Baby # 3

GIRL!!!!!!!!!

After 2 ultrasounds, our sweet # 3 decided to cooperate and let us find out the gender!  We are thrilled to be able to raise another Daughter!!!  We can't wait to meet our sweet Girl! 

I am at 25 weeks and doing great!  Now only if we can decide on a a name for her!!! 

Matt and I found out the gender together at the 2nd ultrasound and had family over to reveal the gender with either a Pink or blue cake!  Given that it was Christmas Vacation Week, I was unable to find a bakery open....so, we kept it simple and made our own cake!  Michaela and Madelin couldn't wait for 7:00 pm for us to cut the cake together and reveal the news to them!  They were Over the Moon about having another Girl for our family!!  

Sunflower Painting

Michaela painted this picture today at school during art time.  Her class is studying an American Artist each week and after they learn about the artist, they then have to paint a picture in the style of that week's artist.  This week the painter was Georgia O'Keefe!  I love Michaela's scale, colors, and concept of her Sunflower picture!

Rollerskating on Christmas Day!

Mom and Dad got the girls rollerskates for Christmas!  They tried them out right away and loved them!!

Christmas at Mommom and Pappy's!!!!!

We had a lovely time at Mom and Dad's for Christmas.  We were blessed to be with family and spend it together!

Celebrating Jesus' Birth Christmas Morning

A few pictures from our time Christmas morning celebrating the Birth of Jesus!  We had a lovely and JOY filled Christmas together! Praise God for His redeeming gift of His Son, Jesus!!!

Christmas Eve and Christmas Eve PJ's!

Every Christmas Eve, we head up to Aunt Donna and Uncle Brian's house in Jersey for a family Christmas Eve celebration!  Mom and Dad always give the girls a present to open there, and it is there new Christmas PJ's!!  The girls ADORED their PJ's!!! 

We had a lovely time with our family on Christmas Eve!

Here the girls are wearing the super soft robes from their Great Aunt Donna and Uncle Brian!! 

Gingerbread Cookies

Every December, the four of us have a great time, making, rolling, baking, decorating, and eating these Gingerbread Cookies!! 

Fun with our Christmas Decorations

The girls and I by the tree!

Playing with Daddy's childhood train set is a LOT of FUN for the girls!  They look forward to this every Christmas.  The manger scene made great passengers!!

We had fun acting out a few of our Advent Bible readings together!!

I just gave up!!!!!!!  The girls won.  All 4 sets of my manger scene sets ended up as 1 LARGE manger scene.  The girls also liked to move the manger characters all around the living room!!

All in all, December was filled with warm, family moments as we prepared our hearts for celebrating the Birth of our Saviour!!

The Nutcracker!

Every year, my Mom buys the girls and I tickets to go see The Nutcracker together!!  It is a LOVELY time for just the girls around the Holidays!  All 4 of us LOVE going and look forward to it all year.  It has become one of my favorite traditions that we do!! 

This year, we went to The Grand Opera House on Market Street in Wilmington, DE.  This theater is AMAZING and gorgeous!!!  As usual, the ballet was MAGICAL and wonderful!!  I don't think MJ took her eyes off the stage for a a second!!  Madelin fell asleep for the last 15 minutes or so...but she LOVED it too!!  Mom bought the girls each a Nutcracker to display in our home!  The girls already found a place for them in our living room!! 

Mom, we LOVE you!!  Thanks for the Magic, Memories, Traditions and LOVE!

Our Advent Jesse Tree

Here is a picture of our family's Advent Jess Tree countdown to Christmas!!  It was a family effort to make this!!  All hands needed and helped!!!  Michaela drew and colored all of the daily pictures last year.  The pictures all coincide with that day's Bible story.  We use the Advent devotional written by one of my FAVORITE authors, Ann Voskamp.  Click here to get a copy of her FREE Advent devotional.  We have used it for 2 years now and LOVE it!

I wasn't happy with our ornament tree holder that I made last year, so this year, we decided to make a new one and I LOVE it!  Matt, thanks for your help babe!  We use the clothes pins the clip up the picture for the day.  The only thing we still have to do is add the numbers to the clothes pins....the girls can do that tomorrow!