She's Three!

We've been looking forward to celebrating our Gretchen on the 22nd!  She's three!  Gretchen keeps us laughing with the funny things she says and the silly things she does!  She thinks outside of the box.  Why color on the paper when you can color your hands pink and purple?!  She loves everything to be pink and purple and prefers to wear a dress and tights every day, but can hold her own in a matchbox car race at the same time.  She loves telling stories and playing imaginative games.  When she's sweet and in a good mood, she's an angel.  When she's not, look out!  Gretchen is spunky, fun-loving, opinionated, and really good at cuddling.  

We love you so much, Gretch!  Happy Birthday!   

Nine Months

I am crazy about this little girl!  She's nine months and now has been with us longer than she grew inside me.  I can't imagine our family without her.  Bridgette is just plain happy!  And her big blue eyes brighten my day.  She loves her siblings and usually doesn't like playing on her own unless someone else from the family is in the room with her.  She takes two naps during the day and is doing great with eating solids.  I've yet to give her something she doesn't like.  She has some fun noises she makes when "talking", but seems to be following in her brother's footsteps of observing what is happening around her before she makes herself known.  Only time will tell what her unique personality will be like!

  

She's officially on the move now!  It didn't take her long to go from putting herself on all fours to pulling herself across the floor to full on crawling.  

And I thought ornaments on the lower part of the tree wouldn't be a problem this year!

Gone are the days when I can put her down and expect her to just sit there!

Straining

Learning to crawl is such hard work!

The Tree

I think this is my favorite tree yet!  It was a family affair of picking it out, bringing it home, hacking at the trunk to get it to fit in our stand, putting on the lights and finishing it off with ornaments.  I love the Christmas season!

Fall

Just some more photos from November that I wanted to post.  Fall was short-lived (it already feels like winter over here), but we made sure to enjoy it!

Thanksgiving football

She thoroughly enjoyed her first Thanksgiving meal!  I didn't take any other pictures that evening.  I blame it on all the yummy food and delicious pies my mom made.

Posing with our 2012 Thanksgiving Tree.  I love this tradition more each year.

November Phone Dump

Is it really December already?!?!

Lookin' good after visiting the barber with Daddy

We've started going to a drop-in dance class with our neighbor.  Gretchen says she wants to take ballet, so we are practicing and preparing for a real class after she turns three!

When was the last time you got to eat dinner with a superhero?!

Her smiles never cease to brighten my day!

Funny girl loves bell peppers . . . even first thing in the morning!  

Her first ride in a shopping cart!

Pig tails!!

He can almost make applesauce entirely by himself!

Looking through some of Rooke's baby clothes in anticipation of our nephew's birth made for a fun time of dress-up with Bridgette!

I made sure to do an adult puzzle during Thanksgiving weekend this year.

Their first visit to see Santa (couldn't take pictures inside).  He was by far the lamest Santa I've ever been around, but they each got a toy to take home, so they didn't care!

Date night: kids with grandparents, mouth-watering yummy mexican food, and my hot husband.  

A play date with little Joseph and his mommy

"Mary, your baby is crying!  Give him his pacifier."

Sticker fun while I prepared dinner.

Bouncy B

Rooke and Gretchen weren't big fans, but our little Bridgette loves the jumper!