Merry Christmas!

Wishing all our dear family and friends, near and far, a peaceful and joy-filled Christmas, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus.

I didn't get my act together to send cards so to all of you dear ones, please accept this as our Christmas greeting. And thank you to all who have sent us such beautiful and meaningful cards this year!

Sugar High!

Gingerbread time!

More candy was eaten than used in the decorating of this house...needless to say, supper was a bust!

Birthday Fun

Sophie's birthday, despite being cold and rainy, turned out to be a really fun day!

We started the day off with Dutch pancakes and sunflowers from Daddy

Then it was present time! Jack gave her a Noah's ark set (which he loves more than she does!)

And her first baby doll from Mummy and Daddy along with a crib and a stroller from Nana and Grandpa

And a beautiful doggy which arrived in the mail from our dear Ms. Donna and Mr. Carroll

Tickles for the birthday girl

And then Nana arrived with a diaper bag for Dolly

And a new dress and the cutest plate ever!

After naps we had a birthday tea party, complete with china and candles on the cake

Sophie got two more packages in the mail and the kids had tons of fun playing with the fishing set from Aunty Kirsty all the way from Australia!

Of course Dolly got lots of love

Lovely blanket from Baba

Dolly's "Os" were not well received and have remained in the diaper bag!

And after baths, stories with Nana. A wonderful end to a special day!

TWO!!!

Our baby girl turned two today!!! And yes, I just have to say it, as I'm sure I'll say every year, I cannot believe it's gone so fast! I vividly remember the day she arrived and she's been nothing but a joy these past two years. We are so very thankful for this little lady!

She hasn't gone for her 2 yr old check yet but at her pulmanology appointment last week she weighed 21 lbs
and is 33 inches tall. Her doc was very pleased with her and isn't hearing as many crackles in her lungs these days. Not sure if that means anything, as her O2 needs remain the same, but we'll take it! He may be doing some genetic testing in the new year so we'll see if that shows anything new. She may also be participating in some research studies in the next year, and we would be thrilled if these studies revealed anything new in understanding NEHI.

She really enjoys people and although hesitant around strangers, she warms up very quickly. She still adores her Nana (and looks just like her!) and loves being with Nana & "Papa" as she calls him, any chance she gets. They gave her a stroller for her birthday which was a hit!

She tries to say words a lot now and is getting better at pronouncing correctly. She is stringing two words together all the time and now tries three words occasionally. Here are a few of her favorites: 

Sow-hee (Sophie)
Dackie (Jack)
Meemie (Wynnie)
Mema (Emma)
Dussie (Aunty Nessie)
Beebie (baby doll)
Jeejee (Jesus or when she wants to pray)
Teet (treat)
Me ba (me bounce, when she wants to jump on Jack's bed after their bath)

And oh, her hair!! It's still very blonde and oh so wispy and fine. There's not a hint of a curl anywhere on that head! I trim the back often just to keep it looking neat and to let the front catch up...and Daddy likes to make it crazy after bath! She is still as brown as a berry, even in winter, has very high muscle tone and is really strong and agile for such a little thing! She loves dancing and music and is starting to "sing" to herself a lot.

And yes, she's potty training. She's doing pretty well too, but I haven't braved the outside world yet. We only do it at home. Bad mom award!

She loves Jack like crazy and if I ever give her something she immediately asks for one for Jack. She loves to make sure everyone has something and is included. Long may that last!

Happy birthday dearest little Soph. You are such a blessing. Thank you, God, for this child. For her life and health and the joy she brings. 

A Christmas Tradition

Making English Christmas mincemeat is one of THOSE traditions in our family: Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without mince pies! Having English/Welsh grandparents on both sides of my family and growing up in an "English colony", mince pies are a generational tradition now. But don't ask me where it gets its name from! People always look askance whenever they hear the word "meat"! Let me assure you, there is no meat involved...I might have to share the recipe in another post :)

So each year the girls in my family like to get together and make our mince meat at the same time. It's more fun and everyone has a job to do which makes the "making" go all the faster! And each year we let whichever Littles are around, do some stirring. Here's our newest batch of babies, learning the art:

Wyn (21 months)

Emma (21 months)

Sophie (24 months)

The big kids (they're pros since they've been stirring for quite a few Christmases now!)

And Nana with her babies. She taught us and now she's teaching them!

Since Mum and Dad are in town for the weekend, it was nice to have them around for this Christmas tradition. And we all enjoyed some mince pies for tea this afternoon!

And just for fun, here's a look at Christmases past, when the three big cousins got to stir for the first time:

A Nice Day

Our Saturday...

Started off with nutella covered waffles for breakfast

And included a fun morning at a local park

Then both kiddos napped well and we ended with a family "pizza and a movie night" which the kids always love! We have free movies on our On Demand channel and this week it was "An American Tail". That happens to be the first movie I ever saw in a movie theater...good memories!

Church Coats

Had to steal these from my sister's blog...Emma and Sophie outside church last Sunday in their winter coats!

Holding hands

Leaning in for a hug