1st Christmas as a Family of 6!

Christmas Eve!

Eli's 1st Christmas

4 little dev...angels sitting in front of the tree!

Christmas Day

I told him to smile or I would Photoshop something on his forehead.

Lexie feeding herself with a fork is a HUGE thing in our house!

Pictures of Christmas Chaos!

Lexie enjoying her gift from her grandparents. 

A mini trampoline to keep her busy body moving!

Slides are a huge favorite of Lexie's so she was 

ECSTATIC when she saw this from the grandparents!

It seems like Easy Bake Ovens are all the rage again! 

Gracie opening her gift from her grandparents.

Ripping paper is pure fun for this little girl!

Ethan painted a coaster to give to his daddy!

Eli can barely contain his excitement!

Santa heard Gracie LOUD and clear!

He begged and pleaded! 

We had a serious discussion and he is aware. 

When he and Eric are not shooting cans, the gun is placed back in the gun safe.

The kids have just spotted a brand new gift from the grandparents.
A trampoline!!

The kids left the camera clicker right by the fireplace and the camera hiding under some blankets. 

Thankfully, Santa now knows that CVS photo is open till 11pm on Christmas Eve. ;)

Eric and I both agree that the holidays are simply the best now that we are parents. The excitement and innocence that beams from their little faces literally skyrockets the Christmas spirit in our house. I know that it will not be long before they figure out Santa, but I hope the Christmas magic will always stay with them. Hearing them run down the stairs and watching their eyes open wide is pure joy! In fact, the only day where I am cool with my children waking up early is Christmas. I am so anxious to see their reaction that being more sleep deprived is somewhat tolerable.

 Since we live so far from family, it is important to me that we have our own traditions as well. From Reindeer breakfast, to Christmas lunch to watching a marathon of classic Christmas movies while drinking hot cocoa are just a few of the things I hope to continue for many years. Heck, I told Eric that Elmer the Elf will still be making appearances when we have grandchildren. Me and every mother I know only wish that when our children think of Christmas they think of home and all of the wonderful memories surrounding it!

Lexie turns 3!!!

 Lexie has and continues to show us more love every year. 

A few of her favorite things are slides, escalators, and vanilla pudding. She squeals with delight the moment she rips a page out of a book, which means we keep a really close eye on the books around our house. She has the best frown face ever. Not that we try to make her cry, in fact it only makes us want to rectify the problem faster. It is very rare to see the ever moving Lexie cuddle, but for those rare moments she likes to cuddle, she places her head in between my jaw and neck and motions for me to rub her ear. She is a mommy's girl only until daddy gets home and then it is "Mommy who?" They even have their own language which is quite interesting to watch. She is walking about 90% of the time so hopefully that means she will be a full on walker anytime now. She is surprisingly really gentle with her baby brother. She always goes up to him and places a very sweet kiss on his forehead. Every time a spoonful of some delicious dessert enters her mouth she always smile and giggles. She has transitioned really nicely from her crib to her bed much better than we expected and much better than her older siblings did! Her favorite game is throwing all of the pillows off of the couch or bed. She is growing so fast and is developing more than we ever thought possible. We are ever so blessed and enjoy the special spot she has created in our family. 

To celebrate another blessed year with Lexie, we ventured downtown to the D.C. Aquarium.

We knew she would love the bright glass tanks full of marine life and

walking the dark halls trying to escape us.

However, once we got to the aquarium, I quickly realized that 

I had left the memory card in the computer at home. 

IPhone to the rescue ;)

Opening Presents

Lexie LOVES the Itsy Bitsy Spider song.

She will not use her hands to communicate unless it is for this song. 

We never know what Lexie is thinking, but one thing we do know for sure
 is that she knows and enjoys this song. 

Brother and sister helping Lexie out.

Until next year!

Last night was Elmer's last night with us for this Christmas Season.

We have also finished up our advent calendar.

Here are a few pictures of the fun we have had!

 

 

Even Elmer remembered Lexie's Birthday!

Delivered goodies to our local fire station. 

Enjoyed yummy treats while watching Polar Express. 

We watch it every year as a family.

Adorable Eli having a winter snooze!

Lexie loves to give Eli kisses! 

Anytime we are feeding him, she will walk over and place a smooch right on top of his head. 

I sometimes wonder if they were made just for each other. 

Will they ever really know how alike they are?