Emily laughs and our first post on our new blogspot!

Sorry everyone!  We are going to now be blogging at this new location because I ran out of room on the old blog.  It costs $2.50 a month to keep posting pictures on the old blog which adds up to $30 a year so if you really prefer the old domain, I guess I can do a bake sale or car wash or something to raise the money.  I think I just made myself sound really cheap...I guess I am really cheap...ANYWAYS:

Saturday night the girls slept much better than they had Friday night.  Emily only woke up once and her first stretch was a little over six hours so that was nice.  Haley woke up around 7:30 which wasn't bad considering she went to sleep at seven.  She cuddled with us for a while and then David got up with her and fed her breakfast while Emily and I slept in a little later.

Church went really well.  The kids aged kindergarten through 5th grade sang a couple Christmas Carols and did a Christmas Reader's Theater at the beginning of the service.  Haley was completely captivated by their performance, she was watching super intently.  Emily fell asleep during the service and woke up at the end of the sermon.  We let one of the older girls hold her afterwards while David and I helped clean up the building.  Our church meets at a community building so we have to clean up after we meet each week.

After church we came home and ate lunch and then David headed out to help rake leaves at the Watson's house.  A bunch of men from church met there and cleaned up their yard.  Baby Claire is still living but she is starting to fade more and more.  She has a little bit of a cold right now so that doesn't help either.  Haley and Emily both took pretty good naps, Haley slept almost three hours actually!  David got home after about an hour and a half and we watched a John Piper sermon.  John Piper is such a good speaker and so entertaining to watch.  I really like listening to Uncle Steve but I think the next thing CEFC should do is videotape him so we can watch him like we do John Piper.  I guess that is asking a little much.

Haley woke up during the last five minutes of the sermon.  We fed her a snack and then we all packed up in the van and headed to Home Depot to get a Christmas tree.  A couple people from church were going to the Watson's house tonight to set up a Christmas tree and decorations.  David and I volunteered to get the tree since we had missed out on that whole experience when we decided to do a fake tree.  Turns out we really could live without the whole 'experience.'  It started to rain while we were there and the back of our van now has a bunch of pine needles.  Fake trees forever!  David did mention that he misses the smell of a real tree.

At the Watson's we set up the tree and decorated it.  Haley played in Chloe's room for most of the time and I put Emily in the bjorn.  We were there a little over an hour and then we came home.  Amanda was there helping and I invited her and the family to come have dinner with us afterwards.  I made a pot pie a couple days ago and I tons of it left.  I did warn her that it was leftovers and that she shouldn't feel pressure to come.  She talked to Ben and they came!

I heated the pot pie up in the oven so it would seem more fresh-baked.  David said it definitely helped.  I also made macaroni and cheese for the kids and we had ice cream for dessert.  I told them they took our friendship to the next level by coming and helping us eat our leftovers!  After dinner we talked while the girls played.  Emily was acting a little fussy after dinner, I'm not sure what her deal was.  I was holding her and she kept arching her back and putting her head back like she wanted to see everybody but I think she was really just tired and overstimulated.  I had her in the bouncy chair during dinner and afterwards the girls were all around her and kissing her and everything so I think she had plenty of stimulation to put her past being tired.  She eventually settled and went to sleep.  The Caldwells left around 8:30 and as soon as the door closed we put Haley in her pajamas and put her to bed.  Now Emily is laying passed out on my chest as I write this.

Haleyism:
We had leftover spaghetti for lunch which used to be one of Haley's favorite meals hands down.  Well, today she did eat some but only after she carefully inspected each fork-full and meticulously picked off anything brown (meat, parsley flakes, basil, etc.).  She left the onions, I'm guessing because they are translucent and she couldn't tell they weren't noodles.  It took her forever to eat.

Emilyism:
Emily was laughing today!  She has chuckled before but today she did a real belly laugh.  She also has started bringing her hands together which I think I recall being some kind of milestone..?

Emily looks a little scared in this one.  Don't worry Emily, soon you'll be bigger than Haley and she'll be the scared one!

Haley trying to blow on Emily's tummy

I wish this one wasn't blurry!

Sisters

Emily using her pajamas to help her try to sleep.

This is a picture Amanda took Friday night when she took all of the girls to Chick-fil-a. She couldn't believe that Haley preferred saltine crackers to the french fries and nuggets Amanda put in front of her.