New Routines

I went back to work 2 weeks ago and Adam starts class again tomorrow so we've been settling into a new routine here. We are so fortunate to have my Mom and Adam's Mom come to our house to watch the kids so that their schedules are interrupted as little as possible. Henry's been taking bottles like a champ and the transition for both of them has been seamless. It makes it so much easier going back to work knowing that they're happy and with someone they love.

The freezing cold weather has made it hard to want to leave the house lately, and to top it off we all got hit with colds last week. We were sad to miss out on some playdates with friends and cousins, but are all feeling better now and ready to play!

The happiest baby ever:)

Ava's missed her Jumperoo. All I can think of is the movie "Elf" when I look at these pictures.

Almost put this out for recycling before we realized what an awesome coloring box it made! We spent most of the morning drawing on this.

Snuggling.

Pretty excited about her flower, heart, and star peanut butter sandwiches:)

Arizona Vacation

We all flew down to Arizona last weekend to visit my Mom's sisters and get out of the cold. The kids did awesome on both flights and we had a wonderful time with Patti & Mark in Tucson and Karen & Augy in Glendale. We visited the Tucson Zoo, hiked in Sabino Canyon, enjoyed some delicious (and "perfectly cooked") meals, golf for Adam and Mark, and great quality time with family. As always Patti and I took hundreds of pictures, so below are just some of my favorites:)

The Catalina Mountains in Patti & Mark's backyard. Simply breathtaking.

At the Tucson Zoo with my Aunt Patti.

Hiking in Sabino Canyon.

Happy Henry:) My day is filled with these smiles from him.

Fascinated by the ant wall at Karen & Augy's.

New sunnies from Karen.

Enjoying some tummy time and Toy Story 3 on the way home. Thanks for such a wonderful vacation!!

Big Girl Bed

Ava's first night in her big girl bed!

She made it safe and sound through the night and got right back to reading in the morning. Such a big girl!

Ava's First Haircut

Pre-haircut coloring.

Not quite sure what to think, but she just watched some big kids getting their hair cut so she's ok with it.

Her own personal TV and a silver ducky help too:)

A little trim, a little bang - so much better!

Winter Walks

Breaking in the new sled.

So happy to be outdoors.

Merry Christmas

Little kids give a whole new meaning to Christmas; nothing is better than seeing the joy and excitement in their faces. While Ava isn't quite old enough to understand what it means for Santa to come on Christmas Eve, she loved to point him out on the various ornaments and decorations throughout the house. Every ornament on the tree was interesting and special, and I often found her moving a chair over to the tree to get a better look at the ones higher up. She loved unwrapping presents and took the time to play with and appreciate the toy or book before just moving on to the next one. Can it be like this every year?! Henry enjoyed his first Christmas too. Most of it was spent napping, but he is such an easy kid that just enjoys being held and watching all the excitement. We loved every minute of the holidays spent with both of our families.

Look-a-likes.

Having a nice chat with Great Grandma Marie.

Reading more awesome books from Uncle Ted.

The BEST How-To activity book made by Grammy. Exactly like the one I had as a kid.

Ava loves her new drawing board from Aunt Karen.

Henry enjoyed opening his gifts too...

Hey, that shirt looks familiar! Aunt Patti has great taste;)

Henry couldn't believe his eyes - his first baseball bat! And it's from the Hall of Fame. There's no escaping baseball in this kids future.

No way! More singing fridge magnets to dance to?! So fun!

Ava has now mastered gift unwrapping.

Who doesn't love sock monkey babies:)

Classic.

I love this. She was waiting so patiently to open her presents while the rest of the cousins presents were being sorted.