Making Memories: February 2010

we love bathtime!

my kids LOVE to take baths. and i love for them to take baths! emma and ella can be happy in the bath for hours. i often run new water because the original water gets cold. and now drew gets to bathe with them too and join in the fun. he sits in a little chair so he can't slip and fall over.

first bubble bath for drew - he of course wanted to eat the bubbles. and he didn't mind the taste! then i showed the girls how to carefully put bubbles on his head to make him look funny. the girls don't love bubbles, but i tell them that if they have bubbles they won't have to wash. always works!

ella trying to feed drew before bed. didn't work very well, but she was happy she got to try! drew is a wonderful baby, but he is not a very good eater!

brushing teeth! emma usually does great with teeth-brushing, but ella fights every night about brushing her teeth! we try to scare her that if she doesn't brush her teeth she will get owies in her mouth and will have to get shots, but that only helps a little bit.

new years then christmas in kansas!

yes that's right. we had new year's first, then celebrated christmas in kansas! we we drove straight from the airport in oklahoma city (getting home from washington) to my parent's house in cedar vale, kansas, arriving shortly after midnight - but they were still ready to party with us! then we had christmas with the shaffs and gonzales families the next morning.

emma with her party gear, karoking with emily and ashley

nana, drew, and ella. everyone got a hat! we had a very long travel day and the kids slept on the last leg of the flight and then the 3 hours from the airport, so they were ready to stay up for a while! we left kelsey's parents house at 4 am, then got stuck in denver for 4 hours, finally arrived in okc a little before 10 pm. crazy day! unfortunately it still beats driving!

all of us helping emma sing her song. we had a great time! those shaff's sure know how to throw a party!

messy christmas morning - most of them had already opened all their gifts and just watched us. emma and ella got a big surprise - a dollhouse with lots of furniture and people. they still play with it for several hours a day.

ella graciously smiling for the camera with her new tinkerbelle purse, and emma really is excited about her new clothes!

cute little drew - he was happy with the boxes and watching everyone. he is such a happy and content baby!

ashley and ella with her bear costume. she didn't like it on her face at first, but everyone else liked it so much and kept telling her how cute it was that she changed her mind! now we often have a noisy growling bear at home :)

ella, emma, and aunt mandy playing down in the basement. lots of fun toys down there - video games (guitar hero) barbies and little people, pool, and tv. it is also gift-wrapping central

la push beach

i love the washington beaches! even though it was december and very cold and windy, i had to see the beach just for a few minutes, and wanted the girls to love it too.

the waves make such an amazing sound washing over the rocks, especially on the way out. it is really loud!

i always pick up rocks - i can't help myself! i have a ton at home, and they make my suitcase even heavier, but there are so many unique gorgeous colors and combinations! the girls began collecting too, and all of a sudden i turned around and their pockets were full! some of their rocks were way too big to take home. :)

this picture shows the cool clouds over the ocean. it was a little bit stormy and the water was very rough. makes it even more fun to watch!

gorgeous view of the cliffs and rocks! someone asked me if this is where the twilight movie was filmed - no, that was in oregon. but i think of this spot when i read the books (as the author intended i'm quite sure)

i was talking to the girls about the waves and the ocean currents. i also passed on my feeling of awe and fear of the vastness of the water! hopefully a little fear will help keep them safe. :)

the whole area has become quite tourist-infested! as you drive from la push back to forks, this is a sign off the road.

and this sign if driving from forks to la push. funny!

christmas in washington!

we were very happy to go to forks, washington for christmas this year. the only other time we were with kelsey's family for christmas was when the girls were about 18 months old.

drew with his new stocking that grandma made him! melene spends months making these beautiful million-piece stockings that are so special and will last forever! thank you!

ella and emma are still a great age that they slowly get excited and every small thing in the stockings. we even have to encourage them to keep going and see what else is in there!

the adults were all up before the girls on christmas morning. i kept debating on whether i should just wake them up - i was excited! i think i finally just made a little extra noise until they woke up. :)

cute new dora oufits from grandma and poppa. melene found a very fitting christmas tree - it was a logger tree! instead of ornaments there were socks, gloves, hankerchiefs, and suspenders. and the best part was after christmas all the guys got to take them off the tree and use them!

watching tv with poppa, getting ready for bed. cary had to work most of the days we were there, so every day the girls would ask when will poppa be home every couple hours. then poppa, grandma, and the girls would go out to the barn to feed the horses.

playing with uncle jon! the last time we visited the girls were just a little bit unsure of jon. this time they continuously bugged him to play with them whenever he was home! and they would tell us that "this time i'm bigger and jon won't be able to pick me up and tickle me"

ella discovered the vacuum in their room and thought it was made just for her! (the handle actually pulls up to fit and adult) the girls had fun taking turns vacuuming the room over and over again. they got new robes from the lawrence family with their names on them!