FOOD!

We imagine this is going to be Ava's first real word. (Other than the dada, mama she already says) We imagine she will say it loud and with vigor!!

She looooves to eat. She will and has eaten ANYTHING and EVERYTHiNG we have offered.... Except cantaloupe! She gagged each time and eventually swiped angrily at my hand to get me to stop offering it to her! Funny... it's Leah's favorite fruit!

Here was a weird-clean-out-the-fridge-and-freezer-day that I happened to photograph her meal for my own amusement. Cinnamon raisin toast, turkey sausage, frozen veggies, fresh green beans....


Hooray for food!!!


Yum yum yum...


Mmmmm.... Mmm


Slurp!


Lady, quit playing around with these bites and GIMME A PLATE!!


Now I can get down...


All done!


This was all we lost!!


And she ate another piece of raisin toast too.

(You can see Leah's progression in the background as well. This was a day she was sick and was watching a movie while she ate.)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Santa baby...

Our plan to see Santa at Nordstrom as usual this year was thwarted. (Did I just dangle my participle? hmm... how inappropriate! Our usual plan was thwarted...) So we made different plans... Then had to change them again and again due to long lines, bad weather and life in general. We finally ended up, the week before Christmas, in a less than desirable sticky-ice-cream-underfoot-line waiting for Santa to get back from his smoke break!

But when he did... He was kind and jolly. The girls sat and smiled... Leah told him she would like a big stuffed Princess Aurora doll and that Ava would like some pacifiers that glow in the dark. And then they sat and smiled... And sat and smiled some more... And then the 16 year old who seemed to be using the santa camera for the very first time ever, finally decided to take some pictures...


And by the time she did...


Ava was so over this festive moment...


The pic below was the "professional" shot and was by far the best one of the 4 she took. Though there was ample time for adorable smiley shots to be snapped of my two happy girls with jolly old St. Nick, I actually love it. I think Leah's face actually got stuck in this position after holding her smile for so long. And check out Ava's look of total disdain...



Ha! Love love love...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sister selfies

Leah and Ava's first set of sister selfies...












They come from a long line of selfie-taking sisters...





Here we were seeing how we would look with bangs... Sort of...


And Leslie channeling Chris Kattan's monkey character from SNL... Creepy right?


Sisters!


Wonder how many sets of sister selfies these two will take?


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Christmas prep 2013

Gettin ready for the most wonderful time of the year...





















- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Still Giving thanks

Months later... Still grateful to see family any time I can. We had thanksgiving lunch at my moms with the Coopers, and then Kevin's peeps for dinner (where I took no pictures) and Granstan's family on Friday.

Grandpa is getting ready for his 98th birthday this month!













































Uncle Tom made up a game with Dixie cups... It was a hit with Leah and jayden.

















Sweet babies!!


















Ok I took 2 pics that night... of Grannie and Ava!












Black Friday..


















- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

First Feast

Leah's first thanksgiving feast at school...








Ava and I stayed for recess too... Duck... duck... goose!








- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone