Wordless Wednesdays

I got this from another blog I read and thought it was a cute idea! Somedays I want to blog and have nothing to talk about, so now Wednesdays we'll be my wordless posts! Except, I'm not wordless today :)

Monkey See...

Monkey Do!

My 2 little Rockstars!

Now that Bear is getting a bit older and more coordinated, he wants to do every thing his big sister does! He loves to chase her around the house, wrestle with her, and play with anything she plays with. I really thought it would be another year or so before they could really play and interact well together, but what a blessing - they've become built in playmates. I love the age difference between them now. It was stressful for a few months when Bear was first born - constant diaper changes, reminding Lily to be careful around him, etc... A year later, they are really becoming the best of friends. As a mom, I couldn't ask for more!

Inauguration

I took a few minutes today to watch the swearing in of our new President, Barack Obama. I was really in awe of the celebration that took place today. I attended George W. Bush's first inauguration 8 years ago, which was exciting, but nothing compared to the pomp and circumstance that took place in Washington this afternoon. It was a bit amusing to see the President and Chief Justice stumble a bit over their words in reciting the Oath of Office. I think it reminded me that they are human like the rest of us and were likely nervous during this historical moment. President Obama's speech was impressive and I still can't get over the crowds of people who traveled to Washington, DC to be at the ceremony. Though I was not a supporter of Obama during the election, I truly do wish him the best as he embarks on the toughest job he'll ever have and hope he helps to bring great things to our country.

Feeling Better and Catching Up

Germs have been running rampant in our household. The kids came down with colds early in the week last week and by Friday I had the coughing/sore throat/runny nose ickiness as well. Josh felt bad on Saturday so we were quite the fun bunch to be around over the weekend. On Monday, Josh felt well enough to join the guys for a poker tournament. The kids and I were also feeling better, but after a quick visit to the doctor, we camped out inside to avoid the cold weather. Lily made up a game for she and Bear to play: line up all couch and chair pillows and cushions on the floor. Jump across like a frog. Fall down and laugh really hard. This entertained the two of them for 45 mintues (Bear couldn't jump, but loved to fall down on the pillows and laugh). I just love how easily they are entertained.

Mommy, Take Our Picture

Yesterday, I took Bear and Lily to the pediatrician to get Bear's 1 year immunizations. We were a bit behind with his shots, due to all the ear infections he had before Christmas. Not really realizing it, Lily and Bear were wearing coordinating outfits - Lily had a striped grey and navy dress and Bear had a striped grey and navy pullover on. As we were waiting in the exam room for the nurse to come in, Lily looked at me and said "Look Mommy. Me and Bubba match. You need to take our picture." I laughed and as I went to pull out my camera, the nurse came in. Shots insued, so picture taking was then out of the question. When we got home I pulled out the camera and Lily insisted on holding Bear for a picture. He's getting close to her in size, but I think my angle made him look so much bigger than her.

Lily's New 'Do

On Sunday, Lily had her first haircut! There won't be too many times when she is the second child to get to experience a 1st - but ever since Bear had his hair cut a few months back, she's been asking to cut hers as well. I was all for it - I thought she'd be adorable with shorter hair. Josh resisted - he loved her long curls. On Saturday, he finally gave in. After listening to Lily cry as I combed tangles out of her long, wavy hair, he asked her if she really wanted her hair cut. She, of course, said yes.

On Sunday after church, I took Lily to the local SuperCuts and had her hair chopped. We opted out of bangs and cut it all one length. She wasn't super thrilled about having her picture taken during the cut - I think she was really nervous.

Before:

After:

A close up of the back

Doesn't she look like an even bigger girl now? I love the new 'do, but now I find myself missing her long "baby" hair.

