My new camera

I recently put together our 2013 photo album.  Please don't get all impressed over the fact that I made a 2013 photo album already, I missing the years 2009 to 2012 ….  The stars just aligned this year to help me get the motivation to make it.  I was a bit upset over the small amount of photos that I could use.  Our cameras stink.  Okay for our better camera, it is partially the user fault.   Since I have gotten my iPhone 5s, more photos have been taken and I will have to give apple credit, the camera is not 1/2 bad.  But I wanted something to take some really great pictures.  I have always wanted a Canon Rebel and this year Pete decided that would be my gift.  We do not always exchange big gifts for Christmas and we waited until we could find one on sale.  It is the basic model but honestly when you are getting a basic Canon Rebel, that still means you are getting a superior camera.   I don't have a camera bag yet so it is staying at home for the time being but I have had some fun with it.  I have to say, even the bad photos are better photos then I have taken in awhile.  Our previous good camera though I will have to say took amazing photos outdoors.  I am really excited to try the Canon outdoors.

This last photo was not the best, I am still learning and it was really bad lighting but I had to share it because you need to look at the white and orange kitty.  We call this dead kitty or floppy kitty because when she carries it around it usually flops to the side as if it was a dead kitty, honestly.  Well I am looking at the photo and thinking it looks like decapitated kitty in this picture.  Oh and least you think think she does not sleep with enough kitties, in the back ground is a rolled up puppy blanket and around her is a fluffy bunny, audrey bunny, puppy, turtle, doll, brown larger kitty, hello kitty, and I am sure I am forgetting 1/2 a dozen other creatures…  If one is missing, she knows it.   I am now forbidding anyone to give her another stuffed animal.  There is no more room in her bed. 

I used portrait mode on this one and the back is supposed to be blurred.  Cecelia argued over and over that this was not the case, I think she is definitely the center of attention in that photo.  Hmm…. maybe not just the photo!!

Pickles and Pancakes

Breakfast of champions

Christmas

Just a quick post from my phone.  The girls had a great time yesterday and really enjoyed staying with grandma and grandpa overnight.  We had a surprise snow storm with a few inches on the ground so we are staying through lunch.

The highlights were Celia's Lego riding camp from Santa and a jewelry box from grandma and grandpa.  Audrey loved a wallet from my sisters family, her hello kitty Jammie's from Santa and her Furreal kitty from Grandma and Grandpa.  The kitty has already had batteries replaced, she is well loved!

Folks, I actually brushed Audrey's hair and that is how it looked!  

Our Christmas Card

Merry Christmas To All!

Dear Santa

Usually we leave you healthy snacks.  This year these goodies await you.  I guess this is the before picture.

Twas the night before Christmas

And all through the house not a creature was stirring oh except the iPad and a little one with a princess crown and the big one with her Christmas tree night gown.

A Post By Celia

 We went for walk this morning.

 It  was  not cold.

 Audrey started whining.

  We went to the park.

 Mommy put my hair up today.

I took a picture of Audrey.

Caroling Elves

This past Friday we went caroling at two nursing homes with Celia's school.  It was sweet and then they fed us afterwards, a great combo.

Yori's Bakery

This Bakery does not even know I am posting this but I thought it would be fun to show

a place that the girls liked to visit in our town.  We like to support local businesses.

Celia was actually the one that thought about it.

She said, Mommy, take some pictures for the blog.

Every time we go into Yoris, Audrey tries to get me to 

buy one thing for her.

I have yet to cave in to her need to eat cookie monster or elmo

but we love looking at them.

These are some of the pastries.

Pete likes the cannolies

We typically get the girls small cookies.

I like their small butter cookies with a caramel drop on top.

Food in general makes Audrey happy.

Mommy refusing to carry her the 5 feet to the car makes her not so happy.

We have heard that their pies and cakes to order are great.

So if you are local, stop in and support Yoris. 

I love the fact that we can just pop in and grab a small cookie very 

inexpensively.  Better then having a whole box at home!

All Ready for Santa

Pete's Christmas Party

So Pete's Company puts on this incredible Christmas party every year.

We really take it for granted that we never have to wait in line at the mall to see Santa.

He comes to his company and provides free photos, gifts, and entertainment.

The balloon animal makers are always a hit (yes I said that in plural, there were 3)

The kids wanted their face painted but we could not locate it.

There was a face painter as we saw several kids with their faces decked out.

But we found the glitter painting.

Celia was not feeling well, she had been up for 24 hours from coughing

She got a unicorn tattoo 

Audrey had a flower bunch

The tattoos are still thriving nearly a week later!

So we do really enjoy the dance party, candy center, face painting, balloon making, snacks, Santa, and crafts!!  Basically the Christmas carnival that is awesome.  I should mention that they have staff members host kids from lower income families.

Holiday Pictures

Pete's Company throws a big children's christmas party every year and they have a photographer for Santa pictures and a family picture.

