It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Yes, the Christmas countdown is in full swing.  I really can't believe there is less than 2 weeks until the big day!

Though I'm more a warmer-weather fan, I do think that the Christmas season is my most favorite time of the year.  I've been playing almost nothing but Christmas music in the car.  We've been going to Christmas parties and have been doing some fun Christmas-y activities, like hiding Mr. Elf each night and doing our advent calendar.  And, of course, my very favorite Christmas tradition... getting Christmas cards!!  Love it.

So, here are some Christmas happenings going on in our household:


Stephen's work always has a party with fun crafts and, of course, a visit from Santa.

Sydney and Taylor's school had their Christmas program this past Tuesday.  It was precious!

Sydney got to be an angel!

Taylor's 1 year old class.  Can you spot Taylor?  (hint- she's kind of tall)

Sydney's pre-K class.  (Can you find Sydney?  Hint- she's kind of short!)

Her halo kept falling in front of her face, and her arms were wrapped up in her robe, leaving her unable to fix it.  HILARIOUS.  I was seriously doing one of those belly-laughs during the performance.

The whole school crew, 2 yrs-Kindergarten.

Getting ready for Santa pictures at school.  Not such a hit.

My sleeping Handsome.

Advent calendars.



Training- Week 9

Sunday, 12/2:

• Activity: Jogging
• 1.63 miles
• 18:01 minutes
• Average pace: 11:02 minutes/mile
• Location: Neighborhood
• Calories burned: 233

Monday, 12/3:

• Activity: Hip Hop Abs- Total Body Burn DVD
• Time: 26 minutes
• Calories burned: (approx) 270

Tuesday, 12/4:

• Activity: Jogging
• 2.47 miles
• 26:02 minutes
• Average pace: 10:32 minutes/mile
• Location: Neighborhood/local roads
• Calories burned: 351

Wednesday, 12/5:
Rest Day!

Thursday, 12/6:

• Activity: Hip Hop Abs/Total Body Burn
• Time: 22 minutes

and

• Activity: Jogging
• 2.00 miles
• 21:00 minutes
• Average pace: 10:31 minutes/mile
• Location: Neighborhood
• Calories burned: 283

Friday, 12/7:

Rest Day!

Saturday, 12/8:

• Activity: Jogging
• 3.03 miles
• 31:54 minutes
• Average pace: 10:32 minutes/mile
• Location: 5K Race
• Calories burned: 418

Thanksgiving

Happy way-belated-Turkey-Day-blog-post to everybody!

We had a good holiday.  We ate lunch with my parents on Thanksgiving Day (my siblings always celebrate with their in-laws) and then we made the trek 5 hours south to Waycross.  Yes, we looked like we were going on a month-long cross-county trip. 

You should've seen the inside of the car!

We had a great time seeing all of Stephen's family!  We got to meet the latest addition to his family- Miss Addie Grace, daughter to Stephen's cousin, Randy, and his wife, Ashley.  She is precious, and is exactly one week younger than Parker.  I think they will be the best of friends.

The weather was amazing down there- even to the point of being hot!  I did not pack myself nor the kiddos very well- I either packed way too much, or not enough, or not a good variety for the wild weather. 

We hung out, went shopping, watched football, played outside, and enjoyed a great holiday. 

Their yard actually had leaves... something ours lacks!

The motley crew.

Parker (8 weeks) and Addie Grace (7 weeks)



2 month stats!

Parker had his 2 month check up today!  The stats are in... drumroll, please...

Weight: 14 lbs, 1.5 oz (90-95%)
Height: 24" (85%)
Head Circumference: 42 cm (>98%)

Believe it or not, he has topped Taylor!

(Taylor's 2 month stats)
Weight: 13 pounds, 8 ounces (95%)
Height: 23-1/4" (75-90%)
Head circumference: 40 cm (75-90%)

**Now, I don't understand why his % for weight is lower than Taylor's, but maybe, by week, Parker was a little older at his 2 month appointment? 

