Happily Ever After...

"Can we open presents yet???" Always a Redskin fan, even on Christmas morning. We have our priorities around here :) "Yay... socks.... Ummm, thanks mom. I love them, really." (Notice the Redskin blanket.) They have graduated from Bitty Babies, to the Bitty twins! Now they have hair to style :) It took 1.2 seconds for the pigtails to be removed. Now the twins have bed heads! As always, the cheapest, most insignificant gift is the favorite. Gianna LOVED the Cinderella castle plate, and carried it around all day. Hope you had a blessed Christmas as well!

We are SO THANKFUL today and every day for the birth of our Savior. Each and every day is truly a gift. Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Every Christmas, Daddy takes his 3 princesses for a special treat. He has been taking me to tea at the Ritz Carlton for my princess Christmas tea for years, and now that we have the little princesses, he takes us to American Girl Cafe to have brunch. The girls get SO EXCITED to dress like their babies and take them out of the house! Their babies sit in highchairs at the table and even get menus. It is really, really adorable! Daddy's girls- all three of us! Thank you Daddy for making us feel like royalty! We love you so much and are thankful for all you do to make special memories with all of us! A special thank you from Mommy for making me your princess 25 years ago, and for setting the bar HIGH for the girls when they are looking for their knight in shining armor someday.

We are in the ramp up stage for Gianna's big surgery in March. She needs to have at least an inch of extra skin to risk complications after surgery. Really awful complications that involve skin splitting open and other horrible things. Let's just say that we are totally motivated to MAKE SURE we reduce the risk of those complications. Because she burns so many calories just trying to breathe, it is REALLY HARD to get her to gain weight. She is a HUGE eater, a healthy eater, an adventurous eater, but alas, additional weight gain is elusive. I decided I need to consult an expert..... My friend Aimee. She is the proud mommy to this beautiful roly, squishy baby. SURELY she would have words of wisdom and advice for "Operation Chub Up." Aimee thought for a moment, and then poured Gianna a cup of "Milkshake"  Gianna took a sip, smiled and said, "It tastes JUST LIKE STARBUCKS!!!"  (Which in itself is miraculous, because she has never had anything from Star...

We had our VERY FIRST recital this weekend. I don't know who was more excited/nervous/scared/thrilled-them or me!   Aria with her "I am too nervous to really smile" look. On the other hand, Gianna was ready to strike a pose. This is Maggie. She is AMAZING. And because I only told her 3,012 times yesterday, I feel the need to say once again... "Maggie, I couldn't have done it without you!!"  She helped me stay calm, helped dress the girls, and stayed with one of them while I was with the other. Oh how we LOVE Maggie!!! This was a very special day for Miss Gianna.  We aren't sure if her future will include ballet and tap post surgery, so this may be her one and only recital. She did her routine beautifully and even waved to her adoring fans. Gianna and Mommy excitedly waiting for Aria's debut... "He knows when you are sleeping.." "He knows when you're awake.." "He knows if you've been bad or good so be good for goodness...

This week we took my sister and my niece to tea to celebrate my sister's birthday. The tea room has lots of hats, dresses and jewelry for dress up! The girls couldn't wait to get started! Gianna peeking out of the side of a very LARGE hat! My neice Aspen loves a good pose! Silly Cousins! Happy Birthday Aunt Angela!  Hope you enjoyed our tea as much as we did!

Aria and I sat together on the bed and talked about what she would like for Christmas. Her reply?  "A Dora watch because mine broke." Anything else?  "No Mommy, that's all I want" What should we get Gianna?  "A matching watch because she always likes to match me." What about the boys? "Let's make them sandwiches because they like to eat. And maybe some candy too." And for Daddy? "A bucket so that he can pick up leaves in the yard."  (Sorry hon, she's right there is a yard full of leaves!) Should Mommy get a gift too? "Yes, a mirror so you can look at yourself."  (Apparently to her, I need to look in the mirror-Hmmm.... should I be insulted?)

Daddy prayed with her before she went to bed... Aria: " Daddy, why do we say Amen when we are done praying?"                      "Oh I know.... It's so God knows we are done."

All week we laughed and joked about how long the wait was in the "turkey leg line." I mean, who wants to stroll around Disney World gnawing on a leg of a very large bird? Apparently LOTS of people.  No offense to you turkey leg eaters out there, but I have a revulsion to eating almost anything with my hands. And, a much bigger repulsion for gnawing on bones. It's so... barbaric and primal...Eeewww! Just thinking about it makes me shudder. Ofcourse, knowing that about your mom is tempting for sure. And by Thanksgiving Day, Ryan could no longer contain his inner pester-your-mom self. "Hey, MOM!" Look what I got!" "Your worst nightmare come true Mom. BWUHAHAHA!" "And I LIKE IT!!!"

I started a list of all the things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving, and the list became entirely too long without adequately describing the gifts  that God has given me....  So let me just simply quote the scriptures in voicing my heartfelt gratitude for all His blessings. "Unto Thee O God, do we give thanks." Ps 75:1

Another day, another park. These old parents are getting TIRED!  Gianna getting into the beat in Africa. Another 3D show.... The girls still look really cute though. Tomorrow is a marathon open to close at Magic Kingdom. The boys went to another park when we went on Tuesday, so they have lots to see and do. And, we want to see the fireworks over the castle. It is CRAZY crowded here, and more so each day, so hopefully a few folks stay home and eat turkey. Thankfully, we don't have to stand in the long lines with our pass... I have so many things bubbling over inn my heart in anticipation for Thanksgiving Day but I will wait and share them tomorrow...

Not sure who the lady is posing next to them, and not sure how to crop her out, but here are my sweet girls.... They were SO EXCITED when they finally saw a glimpse of the castle (you have to take a trolley from the parking lot to the monorail station and then ride the monorail in to the park, which is terribly long when you have been waiting ALL WEEK to see that castle!) They faithfully carried their Cinderella dolls on each and every ride. Gianna wasn't too sure about letting Mickey and Minnie hold them for the picture! In front of Minnie's house. Apparently, she and Mickey haven't tied the knot yet... They live next door to each other though! Can you see the excitement on their faces??? They take my breath away! It was a long day at the park, and Gianna decided to fall asleep on the race car ride. The LOUDEST, bumpiest ride, and she crashed next to her Daddy :) You know what they say about getting kids to sleep by driving them around! Then we decided pizza and putt putt ...