Monthly Update December

December felt like a long month! Between celebrating Eden and Everly's birthdays, having Aunt Di visit, hosting Christmas and getting ready for our move in a few weeks we were busy! 

Aunt Di visited us in early December, and we had a great time all together! Before she arrived we got the house all ready for the holidays!

We made Christmas cookies

Our elf "Jennie" brought us lots of laughs and fun.

Jennie brought the girls a felt Christmas tree

We visited with Santa Claus, and the girls brought him their lists. 

Tim and I went to Peachtree Orthopedic Clinic's annual partners' Christmas party. We had a great date night! 

Then it was time to celebrate Eden and Everly's 3rd birthday! First Jennie, our elf, brought a birthday banner and some gifts! 

 Then it was off to Babyland General Hospital with the Hornsby Family to pick out their very own Cabbage Patch dolls. 

 Then it was off to the local Burger King in Cleveland, GA for lunch and cake! 

 Then it was back home to open some gifts!

Eden and Everly had their Christmas concert at preschool. It was precious! Ellasen even got to go because she was already out of school for the holiday break. 

Then it was time for Grandma to come for Christmas! First we made cookies for Santa.

Then we drove around to look at the Christmas lights. 

 Then we put out reindeer food! 

 Then Grandma read "Twas the Night Before Christmas".

 Then it was time for the grownups to enjoy some hot toddy's! 

 Then Santa came!!

 Christmas morning was amazing! 

 I cooked a prime rib and all the sides, and we all enjoyed a beautiful meal!

Here are some random pictures from the month. 

Our 2016 Christmas Card

This big girl had her 7 year well child visit! All's good in the hood!

Ellasen for "reindeer day" at school

Everly wrapping her Christmas presents

Eden wrapping her Christmas presents

Eden drew her first face! 

Happy New Year! Here's to another great year in the books and so much to look forward to in 2017. Our next monthly update we will be in our new home. Time to go start packing...

Eden and Everly are 3!

These two cuties are 3 years old today! They continue to have very different personalities and opinions, but they really are best friends. I think the biggest change this year has been that all three girls have become very good playmates. They still have disagreements at times, but for the most part they can happily play for a long time all together.

At 3 Eden is so much fun. She is a happy sweet girl most of the time. She is still a picky eater with just a handful of favorites. She really loves pasta. She tends to eat one really good meal a day. She doesn't need very much sleep, but is usually happy to play in her bed if she wakes up before Everly. Eden gives these great big bear hugs that are so sweet, and she gets so genuinely excited about people and things that she loves. She loves to be included in everything, but is usually very happy to play independently as well. Eden still has a one side of her body that is a little bit weaker than the other so she is going to continue with physical therapy to work on that. She is really working on switching feet to go up and down the steps and jumping. Eden really likes school and her teachers. I think she loves singing in the chapel the best. Right now Eden is very into Elsa, the color blue, Santa, singing especially Christmas carols, dancing and baby dolls. She is getting better at sharing and not taking things from Everly and Ellasen. She says and does funny things all the time. Eden is the kind of funny that doesn't take any effort at all. You'll just look at her and she'll be making a funny face. Or you'll look over at her and she'll be dancing away instead of walking away. She makes us laugh and laugh. Eden is the rule breaker of the two. She isn't defiant necessarily, just very curious. She has a mind of her own and totally knows what she is capable of accomplishing. She weighs 27lbs and is  almost 37 inches tall.

At 3 Everly is so sweet. She is sensitive and kind most of the time. She is totally a people pleaser. She wants everyone to be happy. She is starting to stand up for herself at times, but for the most part she just wants everyone to get along. She is not a picky eater at all. She hasn't really met a food she doesn't like. Some of the foods she likes that our other kids won't touch are raw red onions, chipotle sauce, green peppers, salsa and pickles. Some of her favorites though are pizza, eggs, chicken, dried fruit and pasta. She eats three good meals and a few snacks throughout the day. Everly is very sweet and happy as long as she isn't hungry or tired. She can turn on a dime and throw a huge fit, but usually a snack or a nap will help. Everly loves her people. She wants to be around people all the time. She will color for a long time independently, but for the most part she just wants to be where her people are. Everly really likes school too. She loves making the crafts and really takes her time on them. She is very strong and very solid. She does a lot of the exercises Eden does in PT and she is very athletic. Right now Everly is very into Anna, food, monkeys, baby dolls and  coloring. She is sweet and cuddly most of the time. Everly loves to be tickled, and she laughs even before you get your hands on her. She loves to talk and tell stories and be silly. Everly is the rule follower of the two and she likes for things to have order. She weighs 28.5 lbs and is just over 37 inches tall.

These two make life interesting and fun each in their own unique way. We love watching their personalities develop and their friendship grow. We can't wait to see the new ways they surprise and entertain us over the next year.

Monthly Update November

We have been patiently waiting for fall to arrive this month. Unfortunately we seem to be in for an even longer wait. We have had maybe two chilly days. The rest have been in the 70's or higher. I love love love this weather, but I am getting a little sick of my summer clothes, and I am a little over staring longingly at my boots. Getting ready for Christmas with the weather a balmy 78 might be putting a little damper on my holiday spirit. Also, we are moving shortly after Christmas so my inclination is to put stuff into boxes not get it out! November seems to have flown by! We have had lots to do, and we had a nice time celebrating Ellasen's 7th birthday with friends and Thanksgiving as a family.

The girls' preschool took pictures of them, and the proofs came back this month. 

Haven't done that in a while...

Ellasen was interested in the election so she asked me to stay up a little late to watch. 

We took the little girls to their first ever movie in the theater. We saw Trolls. They loved it! 

We had family pictures taken for our Christmas cards. I will post the rest of them next month when our cards go out, but here is a sneak peak. I love this one!  

We had a great time at Ellasen's 7th birthday party! It was an art themed party at a pottery studio. The kids each got to paint a piece, and then they got to decorate cupcakes using a painter's palate of goodies to choose from. My friend Robin made the cake, and it was so cute and delicious! 

Party Favors

The little girls celebrated Thanksgiving at their school

And we celebrated as a family at home! Tim had four days off of work. I can't remember the last time that happened. We had a great time! 

We decorated for Christmas! I have no idea why my pictures turned out this way, but everyone got in on the action this year!

Jennie, our elf came back too! 

More random cuteness from the month! 

We are looking forward to December and Christmas! 

Ellasen is 7!

This sweet girls turns 7 today! She is so smart and funny, and she makes us smile and laugh every day! Ellasen is in 1st grade in Ms. Ives class at Johns Creek Elementary School. She loves school, ballet, gymnastics, swimming and tennis. Ellasen is a really good artist, and she spends tons of time drawing and making pictures for everyone she loves. She is in the craft club at school where she also uses her artistic talents. She still loves to read, and consumes chapter books by the dozens. She loves to practice math and can add multiple digit numbers. Ellasen loves to play with her sisters (most of the time) and with friends. She is usually "in charge", and loves running the show and being a big sister. We love her so much and we are so thankful she belongs to us!

Weight:44.5 lbs
Height:49.5 in (4'2 (almost!)


I did a birthday interview with Ellasen again this year.

 Here is a picture of the whole interview, but some of my favorite answers were:

Who is your favorite person in the whole world?
                     "My sisters....well, my whole family really"
What is your favorite color?
                     "Pink, blue, purple...can I list more?"
What song do you love?
                     "My own songs I make up"
Where do you wish you could go on vacation:
                      " Nana and Papa's house"
If you could have a wish, what would it be?
                      " That life was fair...or that you could eat candy every day"

We can't wait to see what the next year holds for her!