(Sydney's 2 month stats)
Weight: 11 pounds, 1 oz.
Height: 22"
Head circumference: (Didn't write this in her babybook.  Why, oh why, didn't I blog way back then??)

So, looks like he's on track to be a big boy!  It's funny, he's definitely "chunking out"... his face is getting fuller, his little thighs have a roll in them now. 

They upped his Zantac dosage, since he's been spitting up a lot more. Besides that, the doctor said he looks extremely healthy! (Too bad his biggest sister has strep throat... middle sister is going to ENT tomorrow and will be tested, too.) Guess you can't win them all!

Training- Week 8

Sunday, 11/25:

Rest Day/Traveling back from Thanksgiving


Monday, 11/26:

• Activity: Jogging
• 1.54 miles
• 16:04 minutes
• Average pace: 10:26 minutes/mile
• Location: Neighborhood
• Calories burned: 221

Tuesday, 11/27:

• Activity: Jogging
• 1.78 miles
• 19:01 minutes
• Average pace: 10:42 minutes/mile
• Location: Neighborhood
• Calories burned: 252

Wednesday, 11/28 & Thursday, 11/29:

Rest Day (AKA- Lazy!!)

Friday, 11/30:

Personal Training Appointment (I did a free consultation at the gym)- 30 minute workout.  Ouch.

and

• Activity: Jogging
• 1.01 miles
• 10:02 minutes
• Average pace: 9:53 minutes/mile
• Location: Treadmill
• Calories burned: 153

Saturday, 12/1:

• Activity: Jogging
• 2.04 miles
• 22:02 minutes
• Average pace: 10:49 minutes/mile
• Location: Neighborhood
• Calories burned: 285

Taylor's 2nd birthday!

Happy birthday to my sweet girl!  We had a fun couple of days celebrating Taylor's birthday. 

Yesterday, I made some cupcakes and took them in time for Taylor's afternoon snack at school.  When I walked in, she immediately ran up to me and started crying, wanting me to hold her.  She was not in a very happy mood the whole time!  She got a little cheerier when I went and got Sydney from her class to partake in the festivities.

Not so happy...

That's more like it.

That night, we had a little family birthday party for Taylor.  I made a little impromptu cake from the extra cupcake batter, and she got to open her presents from us.

This morning, my family met up at Mimi's Cafe to have a yummy brunch.  Yes, the girls were everywhere.  I don't know when we'll fully be able to enjoy a meal out again!  But, it was great company and lots of fun.

Happy birthday to my sweet, sweet girl!

24 months!

Happy birthday to my sweet Taylor- she is officially TWO years old! 

It has been fun documenting Taylor's monthly accomplishments, but I am going to be wrapping it up here at the age of two.  She is growing leaps and bounds and learning new things all the time that it is getting hard to keep up! 

This last month has been a good one for Taylor.  Accomplishments include:

• Continuing to count, say her ABCs, and talk up a storm.
• She is getting into music now- like, pop music.  First thing she says when we get in the car is, "Mommy, dance!  Call me."  She means that she wants to dance to Call Me Maybe (when it was warmer, we would roll the windows down, blast this song, and dance on the way home from daycare).  We got her a CD player in her room so she can fall asleep to music at night.
• She loves to read books!  Her favorite is Gossie.
• She recognizes people and calls them by name.  Like, people at daycare that she doesn't see that much, she'll walk by them and say, "Hi, ____!" with much enthusiasm.  It's too funny.
• She knows her letter sounds up through about K.  She'll say, "A says ah, ah, ah... apple!", etc. through K. 
• Her sassiness is starting to show up, including saying "NO!" and "Stop!" to Sydney in the car.  You can probably imagine where she learned those words from.
• She is starting the "terrible twos".  In addition to the above words, she is hitting.  In the face.  It hurts.

Here are some pics from this month!