Christmas Baking

We still haven't done much of our Christmas baking so I decided to get moving on that today. We got up this morning and made a cookie/brownie recipe I found on pinterest. Julia LOVES to cook and help in the kitchen. Anytime I'm in there she is right under me saying "Mommy, can I help?". 

These were really easy to make. You take the break & bake cookies and smush each one into the bottom of a muffin tin. Then you add a Reese peanut butter cup on top of the cookie and top them both off with a spoonful of brownie mix. They were so easy and so good! Michael said they would be even better slightly heated and topped with a spoonful of vanilla ice cream. 

Stirring up the brownie mix 

 Tinsel and Jingle were at it again last night. The took Julia's shoes out of her shoe organizer and spread them all over her bed Then they climbed to the very top of her shoe organizer and were hanging out in it. She loves to look for them every morning.

This afternoon when we were getting dressed Michael turned on the Beatles and he and Julia had an impromptu dance party in our bedroom. She kept saying, "Daddy! Spin me! I'm a ballerina". These are the fun moments I hope she remembers.

Julia and Sarah are spending the night with Granddad and GranDi tonight and making a gingerbread house. I hope she gets enough sleep that she's not a bear tomorrow!

Michael and I spent the evening in Dothan getting one more present for the girls Christmas. Now we're at home with Charlotte taking advantage of a toddler free evening wrapping some presents! I can't believe Christmas is almost here!

You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!

This is how the girls found Tinsel and Jingle when they got up this morning. Julia said "Mommy! Tinsel & Jingle are playing with Baby Jesus!" She's going to be so sad when they go back to the North Pole.

Mom, Charlotte and I spent most of the day in Dothan finishing up Christmas shopping. I can't believe Christmas is only a few days away! We ran in to Mrs. Becky and Stella in Kohls. Charlotte weighs almost as much as Stella, but is 4 months younger!

Julia and I bought the stuff to decorate gingerbread cookies before she got sick. I promised her we would decorate them today since she is feeling better so I made good on my promise when I got home. She had a ball decorating them, but I think she ate more icing than she got on the cookies!

 

 Clay came over while we were decorating the cookies and joined right in. I love how serious he & Michael look! Julia loved that we were all decorating cookies with her.

Charlotte had lots to tell us tonight. She was just waiting for someone to listen!

 

Michael and Clay are out doing manly things and I'm at home with the girls. I told Julia we would rent a movie so we popped some popcorn and ordered Arthur Christmas on demand only to discover that they sent us Home Alone instead. After about 45 minutes in the phone with DirecTV we decided we would settle for Home Alone. Julia keeps saying "They made a mess!"

The Flu :(

Julia and Charlotte found Tinsel and Jingle hanging out in Mommy's purse when they woke up this morning. I guess they were worn out because they didn't seem to get into any trouble last night!

 

Julia woke up running a fever last night. Actually, when Michael checked on her before he went to bed last night she was running a fever. It was a low-grade fever so we decided not to wake her up for Tylenol, but when she woke up around 2:00 and still had it we gave her some. I called Dr. Whitaker's office and got her an appointment for this afternoon. Nana came and got Charlotte to quarantine her for us because I just knew Julia had the flu. I told Michael yesterday that it would be a miracle if she didn't get it because one of her best friends at school, Avery had it last week. Unfortunately I was right. Dr. Whitaker said that Julia would be giving Santa a present this year too - the flu! 

She had fun putting together the puzzle Nana brought her.

waiting for Dr. Whitaker

 

Julia's Sunday School teachers, Mrs. Sharon and Mrs. Carolyn, gave her a coupon for two free ice cream cones at Bryars-Warren for her Christmas present. Julia has been so excited about it so we decided to redeem one while we waited on her medicine.

 

3 prescriptions for Tamiflu and $120 later and we were on our way home. I sure hope she feels better soon. There's too much fun to be had in the next few days for this sweet girl to be sick!



A Visit with Ho Ho

We have had somewhere to be every morning this week until today. It felt so nice to "sleep in" this morning. Today was Michael's Friday off so we decided to get dressed and go to Dothan to take the girls to see Santa and try to finish up our Christmas shopping.

Julia loves for me to put make-up on her when I'm getting dressed. After I got done putting my make-up on I got dressed and came back in the bathroom to finish my hair. When I walked in the bathroom this is what I found. Michael was putting my lipstick on Julia! She has him wrapped around her little finger!

And this is what I got when I told her to strike a pose and show me her lipstick!

We headed to Dothan and ate at Momma G's before we started our Christmas shopping. When we got to the mall our first stop was to see Ho Ho. Julia was getting ready for a nap and Charlotte was not far from needing to eat so we decided we'd better make our visit before both girls had meltdowns. Fortunately, the visit was a success! I was fairly certain that Julia wouldn't be scared of Santa, but I wasn't so sure she would give us a good smile. Luckily silly Tinsel was there to dance on the photographers head, and in Julia's eyes that was funny enough for a real smile! She told Santa that she wanted a horsey and when he asked what else she added a doll house, a bicycle & Bucky! 

And just for fun here's a look at Julia with Santa the past three years. I can't believe how much she's grown and changed!

Michael is putting Julia to bed right now, an entire week in her big girl bed! Woo hoo! She came in the den and said "Night night, Mama. Love you". I said "Night night, Julia. Love you too. Don't let the bed bugs bite" to which she replied in the most matter of fact voice, "Mama. You don't let the bugs bite you either, ok?" I love that little girl and her little sister so much!

Small Steps Christmas Program

Today was Julia's Christmas program at school. She was lucky enough to have Nonny, Granddad, GranDi, Nanny, Pop, Uncle Blake, Tracy, Michael, Charlotte and me come watch her. She did a great job again, of course. I just love watching her! Now,  some pictures and the video of her performance! 

Our little superstar! 

I can't believe this little angel is 3 months old today! 

My Civic Duty

Today was the first day that I have had to get the girls up and dropped off somewhere and get somewhere else by a certain time. Does that even make sense? I had federal jury duty in Dothan today so I had to drop the girls off at Mom's and be in Dothan by 9:00. We made it, but I have no idea how we're going to get out the door in time for me to be at work at 7:30 in a few weeks!

When I got out of the shower I Julia was laying in our bed holding Charlotte's hand while she watched Disney Junior. When I asked her what she was doing she said, "I just holding Sissy's hand".

We did rounds with the grandparents tonight and when we left Granddad and GranDi's house this is how Charlotte fell asleep. We battled the thumb sucking when she was a newborn (She's not a newborn anymore. *Sniff*) and thought we had won until this weekend. She wants absolutely nothing to do with her paci and everything to do with her thumb. We're still fighting it, but I'm giving up hope that we're going to win!

Julia is snuggled up in HER bed for the fourth night in a row and  I'm off to snuggle up in my bed. Julia's school Christmas program is tomorrow so I have to get all 3 of us up and out the door in the morning again. We'll see if I can handle two days in a row!