Christmas

This year for Christmas we were still living with Bens Grandpa (Pop).
We were in the middle of moving however, so it was a bit tricky!  Ben spent all Christmas Eve Day with the movers moving all our stuff from the storage shed to the new place and then locked up and came home. 
Granny and Poppi came Christmas Eve night as well, so about 8 or 9pm everyone who was going to be there Christmas morning had made it!
About this time I started making my family tradition of an Almond Roll.  I had not ever had enough people over Christmas to make it before, so it was quite an ordeal...I should have read the instructions a little closer than I did a little earlier than I did...We had to go to the grocery store twice to get items I needed.  About 1am Bens mom and I were finally done and we went to bed.
The girls woke up at the normal time of around 7 we had a very nice breakfast of Almond Roll which even though it did not look as pretty as others I have seen it tasted awesome!

After this, we went in and opened presents and did the Christmas morning thing.  After everything was opened, we realized that a note from my sister on one of my gifts referenced another gift which we had not opened...it was a flash drive.  So you can imagine what I was thinking...something that little, it is probably in one of the many garbage sacks with empty boxes and wrapping paper...so we start looking for it.  Turns out that it was on the table in an envelope which I had not noticed and therfore had not wrapped.  lol

Ben and I had quite a few points saved up on one of our credit cards and so we were able to get the girls each a nice toy and a coat.  Then some little stocking stuffers. 
They got great gifts from everyone as did we.  It was a very good day and I was glad to be able to spend it with family.
I was looking forward to iphoneing with my family about something my Dad was giving to the grandkids, but it never happened.  We did find out though that Ana won one of the gifts from my Dad!  I was super excited about that!
I did want to see how it all went down, but I think everyone at my parents house was sick and so they had a little bit of an odd Christmas.
Kind of reminds me of one we had with some cabbage patch dolls. 

Here are some pictures of the day!


Ana in her new boots

Almond Roll (the recipie makes three but turns out I only had two pans...so I made two big ones)

Ana getting her boots on.

Ana

Ana digging into her next present with her first present on.

It started to snow and Ana was facinated by the flakes

tierras

Ana digging into her stocking

Emily and Poppi

So many toys and yet the book has the full attention

Granny reading a new book to them.  These girls love their books

Emily opening her gift with her coat on

Emily getting her boots on

Emily

Jackets

I went to visit my friend and she had a few jackets and dresses that her little girl had grown out of that she gave to us.  So here are a few pictures.  The girls are getting so big and looking like little girls instead of little babies.

Ana

Emily on left Ana on right

Emily

Emily

Too many Photos

I guess that I have been putting too many photos on my blog.  It will not let me upload anymore...I will have to figure out a new way, or I guess I will have to stop blogging...hmm.

Christmas Photo Shoot

The girls were all dressed up from church, so I figured we would take pictures and see if any turned out that we could make our Christmas cards from.  Here are a few that we took!  These girls just get cuter everyday!  Now that they are exploring the world around them it is so fun to just watch them.

 

 

Ana



Ana

Emily



Emily

Da and the girls

Fall in December

It has been really warm and the girls have been loving the extra time it gives them outside!

Ana and her sticks

Ana falling into the pile of leaves

Hooray

IS that a bug on me?

Eating Acorns

Running in the leaves

Helping mom rake

What does this taste like?

Hmmm. it tastes terrible!

Enjoying the day

Emily

Emily falling into the pile of leaves

 

Rub a DubDub two stinkers in a Tub!

They LOVE playing in this toy tub.

My little lady bugs

I was separating the girls clothes the other day because they have grown out of their 12 month clothes, and I found these!  So I had to make them wear them for a bit.  Especially since they matched the outfits they were wearing!

Hello little ladybugs!

Flying away

After they were released from the hats!  Da dressed us today!  He even did our hair!  Good job Da!

Ana and the three little bears

Ana was adament that she was going to carry around all three bears at the same time... pretty funny.  She did get it though!

Got all three

oops one dropped

trying it again

GOT THEM!!!

Cloth Diapering

So Ben and I have been looking at ways to save money.  One of the ways that I came across was cloth diapering.
It cost me 200 dollars to buy everything that I needed, and I figure the girls will be in diapers for another 8 months to a year. 
We have been spending a load on disposables, and we did the math and we would save just over a thousand dollars by switching.
Then we have the benefit of having the diapers just in case we decide to have another one. 
Also, after we are through with them as long as I take care of them, I can sell them!  They actually retain value pretty well.
So...we decided!  Cloth diapering was going to be for us.

We started the week before Thanksgiving, and tonight is the first night we are trying it overnight.  The days have gone great.  Where it does add time to my day, it is just in 10 or 15 minute increments, so it does not seem too bad.

There are many great benefits of cloth diapering, it is better for the environment, it is less expensive, ect and so forth. 

The one thing I did not expect is how I felt the first time I put a cloth diaper instead of a disposable diaper on my child.
It was a fantastic feeling. I don't quite know how to describe it, but I felt like I was an awesome mom when my daughter touched her diaper, and wanted to snuggle with it, and when I put it on her little bum, her smile was 1000 watts. 

They love the feeling of cloth vs whatever disposables are made of ( I guess I really don't know...) 
So pride in making a good choice for my family swelled within me.  That was unexpected, and grand!

I bought a flannel sheet from a second hand store and cut it up to make wipes.

Laundry day (I didn't have enough clothes pins, so they were hanging oddly.  I have purchased more now!)

 

Our Stash

Ana in her very first cloth diaper

Emily in her very first cloth diaper

Playing outside

The girls still love being outside!
The weather got chilly for a week, and is now warm again for a bit.  Here are some outside pics!

Emily



Ana

 

Emily loves laying in the grass looking up at the trees

Both girls laying in the grass

Curious about the swing

Ana was so curious she got on her hands and knees to look at the bottom!