Santa came!!!

Well, Santa's definition of "nice" must be a little flexible, because somehow both of our girls made the list this year. :) Camryn woke up at 5:45(!) on Christmas morning to find out whether or not Santa had made his appearance, and of course, he did.

She was very excited, and for the first time she really noticed the "details." She checked out his cookie plate, and commented on the crumbs he left behind. She noticed that Santa had different wrapping paper than we did. AND, she was also able to pass out gifts after deciphering between her name and Aubrey's on the packages. ("This one says C-A-M-R-Y-N, so it must be for me!")

We did notice this year however, that not any old thing wrapped up with a bow was considered an acceptable gift. Although she refrained from making comments, there was a slight upturn of the nose at any gift that contained clothing instead of toys. It was quickly cast aside, and another package was torn open. I wonder how many years that will last?

Unwrapping a gift from Santa

Camryn and Daddy check out the all-important Cinderella laptop

Santa put a ball pit under the tree for Aubrey!

She loved sitting in and amongst the balls...

...but was just as happy with one. :)

Christmas Eve

Tonight, we were able to make it to "Christmas Eve," a long cherished tradition on my mom's side of the family. Though the ride was a bit bumpy (thanks to all the packed ice ruts in the road), and we missed much of our family that couldn't make it, we were so glad to help celebrate this tradition another year.

'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the snow,
We traveled home safely, o'er the ice we did go.

Aubrey went right to sleep...she was tired from the fun,
Getting Camryn to bed? That goal'd just begun.

Mommy and Daddy watched quietly and waited
For the moment the tree could officially be un-gated.

The gifts were all waiting to sit under that tree,
And be opened by little girls, to great squeals of glee.

Maggie crept and explored, and kept a watchful eye out,
For stray bows and stray ribbons that she could bat about.

Soon the time finally came. The stockings were hung.
The living room over flowing with gifts for the young.

Mommy and Daddy both trudged off to bed,
To lay down and rest our two weary heads.

As we lay there and listen to silence so sweet,
We were thankful for much, even though we were beat.

Two girls: happy, healthy, and a home of our own,
Two cars and two jobs, neither which we've outgrown.

Friends and family who love us, both near and far too,
And health that is steady, we hope to keep too.

And so I exclaimed as I turned off the light,
"Merry Christmas to all. And to all a good night."

Merry Christmas to all of our friends and family! We wish you a happy holiday, and much health and good luck this season!!!!

More snow!

We won't bore you with all of the photos we took of our house, yard, and cars, just to remember this December by, but here are a few more photos of the all the girls playing in the snow. Enjoy. :)

The girls sitting on our "sled."

Aubrey's first snow!

All three girls sitting on our "snow couch," a.k.a. snow bank that Daddy created while shoveling our driveway. He gets no respect...

10 months old

Look who's standing!!! Aubrey turns 10 months old today, and I can hardly believe the skills she's acquired in the last month. She's now crawling at light speed (she can almost keep up with her sister), getting into cupboards and drawers, eating lots of "human" food, pulling herself up to standing, and showing us more and more of her personality.

Just since the snow hit this past week, she's begun waving bye-bye, clapping (she loves to do this for herself), say "Hiya" (translation: "Hi!"), and "Uh-uh" (translation: "Uh-oh!")

We are also hoping that Santa is bringing her two front teeth for Christmas, as she is chewing on everything, displaying her cranky side on occasion, and sporting quite a little ridge on her lower gums. They've got to come soon!

The Power of Santa

A classic Camryn tale I don't ever want to forget. You gotta love a girl with that much passion... :) Enjoy!

Friday we got out of the house for a bit to have a much-needed play date with the girls' friends, Taryn and Jada. It was a lovely break for all of us. All four girls got to run around and play, we moms got to talk to someone taller than 36 inches, and Brian even got a little Christmas shopping while we were gone. Ahhhh...

Camryn was having so much fun however, that she didn't want to leave after lunch. I mean she REALLY didn't want to leave. So much so, that for the first time in a looong time, she had one of her legendary tantrums. I'm talking a category 5, hurricane force, screaming, flailing, hysterical fit. It started as I tried to get the girls in the car, and continued as we drove home.

As I drove down Hall Boulevard, with size 10 Nikes pelting me in the back, and the decibles growing louder by the second, the bright idea hit. All I had to do was harness the power of the the big guy. Santa! I grabbed my cell phone and began "dialing."