Bear's Surgery

After a very early morning, we are home and Bear is doing great. We left home this morning around 5:30am and got to the Surgery Center at Scottish Rite around 6:15am. Bear's surgery was right on time at 7:30am and he did fine. Everyone was so nice and helpful. He even got a toy for being such a brave boy. It was definitely a hard on me, but I did better than I expected to. I took him into the OR and stayed with him until he was asleep. Josh and I then went to the Post-Op side and Dr. Sipp came to talk with us within about 10 minutes. It took Bear a few minutes to come back, as they had taken him to recovery to monitor for a few minutes. He still had a lot of infection in one ear, so hopefully this is going to do the trick. He woke up in a confused state and cried for about 30 minutes on the way home, finally falling asleep. He's now had breakfast and is busy playing with his toys. Thanks for all your well wishes and prayers. Josh and I really appreciate it!

Playing with toys in the Pre-Op room

A bit confused after the nurses and doctors came in to check him out. A new puzzle for being such a good patient

In his hospital gown, about to go back

Say a little prayer...

Bear is having his surgery tomorrow for his ears. After a month of continuous ear infections, his doctor has decided it would be best to put tubes in his ears to help with the fluid build-up. It's such a minor and common procedure, but of course, I'm a bit worried. Please pray for the doctors and nurses working with him tomorrow, that Bear handles the anesthesia well, and that I wouldn't be too anxious! I'll give an update tomorrow!

New Years Eve

We had a great time on New Years Eve last night. Jacob and Sabrina had offered to babysit for us a while back, so we left Lily and Bear with them for the night and went out for a fun night with friends. They had a great time playing with Brodie and we appreciate them keeping them for us so much!

We went out to dinner first with the Katie and Saunders. We had a delicious dinner at the Waterstone Grill in Acworth and Saunders's dad did a great job providing entertainment (jazz sax). The food was great and the conversation kept us laughing all night. I'd provide more detail on the conversation, but I was told if it was blogged about, I wouldn't have a husband anymore:)

Josh and I - before the jokes started :)

Saunders and Katie

After dinner, we went over to the house of another couple - Brandon and Natalie. Brandon and Natalie have a fun New Year's party each year and we had a great time ringing in the New Year with them and other friends!

Natalie smiling for the camera

A shot of the party
At Brandon and Natalie's

Ringing in the New Year - he doesn't like me very much anymore :)

Girls Picture

Happy New Year! 2009 is here!

Christmas - Part 2

On Christmas Day afternoon, we traveled to Columbia to spend a few days with my family. When we arrived, we had Christmas dinner with my parents and my brother and sister-in-law, Travis and Jaclynn. Mom made a great roast, macaroni and cheese, and other sides. We then had our gift exchange. The kids got TONS of stuff - toys, clothes, stocking stuffers - and I still don't know where I'm going to put everything. Josh and I got some fun stuff for the house and some new work clothes as well.

Bear and Mimi opening his stocking

Travis and Jaclynn
Opening giftsBear gets a Little People Garage Lily's superstar sunglassesLily plays dress up with her new vanity
Bear relaxing in his new recliner

On Friday, mom and I hit a few Day After Christmas sales while the guys kept the little ones. I'm in search of a pink Christmas tree for Lily's room, but there wasn't one to be found in Columbia. I did get a few cute Christmas items for next year and new sheets for Lily's bed. We also went to visit my paternal grandparents for a bit. Friday night, mom made lasagna and spaghetti for dinner and then Josh and I headed out for a date night. We don't get to go out to the movies very often, and we were excited for a night out. We saw The Curious Tale of Benjamin Button and it was great!

On Saturday afternoon, we had our Christmas dinner/gift exchange with my maternal grandparents and mom's side of the family. Afterwards, we went to the Riverbanks Zoo for the Christmas Lights Display. It was so much fun. Columbia has a really great zoo and they've been doing a Christmas light show since I was in high school. Lily loved the carousel - she had to ride 3 times. Bear loved the aquarium, the lights, and the roasted marshmallows.

Lily and Ila were Santa's helpers
Bear amidst the Hallman Christmas party
"It's been a long day!"

Bear inspects the Christmas lights with my mom and dad
Josh and his little girl

Riding the carousel with Momma

On Sunday after lunch, we settled in for our drive back home. The kids were great and we made the trip with no troubles. It was fun Christmas weekend and Lily is already asking when Christmas is coming again!