Visit with Santa

Yesterday afternoon I decided to take the girls to see Santa. I know it's a little early, but I wanted to try and avoid the crowds and it worked! We walked in and waited all of about 2 minutes. Camden and Claire walked up, sat in his lap and told him what they wanted for Chrismtas. I knew Carlyle was going to scream, so I waited until the last minute to sit her in Santa's lap. She was defninitely NOT a fan of Santa. Despite the screams and tears, I got some pictures that will make great memories one day!





And here's a flashback of our previous visits, starting with last year, 2009 and going all the way back to Camden's first Christmas in 2004.

14 months

This post is a little late, but last Thursday Carlyle turned 14 months old. She is at such a fun age. She has sprouted a mouth full of teeth this last month, which has made her quite a bit fussier than normal. She has only gotten 2 of her 4 molars, so I'm sure the fussiness isn't quite over, yet.

Carlyle loves food and would probably eat ALL DAY LONG if I let her. If she sees food, she wants it! She mostly eats table food, but will still eat baby food, which is really nice and convenient. One of her favorite table foods is green beans. She would probably eat a whole can in one sitting. She also loves bananas, turkey, cheese, Teddy Grahams, Fruit Loops, Chick-fil-A Chicken nuggets, pizza and lots more. She really is a good eater, which we are thankful for.

Carlyle has really started mimicking others, which is pretty funny. She jabbers all the time and loves to point at things that catch her eye. We put up the Christmas tree in her room over the weekend and she has been pointing and "oohing" at it. So cute!! I think she says "mama" at least a thousand times a day. Don't get me wrong, I love to hear her say it. I can show her a family picture and ask her where mommy and daddy are and she will point to each of us.


Carlyle is still a crawler and not showing ANY signs of walking. She has become more confident when pulling up on things and will cruise a little more, but still has not let go. And definitely no "first steps". Maybe she will attempt some steps by Christmas, but if not, I'm really ok with it.

We are having so much fun with Carlyle and love to watch her interact with her big sisters. Camden and Claire are the best sisters and take care of her so well. They watch out for her and protect her, play with her and take care of her needs. Carlyle is so blessed to have Camden and Claire to look up to. I can't wait to see what their relationship will be like once she gets older.

With the holidays approaching, we are looking forward to seeing how Carlyle will react to all of the festivities. Last year when we went to visit Santa at the mall, Carlyle was only a few months old and did great. This year, I anticipate screams of terror...but that's ok. I think she is going to love all the Christmas lights in our neighborhood. It will be so fun to drive around and listen to her "ooh" and point to all the lights. I know she's still too young to really understand all the Christmas stuff, but I do know Jeremy and I are anxious to make some memories with all three of our girls!

New do

Carlyle's hair is finally long enough for me to put part of it in a rubberband. Isn't her new do so cute??






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Cousins

Just a few pictures of the girls and their cousins.

Giveaway Winner

Winner of the giveaway is #3: Meg

i am lovin' the traditional Christmas. fun giveaway!! thanks!!
XOXO
meg

Congrats...I'll have Crystal email you with all the details and info that she will need! Thanks to all who entered.

Veteran's Day Program

This morning Camden's class, along with the other classes at her school, had a Veteran's Day program. They honored veterans and sang several songs. Camden invited her Papa who is a veteran of the army. He wasn't too thrilled about having to sit up in the front and introduce himself, but he'll do anything for his granddaughters. Camden was so cute as she sang...and she knew every word to each song. They also did sign language to one song and Camden did awesome!










Each class made cards for the veterans and presented it to them. Camden was so proud to give Papa the card from her class. Thanks to all the men and women who have served our country to protect our freedom! Happy Veteran's Day!



***Don't forget about my giveaway. It ends tomorrow night so enter today!
Giveaway

Christmas in November

This past weekend Uncle Jeremy was in town. Camden and Claire were so exited all week as they anticipated his arrival. We knew we wouldn't get to see as much of him as we'd like because he was in a wedding. So, we took advantage of the time we did get. He joined us on Friday and we went to have lunch with Camden at school. I think that was the highlight of Camden's week! Then he came back to our house and played with the girls for awhile. I was shocked at how attached Carlyle was to Uncle Jeremy. The last time he saw her was last Christmas and she was only a few months old. I was prepared for her to be clingy and not want to go to him. But, she sure surprised me...and it made Uncle Jeremy so happy! She loved on him the whole weekend!!

Since he came in this weekend, he won't be able to come back for Christmas. Back to back trips to Texas is just too expensive. We sure are sad that he won't be here to celebrate the holidays with us. We had a "mini Christmas" while he was here and exchanged a few gifts. Camden and Claire thought this was such a treat. Christmas in November...definitely something new for the girls. They will probably want to make that a tradition...ha ha. Thanks Uncle Jeremy for all our goodies. We loved seeing you and spending time with you. Hope you can come back very soon! We love you!!

Giveaway

I'm excited to be able to host a giveaway for my sister-in-law. Crystal is super creative in so many areas and recently started an etsy shop where she sells cards that she makes. She will also set up the template and sell that, where the customer can print their cards wherever they want. Crystal can do any kind of card that you want and will work with you to create the perfect birth announcement, Halloween card, birthday invitation, Christmas card or anything else you can imagine. Go to www.artisticdesignsbycc.etsy.com to view examples of her work. You can also check out her blog at http://artisticdesignsbycc.blogspot.com
One lucky reader will receive one customized Christmas card template. The design does not have to be the one chosen in your entry. We can create a fun, customized greeting card just for you! Offer is good for file only templates (single sided). The template is e-mailed to you and you can get as many cards printed as you would like.

OR

You can choose to get $14.00 off one set of 25, front and back, pearl or linen finish greeting cards. (Please note that you will still be required to pay for shipping on these cards.)

HOW TO ENTER:
Go to www.artisticdesignsbycc.etsy.com and leave me a comment on what your favorite design is. Be sure to include your email address so Crystal can contact you for all the info. Winner will be randomly chosen on Friday, November 12. Winner will be posted on Saturday, November 13. Good luck!!