"I'm calling Santa!" I said quite loudly. "I think he needs to hear about your behavior.
Well that was enough to just about send her over the edge.
"NO! DON'T CALL SANTA!!!!" she screamed hysterically.
"Then it is time to stop this fit. Now," I said, "Or I'm going to have to tell him about this."

And that was the end of it. Like the quiet calm in the wake of a hurricane. Only a few whimpers remained. She pulled it together instantly, like never before. It was almost eerie. It's just too bad that we parents only have three more days to use Santa to our advantage, because he truly is one powerful, magical elf. I am a true believer!

Sledding

Yesterday, we watched soft, white flakes fall all day long. It was our seventh day in a row under a blanket of white. By about 4:00, we were all going a bit stir crazy, and Camryn and her Daddy could no longer be contained.

Brian had called all over town trying to find us a sled, but it seems (as we thought) that we were about five days too late. Everyone was sold out. So we started scouring our house for a creative alternative. As we sat in the living room, racking our brains, my gaze settled on Aubrey's excersaucer. It has a perfectly rounded bottom, supported by three plastic legs. It only took a few minutes to disassemble it, and we had a makeshift saucer-style sled! Pretty ingenious, I thought.

Brian and Camryn spent the next 45 minutes or so sledding down our long, sloped driveway, and trudging back up again through the powder. Camryn absolutely LOVED it!!!

My little Eskimo, all bundled up.

Rosy cheeks afterward, and ready for some hot cocoa.

As I made her cocoa, she asked if we could stir in some "chocolate happys." After a little probing, I figured out that she wanted chocolate chips melted in. Not sure where and how she coined that phrase, but it fits!

Snow + sledding + warm chocolate = HAPPY!

Snow day pics

A few highlights from our FOURTH snow day off from school...

All three girls in our funky Christmas tees

"Aubrey and Mommy," an artistic snapshot by Camryn

Before....

...and After! Notice the "I want to eat you!" look on her face. :)

Aubrey all bundled up to help take treats to our neighbors. She didn't seem to mind the cold at all. She was so happy to be outside!

Camryn plays while Daddy shovels the sidewalk. Notice how slushy and messy our cul-de-sac is!

Action shot: Charging toward Daddy with snow in hand!

Will there be enough to officially declare this a "snow week?" Only time will tell...

Cabin fever

We were home again today, due to the snow and ice. It's our fourth day in "Arctic Blast '08"'s grip, and our third snow day from school. We just found out we'll be off from school again tomorrow, and that we'll be hit with another storm this weekend. Ugh.

Don't get me wrong. I love a good snow day. Probably even more so than the kids in my class. I did my snow dance last weekend, and apparently my grooves were enough to bring that Arctic Blast on full-force (see related post: A Very Bailey Christmas). It's just that keeping a 3 1/2 year old and a 10 month old entertained inside the house for days on end is becoming a bit of a burden.

We started with the usual snow day activities: playing in the white stuff, watching movies, and baking cookies. But that only lasted for so long, so we tried to get creative. We've pulled out long forgotten toys, baked more cookies, put together four puzzles, baked some more, danced to Christmas music, made homemade thank you cards (watch for those in January!) and assembled and decorated a gingerbread house. This was all in addition to baking some more cookies and treats. (In case you are wondering, yes we are officially being crushed under the weight of the holiday sweets we have created.)

Camryn has been pretty good, although restless. We are trying to keep her hopping from job to project to activity, but she has taken to running everywhere she goes in the house, just to stretch her legs a bit. This has resulted in a few unfortunate bumps and bruises, mostly in the cranial region. Aubrey, on the other hand, may have cabin fever worse than any of us. She has been home since last Wednesday, when she came down with croup. Plus, we think she's teething. (Why else would she be whining all day long, and trying to gnaw on our shoulders? We're not sure...)

In any case, we are all pining for Santa's arrival, in hopes that he will bring the girls some new toys that captivate their attention and entertain all of us for more than a few minutes at a time, because I just can't fathom making any more sugar cookies, gingerbread men, Chex mix, or cranberry bars. Not unless Santa brings me a forklift to deliver them all to our neighbors and friends.

Camryn's completion of her first ever, solo "big girl puzzle" mission. She was very proud of herself. :)

Aubrey dancing with Daddy in the kitchen. :)

Another batch of cookies...fresh out of the oven.