They turned out okay, except for Audrey chickening out of sitting near Santa.  Poor Girl was confident that she would sit on Santas lap and ask him for hello kitty jammies.  She did ask him for the jammies from a distance.  Celia was fine.  We are lucky Celia is still in the stage where she does not have a long list of "wants" for Christmas and only asked Santa for Hallie, which she got!  Santa gives them a small gift at the party.  Celia got Hallie from Doc McStuffins and Audrey got Stuffy from Doc.

Oh and here is the best pictures from our Church advent festival

And yes almost a year later, I feel so blessed that I am posting photos of my little girls.  Our thoughts and prayers for the friends and families that lived through that horrible day.

Snow

We got our first significant amount of snow on Sunday.  Celia has been sick with a horrible cough and so we did not play in it.  She was well enough to go to school today and Audrey and I played in the snow.

I did not expect her to last very long in the snow, but we were out for awhile!  She was very excited to make snow people.  She was not into sledding, I enjoyed it!  I put her in my lap to sled and she told me it was terrible!

This is why we do not pay for professional photos

If she was sitting nicely her tongue would have been out

Or the other one would be pouting

That is how we roll around here.

Take for instance, my attempt at the beach to get a wonderful photo

of the girls in their matching Lands End suits

Awesomeness

They are cute though

The oldest one is on my list today.  She woke up at 1:45 am and informed us that she was no longer tired and could she play in her room.  It was a long hour ordeal and this morning was interesting with parents as zombies and said 6 year old pressing Audrey's buttons every few seconds.  

Audrey At Age 3

We call you diva sometimes because you change clothes at least 3 times a day.  You need to wear pjs at nap time, but never the same pjs you wore at night.  Then when you wake up you need to wear a different set of clothes, never the ones you had on in the morning.  When you wake up you often know exactly what you are going to wear as if you have been laying in bed the whole time thinking about it!

A year ago you were painfully shy.  It was obvious that there was nothing you could do about it, you just were so shy that you rarely made a sound when you were around people that you did not know extremely well.  Now you are still shy when meeting new people however you warm up much faster.  You like to stay near me (Mom) but hey I am a very likeable person so who can blame you!!  Your favorite person in the world and your ultimate best friend is Celia.  I think she feels the same way.  In fact this past Sunday the youth pastor at our church said to me that she has never ever known two sisters who were as loving as you and Celia.  She also commented on how well behaved you and big sis were.  Daddy and Mommy could not be more proud Miss. Audrey.  That is reported to us over and over again.

The "meow meow" obsession continues and is maybe more pronounced now??  "Meow Meow" cupcakes were gladly eaten on your birthday.

You love playing with your little figures, building with various items, painting, iPad time, playing outside, soccer shots, dressing up, playing with Celia, and just a lot of pretend play.  Oh and you also love to cook with Mommy.  You love to climb all over Daddy.  You love to read stories and you also love visiting the library.  Your current favorite place to visit is the Delaware Natural History Museum.  Ultimately though you do love to just hang out at home and that is okay too!!

Oh and your biggest accomplishment recently is that we are 100% diaper free!  No more night time diapers.  You of course have not needed them during the day since you were 18 months. Mommy feels weird not having diapers to wash (a good weird, no worries there).

Your stats at the GI doctor's office (which Mommy trusts the most) were 30.8 lbs and 36. 2 inches.  You are basically the same height as Celia at age 3 but you way a little bit less which is odd because you eat 5x as much as she did!! You are a fabulous eater- favorite foods include tuna fish, grapes, spaghetti, salad,stuffed shells, taco soup, naked juice green smoothie, and "soup" (rice crispies cereal).

Two Star Dress

So one or two times a year at Celia's school she has to wear 2 star dress.  This means a uniform.  Quite honestly I am 100% okay with uniforms however it would be nicer if it was an every day event rather then once or twice a year.  Thankfully I had a friend who gave us the skirt, the shirt was $1 on clearance somewhere, lands end sweater was $2, tights were $3 and I forget what the shoes were but you get the picture- it was not all that pricey!!

Celia was about as adorable as you get.  I told her that I wanted to take her on errands with me after school just because I wanted to walk around with a cute little Quaker school girl.  She was not amused. She also thought I was kidding, I was (okay if she said yes I would have found some errands to run).

Her little sister had her Thanksgiving show at the same time as Celia's 2 Star Dress event- it was Grandparents day at Celia's school.  So Celia got to hog Mom Mom for the event.

This is what Audrey looked like for her school's dress code

My little Native American!  Interestingly, I missed Celia's show in the same classroom (still the same amazing teacher!!) 3 years ago because I was giving birth to this little peanut.  Glad I got to see the costume.  

Happy Thanksgiving from our little Culturally Diverse House Hold (you know the Quakers and the Native Americans)

Celia's Thanksgiving