Christmastime Activities

We've been having so much fun the last few days enjoying this Christmas season and some of the special activities and traditions that come with it ....

On Friday night we visited Santa Claus, Noelle and Addison refused to go anywhere near him, so mommy got to be in the picture too, good thing I dressed in red. :)

At least I got a good Santa picture of one of my children

Sunday night was Noelle's first Sunday School Christmas program, she was soooo excited to be a part of it and wear her star costume (she is on the bottom row, first star from the right that is facing forward :)

On Monday morning Grandma G. came over to help us make Christmas cookies

This year both girls were very serious about getting their cookies decorated, I was surprised, there was very little taste testing done until they finished their job

And today we spent some time by Grandma N. making a gingerbread house with Tycen, Delani and Kate

Merry Christmas!!

Sunday Afternoon Project

I have been fortunate enough to get all three girls napping together for an hour or two each afternoon ... on weekdays that means time to get some housework done, but on Sundays that means time to relax and do something fun for me. Last week I finished up a little tshirt dress I had started for Emma the week before she was born, this week I added this fun decal to her bedroom wall. I decided not to do any major redecorating after Noelle moved out ... same paint, furniture and bedding ... just a few new things to decorate the walls and shelves on her changing table. I was very excited to finally get it up and loved how it turned out, so I just had to share. :)

The Snow Has Arrived

Yesterday morning when Noelle came upstairs, she noticed the snow outside almost immediately. Her face lit up, she was bouncing around and I knew I wasn't going to get away with just snuggling on the couch with my girls, staying warm and watching the pretty snow fall. So once I put Emma down for a nap, we began the long process of getting everyone dressed and headed outside to make snow angels and go sledding.

As much as I hate being cold, I must admit I had fun experiencing the joy of the first snow from my kids' perspective. Their smiles and giggles made it all worthwhile.

Emma's First Week at Home

Big sisters adore her and love to help, notice all the toys they found for her to play with

Thanksgiving was a big day for her, we actually made it to church in the morning, lunch with the Nienhuis extended family and supper with the Bussis extended family. Other than a trip to the pediatrician it was our first day out of the house since coming home from the hospital, so I thought we did good. :)

So far she is an excellent sleeper, hoping it stays that way!

Love those sleepy smiles!

Welcome Emma Faye!

Emma Faye joined our family on Thursday afternoon, November 18, at 1:54 pm. She was my biggest baby at 9lbs, 3oz and my shortest baby at 19 inches. Labor and delivery went great and we are so thankful to welcome another healthy little girl to our family.

Her big sisters and Grandpa & Grandma were the first to meet her. Noelle didn't want to leave her side, Addison wasn't terribly impressed. She was more interested in exploring my hospital room.

Addison did start warming up to her though, shortly before they left she wanted to share her blankie and her special doggie with baby sister.

The girls came back the next morning and then Addison wanted a turn to hold her too, Noelle wasn't too happy about having to share her baby Emma.

Passing the time with daddy, watching movies

Ready to go home!

Melting My Heart

As a mom, one of the moments in my day that I treasure most .... whether they played great together that day or couldn't handle being in the same room together, at the end of the day they can't go to bed until they've given eachother big hugs and kisses. Praying that they will ALWAYS be the best of friends!

Our Cute Little Bugs

Some pictures of our little ladybug and butterfly (and their babies, a kitty and a doggie).

On Friday night we attended trunk treats at our church

And on Saturday night we got dressed up one more time to visit a few more family members ... here are the girls at great-grandma's house with my cousins' kids Kennedi and Canaan

After trick-or-treating we headed to Uncle Steve and Auntie Karin's for pizza and fun with friends. We made the kids pose for one more picture before the costumes came off. You can tell most of the kiddos have had their picture taken one too many times already. :)

We got a lot of use out of the costumes this year, besides our two nights of trick-or-treating last weekend, they also wore them for Halloween weekend at the campground we stayed at over Labor Day and for the Nienhuis family costume party earlier in October. And that also means we have enough candy to last us until Halloween next year!

The Big Move

Last week Noelle finally moved downstairs to her new bedroom. With only 4 weeks left until baby's arrival we couldn't wait any longer to make the switch. We've had the beds and bedding for several months now, but wanted to wait to move her until after summer, when our lives settled into more of a routine and we also needed to have shelving installed in her closet so all of her stuff could move down with her. Now the room is completely done, other than a little more decorating. Addison will join her eventually, we do have enough bedrooms for all the kids to have their own room, but thought Noelle would appreciate having some company in the basement. And if two of the kids share a bedroom, that leaves an extra one for me to use as a craft room. :) Addison was a bit jealous that Noelle got to sleep in the new bedroom and she didn't, but we are going to keep her in the crib for a bit longer and let them each have their own space while they both still take afternoon naps. The beds are actually bunks, but we separated them for safety purposes until they are a few years older.

The transition couldn't have gone better, Noelle LOVES her new room. And she has even been sleeping in a little longer in the morning, since she doesn't hear Matt & I get up ... an added bonus!

Kate & John's Wedding Day

This past weekend we celebrated with Kate and John the start of their life together. It has been such a fun process from dress shopping last winter, showers this summer and fall, sitting around the kitchen table assembling invitations and favors, and spending the day in the church nursery getting our hair done and anticipating the big event. I still can't believe my little sister is truly all grown up and married, but I couldn't be happier for her.

Isn't she beautiful? Lacing up the dress.Noelle and Addison have been looking forward to this since the day they got engaged, to wear their pretty white dresses and throw flowers.

Pictures were a bit of a challenge with a two year old and a three year old, but other than that the kids did great surviving a long and busy day!

Fun to have our whole family be a part of the wedding party

A little bit of frosting on their faces, but overall they were nice to eachother.

Uncle Dan and Auntie Kristin

And finally .... it was time to dance! The girls had been excited for this part all day. They were out on the dance floor until the last song was played.