SNOW!!!

In the last 12 hours, we have gotten about 4 inches of fluffy, powdery snow at our house, and the weatherman says that more is on the way tonight! Yahoo! That means we're having a snow day tomorrow! No school for us!

Daddy and Camryn both got outside for a bit today, but Mommy and Aubrey opted to stay cozy and warm inside. Since both girls are still battling a case of croup, nobody got to be outside for long.

So what do you do when trapped in house in mid-December? Why, make Christmas cookies, of course!!!

A Very Bailey Christmas

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Visit with Santa

This week, the girls got to visit with Santa! We came home Tuesday night, ate a yummy dinner, then got the girls into their Christmas dresses and headed over to the mall. It was the most painless visit we've ever made to the big guy. We walked right up since there was NO line whatsoever, and were chatting with Santa within moments. It was the greatest idea we've ever had. Never again will we waste an entire Saturday waiting in line to visit Santa!

Camryn of course, had plenty to say, as she made it clear to him that she was hoping for a "Cinderella laptop." (Alright...no more perusing the weekend ads, little lady! I mean, really! A laptop? At three years old? Good grief.) All Santa said was, "Have you told your mom that's what you want?" (Smart guy. Don't make any promises.)

Of course, Camryn hammed it up for the camera, smiling her big cheesy grin, and at one point even feeling Santa's beard. (I guess her curiousity got the best of her.) Aubrey was happy to look back and forth from Santa to myself, as if to say, "Hey Mom!? Who IS this guy?" She didn't cry, though. I guess seeing that her big sister was comfortable with this bearded stranger was enough to put her at ease, because when Camryn was 9 1/2 months old, there is NO WAY we could have gotten her to sit with Santa.

Afterwards, as we waited to see our photos, the girls were content to eat their candy canes. Now those who know me well, know that I would NEVER give candy to my 9 month old, so rest assured, she just gummed hers with the wrapper still on. Either way, she was content with it, and remained my laid back little lady, just watching the shoppers go by. Perhaps we've found ourselves a new family tradition...an evening with Santa. :)

Thanksgiving weekend

We had a great turkey day in Bend with the girls' Mimi and Papa, Uncle Rob, and great Grandma and Grandpa C. We played and played, stuffed ourselves silly, and shared lots of giggles.

Our little turkey's first Turkey Day! She joined us in eating tiny pieces of real turkey, and handfuls of mashed potatoes (yes, handfuls!)

Aubrey and her Uncle Rob. We don't get to see Rob as often as we'd like, so Camryn was very excited to play with him. Aubrey just kept staring at him all weekend, as if to say, "You sure look a lot like my daddy!"

Camryn built a fort underneath the table after dinner was over. She even convinced Aubrey to crawl under with her, and all we could hear were giggles and squeals of delight. :)

After I returned from some early morning shopping with my good friend Katie on Friday morning, we walked to Daddy's old elementary school, and played on the playground. It was very sunny, but a bit chilly, so poor Aubrey got the winter treatment. Doesn't she look thrilled?

Swinging... Aubrey the daredevil just kept giggling!

Daddy and his girls

Enjoying a mani/pedi, Mimi-style. What a blast!
Thanks for a great weekend, Mimi and Papa!

Another ear infection. Ugh.

So it's no secret that we in the Bailey household have already experienced our fair share of this winter's cold and flu season. Besides those in the recent past, we spent this weekend basically in lock down mode, staying in our PJs, and venturing nowhere. We all have the head cold crud: stuffy noses, sneezing, and coughs. But poor Aubrey has had it the worst. Again.

Today we took her to our pediatrician's weekend clinic. Luckily for us, Dr. D. happened to be the one in the office! Hooray! I greeted her nurse, who is practically my nearest and dearest friend these days, (mental note: add her and Dr. D. to my Christmas shopping list), and explained how Aubrey had been extraordinarily irritable, and was refusing food(!) Upon a brief exam, Aubrey was diagnosed with yet another ear infection. Yes, another one. (Her fourth in the past two months.) This also means her fourth round of antibiotics. And, better yet, only two more infections away from a visit to our friendly, neighborhood ENT specialist. (Sigh.)

