February Fun

February was a pretty busy month for us. Andy had to do a rural rotation in North Platte which didn't sound like much fun for us girls so we decided to go to Utah for a few weeks and visit with family. We really had a good time, but we missed Andy and our Omaha friends so it was nice to come back too!

Eden got to decorate Valentine cupcakes and cookies with her grandmas. She definitely loved the frosting!

Rachel is just such a cutie I had to add a couple pictures of her. She turned 4 months while we were in Utah. She's growing so fast she seems to change daily. She is very vocal now and loves to squeal and chatter and chew on her fists. I just melt when I look at her pretty blue eyes and bald little head. After our trip, I can tell she has a lot of people wrapped around her chubby little finger!

I thought I would include this video of Rachel trying her first rice cereal. She wasn't so sure about it. We've tried it a couple times since this was taken and she still isn't too impressed with it. We'll keep trying!

What a way to start the new year!

I can't think of a better way to start a new year than with these two cuties. They make me smile and laugh every day and I just can't resist them!

Eden is now almost 4 1/2 and is such a little smartie. She likes to read books and tell jokes and play pretend and be a big sister. Princesses and 'House' are her current favorite things to play. She also loves to color and do crafts.

Rachel is 3 months old now and is growing so fast. I love to kiss her chubby little cheeks and see her smile and stick out her tongue. She is getting quite vocal and loves to

make noises and coo at us. She loves to be around people and will smile at anyone who will smile at her!

The End of 2010

It's been a little while, once again, since I blogged. I realize Christmas was weeks ago, but I thought I would post a few pictures from the last part of December before I move on to this year. On Christmas Even morning Eden helped Andy shovel some snow and then came in to get warm and have some hot chocolate. I did some more baking of goodies (even though I had decided I was not going to bake as much this year...) and somehow managed to throw my back out putting something in the fridge. I couldn't even stand up straight for a while. A few ibuprofin and a heating pad later, we were on our way to our friends house for dinner. Later that evening, we let Eden and Rachel open their new jammies and leave a treat for Santa (he really likes brownies) and went to bed. I have to say that as a parent, I think I get just as excited for Christmas as I did when I was a kid, only now I am looking forward to watching my own kids open their gifts and feeling the magic that only Christmas morning brings.

When Eden was a baby we bought this huge stocking to put her in and so we had to see how Rachel looked in it as well.
Our girlies in front of the tree. Note the slightly terrified look Rachel gets on her face when Eden is holding her. You can also see Eden's contribution to the tree in the background. She got creative with her pipe cleaners a few days earlier.

Time for jammies- Santa is coming soon...
Christmas Morning: Eden was kind enough to wait until about 8:00 to wake us.

Rachel got a new headband and a Bumbo seat, both of which she was excited about.
Eden got her very own Wii game- princesses, of course.

One of the other big hits of the day- Squinkies. She's been begging for these for months.

Rachel was all worn out watching Eden open her gifts for her. Life can be so rough when you are a baby.

We hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas season. We sure had a great holiday and are so thankful to have all of you as our family and friends.

December

Here's a few pictures we've taken this month. We've been pretty busy getting ready for Christmas and trying to stay warm. Eden is a great big sister and helps me out a lot and Rachel is getting chubby and smiley. Andy has had most of the month off so we've been having a lot of fun with him as well. We hope you enjoy!

Rachel's Blessing

Andy's parents were here visiting for Thanksgiving so we decided to bless Rachel while they were here. Rachel didn't cry at all and Andy did a good job and didn't surprise me by changing her name at the last minute.

My mom made my blessing dress and I have always thought that was really special so I wanted to make a dress for Rachel. I thought it turned out pretty good, considering I have never made a blessing dress before. It was pretty long and Andy had trouble finding where Rachel ended and the dress kept going. Marcia made the pretty afghan for Rachel and we used it when she was blessed as well. We love our little Rachel Elizabeth!

More Pictures

Rachel is already five weeks old and the time is just flying by. We're having so much fun with her in our home. Eden is a great big sister and loves to hold Rachel and give her kisses and take care of her.

Rachel is a pretty good sleeper (on most nights) and when she is awake she is very alert and studies what is going on around her. The past few days she has also started to smile at us when we are talking to her. It is so fun to see those smiles (although we haven't been able to catch them on camera yet). She is also gaining weight and getting a double chin and chubby cheeks. She's so much fun to hold and snuggle with.

On the 15th I took pictures of Rachel at one month, sitting on the quilt I made for her. I thought the pictures turned out pretty cute, although I couldn't get Rachel to look at the camera. I hope you enjoy the pictures!

New Baby

I know some of you have been waiting a while to see these pictures- 20 days to be exact. On October 15 we welcomed our second little girl into the world. Rachel Elizabeth was born at 11:33 am, weighing in at a whopping 6 pounds 10 ounces. I had a really easy delivery- just a couple hours of labor- and I'm feeling great now. Rachel is quite a cutie and we are really enjoying having her in our famiy. Eden loves having a little sister (as long as she isn't crying) and we love it when she sleeps for more than an hour at night. We'll try to be better about posting pictures in the future. Rachel has already changed so much since she was born- she's put on some weight and is getting chubby cheeks and a second chin. We hope you enjoy these pics!

This picture was taken right after we told Eden she had a little sister. She was so excited because that is what she had wished for. I love the look on her face.

Our two girlies. Eden is a great big sister.
More pictures to come when we have a chance....