the turkey again and it was as equally delicious as his first turkey last year. He is becoming quite the chef. We had a couple friends over and had a great time chatting and stuffing ourselves. And now the holidays officially begin!

 I did a photo shoot with the girls in the morning.

 The girls are acting out Slippery Fish here. It is a song we learned at music group and Maya manages to get a few actions in too! So fun.

 One happy, one sad.

 Juan and his turkey.

 Maya's first Thanksgiving! She is just the cutest.

 Our Family Thanksgiving 2012

We had the best day together on Friday. In the morning we went and saw Finding Nemo at the budget theaters. Then in the evening we headed out to Georgetown to see their lighting of the town square, and to see Santa! Last year we were unsuccessful with Santa, Amelia would not go near him and never let me pass her off to sit in his lap. I was very disappointed. So this year we prepped her. She was excited to tell him what she wanted for Christmas. And she was also old enough to be bribed this year, she got chocolate chips when we got home for smiling at the camera, haha.

 I love the Texas Santa costume. Makes sense, he doesn't need a coat and hat when it's 75 degrees outside!

 Maya was arching her back and very nervous at first. But here is proof that she was easily distracted and warmed up to him. 

And my favorite shot. Amelia is just so beautiful. And both looking at the camera, that never happens!

 So excited for these next few weeks! Many more holiday activities to come from us.

7 Years!

Juan and I have been married 7 years today. You know I love trips down memory lane, so please enjoy these vintage pics of the two of us:

 We're 16 years old here. With Julaine. This is one of my all time favorites. It just reminds me of the good times we had as best friends. I like to joke and say he always liked me and I was a "mean girl" to him. And all that is true, except somewhere in there we also became close friends and we had the best times together, and he was someone I could count on and confide in.

 We're 17 here, right after we started dating.

 

 I'm 20, he's 21. We were engaged.

 

 And these are the 2 pictures I used to carry around throughout his mission. Isn't he good looking? The couch pose is now hilarious, but I love it. Oh, young love.

For our 7 year anniversary, we celebrated with a Zipline Adventure! Neither of us had ever been before and we both are up for trying new things! In reality I just had to remember all the times I've yelled at the crying girls on the Bachelor for being so afraid, and tried not to be a hypocrite. After the first line, it was really just FUN and it was fun to be scared.

 We got the Bride and Groom helmets since it was our anniversary!

 It was just beautiful over at Lake Travis in Austin.

 And if you can see, that is Juan and I coming in side by side. Juan asked the guide if there was any way we could zip while holding hands (as a cheesy joke). She said maybe if we had go-go gadget arms, haha.

It was such a fun date and I'm so glad I didn't have to dress up to go out to dinner. I am so not a dressy person. We ate at Longhorn Steakhouse and it was delicious.

Maya is 10 Months! plus more

First up, we braved the cold and went downtown to watch them light the big Christmas Tree. They did an hour-long program before they actually lit the tree, which was a bit of a nightmare with a crying 10 month old in the stroller, and a restless 2 year old on foot in a HUGE crowd. And wait, did I say we braved the cold? That's a lie, it was 75 degrees and wonderful- the only plus side to the hour wait.

 Fake snow.

 I managed to rock Maya to sleep.

 Mr Santa.

 In the end, I found it all worth it. They set off fireworks and we did a countdown to the Lighting and Amelia was SO into it and excited.

 Plus I got to watch Juan have a conniption every time they started a new song (and further delayed the Lighting). Juan's not appreciative of the children's choir, Scrooge.

 And our Miss Maya is 10 months old!

 So many changes this month. She has the walker down by now, and is very fast on it.

 She has mastered picking up toys off the floor while standing and straightening back up without falling.

 She can sit back up after being in crawling position which has made for a lot more sitting still playtime.

 She has graduated from baby food and eats everything we eat now, most of the time a bigger serving than Amelia. And she loves to feed herself, always trying to be like big sis.

 I definitely see her cousin Judson in a lot of these pics. Right Crystal? From his baby pictures?

 She is still bald on top but for real has almost a little curl forming in the back, a good amount of hair.

She is gorgeous and always happy and a good sport with Amelia wrestling, poking, grabbing at her all the time. She loves her sister and cracks up at almost everything she does. She is mama's little girl and is getting to be more of a snuggler every day. We just love her so much.

And lastly, a couple weeks ago we went to a Murder Mystery party for my friend Kasee's birthday. I turned out to be the murderer! And it was so much fun. I played the part of miss Drama Queen. Juan was lawyer extraordinaire, and everyone just had the best time. Thank you Kasee for throwing such an awesome party!