I guess I'm glad we now know why baby girl was so cranky this weekend, but I'm so sad for her and her poor little ears. I've got my fingers crossed that she'll conquer this infection, and have lovely clear ears for the rest of the winter, because besides the obvious desire to steer clear of ear tubes, surgeries, and the like, I also don't need any more medical professionals to add on to my Christmas shopping list. You DO have to purchase gifts for your near, dear friends, right???

9 months!

Yesterday was Aubrey's 9 month "birthday." Of course this totally confused Camryn, because when I explained that her sister had reached the 9 month mark, she argued with me vehemently. "But you hafta be one before you can be nine!!!" Okay, so the concept of months vs. years is a little abstract. I just let her win that one. :)

Aubrey is becoming her own little person more and more each day. Here are some of her emerging like and dislikes:

Likes:

• Crawling!
• Shoes (any size, shape or color-she loves to chew them! Ew!)
• Playing Peek-a-boo with her lovey
• Gerber puffs
• Sister's toys
  

Dislikes:

• Ear infections (she's had 3 in two months!)
• Having her nose wiped
• Having shirts put over her head
• Getting buckled into her carseat
  
• Not moving fast enough to keep up with her sister

Houston, we have a crawler!

Earlier this week, Aubrey became an official crawler! Woo Hoo! Although she still utilizes her long-effective "army crawl" now and then, she is mainly focused and deliberate about putting one knee in front of the other, and is getting faster every day.

I forgot how fun it is to watch a little one acquire a big skill like that. We've all been cheering her on, and none of us more than Camryn. She's very excited for her sister! And although Aubrey is excited about her new mobility, I think it's also been wearing her out. She's been getting cranky and going to bed mighty early the last few nights. Working that hard to get around is exhausting!

Getting so big!

Just in the last week and a half, both of the girls have seemed so much older. Last Saturday, Aubrey woke up and decided it was a good day to learn to get herself from laying and rolling, up to sitting. I came in to get her in the morning, and this is what I found...She was quite pleased with herself, as you can see, which meant that Brian had to spend the afternoon lowering her crib mattress. :)

It seems like she hasn't stopped moving since that morning. Shortly after, she perfected the army crawl, which apparently suits her just fine. Although I think she'd have to work a lot less hard if she'd just use her knees, her one-armed reach and drag gets her around pretty quickly. The other night I turned around for a moment, and she was instantly over to and playing in the cat's food. (Ah, another item that will need a new home at a higher elevation.)

Now that Aubrey can "get around" a little bit, the girls seem to be playing together a lot more as well. Of course, this means that we hear many more whines of "Mom! Aubrey's got my ______!" but it also means that we hear many more giggles as they laugh and pretend together. They both found it hilarious (as did we) when Camryn put Aubrey's sunglasses on for her. :)
Camryn too, seems to be growing fast, and it's not just the pants I bought her in September that are now 2 inches too short. Her pretend play is more advanced, and storylines turn at the drop of a hat. The other day, she went into my bedroom to get something, and was oddly quiet for one too many minutes. I asked her to come out to me, and she wandered into the dining room with my purse slung over her shoulder, and my sunglasses atop her head. Just like Mama. She then proceeded to direct an entire scenario in which she was the mom and I was the "kid."

We are preparing for Thanksgiving, doing some Christmas wish listing and shopping, and generally prepping ourselves for a busy holiday season. Soon after, it will be time for the girls' birthdays. 1 and 4. Where has the time gone?

Happy Halloween!

Even though Brian had to work late, and I stayed home sick from work today (which I never do), there was no stopping us from having a happy Halloween. The girls were ready and rarin' to go Trick or Treating as soon as they got home. Camryn was so excited she couldn't even eat dinner beforehand.

Once we were home, fed, and in PJ's, Camryn had to "sort" her candy. This was entirely her idea! The poor thing. She totally takes after me. The whole sorting and organizing thing is an illness. It really is. I ALWAYS sorted my candy on Halloween. And Easter. And Valentine's Day. And after the 4th of July parade. Nowadays it's not so much candy as it is towels, baby clothes, labeled Rubbermaid tubs full of whatever. It doesn't matter. They're labeled.

She was so proud of herself. She placed everything in the following categories, (and in perfect rows): suckers, smarties, chocolate, M&Ms (apparently she received enough that they needed their own category), chewy/fruity, and crunchy. Hey, at least her future Kindergarten teacher will be pleased that she can already identify common attributes and sort items according to their characteristics.

Happy Halloween, everyone!