one last preChristmas post

They make me happy.
My little beauty.

Baby talking to her big brother.

She always smiles for her sissy.

Lexi and her friend Sasha during their play date.

Smiling at daddy.

She's always so happy.

Grandpa Bob lips? ;)

Thanks to uncle Johnny for sending Arilyn this adorable dress (and pillow pets for the kids, which they love) and aunt Marissa for the pretty bow!

Precious.

I cannot believe soon he will be 9. Seems like just yesterday I was bringing him home from the hospital.

Lexi is growing so fast. She is a READER now! She can sound out almost everything. So proud of these kids!!

My little happy baby. All ready for her first Christmas.

So beautiful!

Today was Arilyn's echo appointment to check on her heart murmur. The process took 45 minutes. For the first 10 minutes, Arilyn was baby talking to the tech. It was adorable. Then she lost patience, fussed for a moment and fell asleep. She did wonderfully. It was hard seeing her attached to monitors. I had been anxiously awaiting and dreading this appointment for 2 weeks now. It turns out, we won't know the results immediately. They electronically send the images to Portland to be reviewed, then our dr will call to discuss the results. I am praying with all I have in me that it is an innocent murmur and not the more serious version that requires surgery. I cannot imagine my 2 month old beautiful, sweet baby undergoing such a major surgery!

On a brighter note, Christmas is nearly here. Today Jared and I wrapped most of the gifts and placed them under the tree. Now the guessing games have began for the kids. So much fun for the kids to try to unravel the mysteries that lie within.

Tomorrow the kids and I will begin our Christmas baking. Some of my fondest memories are within the kitchen and I am hoping to pass this on to my children.

On Christmas Eve we are spending the day with my dad and step mom. It'll be nice to be with them for the day. On Christmas day, I will make homemade donuts and we will spend the day with just us 5, in our pjs. Sounds wonderful to me. Though I do miss our extended family & friends, they will all be in our hearts this holiday.

Merry Christmas. Wishing you a day filled with family, love and the warmth that only Christmas brings.