Potty update

Since Mommy set up my "potty corner" in the downstairs bathroom, I've successfully peepoo'd on the potty 4 times! Yes, I see that there are in fact 5 stickers, but one of them comes with a disclaimer. Daddy saw me doing my more intimate business in my diaper and attempted to get the diaper off of me and me onto the potty in a timely manner. While he put me on the potty a small piece of my business happened to fall into the potty. In theory I peepoo'd in the potty on a technicality. :) Mommy and Daddy ask me each day if I want to sit on the potty... some days I do and some days I don't. Today I managed to peepoo on the potty in under an hour... the first time ever! We're still working on getting the timing just right for a quick result. The best time would definitely be first thing in the morning, but frankly Mommy doesn't want to start the day off with me screaming my head off...

Indoor slide

Let me demonstrate the proper technique to using your uncle as an indoor slide.

Mr. Groh

Dear Mr. Groh,
I'm sorry that it's looking like you won't have any employment next year.
Love,
Reese

Our tree

Rachel here. I am very thankful for Bryan being home this week and taking pictures of me with my girls. :) I don't often make it into many.

Attitude

Rachel here. And to think I honestly thought I wouldn't see a face like this until she was a tween.

Suds and Bubbles

So last night I took a bath and was joined by another little baby friend. We had a blast looking at one another and giggling. I can tell that we will be lifelong friends. :)

Squared

Rachel here. Reese may just be onto something... Baby Belle squared? :)

Thanksgiving

Rachel here. The holidays have always been a lovely time to visit with family DO NOT GET ME WRONG, but having family scattered about within 6ish hours of each other can be VERY stressful for visits. Before kids, Bryan and I would rotate Thanksgiving between our families and then when it came time for Christmas... Christmas Eve was with his parents, then we'd drive to Tidewater for Christmas Day with my Mom and then the following day was Christmas with my Dad. It was completely doable back then, but now priorities have changed... and rightfully so. Our girls come first, and sometimes nice and quiet holidays together with just the four of us are nice too. Originally the plan was to do just that... have a nice quiet Thanksgiving with our small family of four. That changed when we found out it was Bryan's Nana's (Nana... two long a's... like in cat... not to be confused with Nana like in "banana"... my Mom.. now we can all sleep more soundly tonight) 80th birthday... witch is today actually... HAPPY BIRTHDAY NANA! We ventured on out to the RR for a mini bday party on Thanksgiving Day and had a really lovely time.
Here's the sweet cake Bryan's mom made for Nana's "31st birthday." :)

Great photos of Nana with her great-grandgirls.

4 generations.

Thanks for the great day Pattison/Buchanan clan. :)

Thankful

Rachel here. There are 3 major things I'm thankful for this year, and one of them happens to be this face. SERIOUSLY... SERIOUSLY?!

Baby Belle

I'm falling more and more in love with the babydoll Nana and Pop got me last year for Christmas. I love to hug my Baby Belle (Rachel here. At any moment Emma Grace can be called one of the following names: Emma Grace, EG, Emma, Emmaroo, Roos, Emmabelle, or Baby Belle... I've now caught Reese many times calling her babydoll Baby Belle, so Baby Belle it is).
I love to feed Baby Belle.

I love to burp Baby Belle.

I love to strangle Baby Belle.

And I love to turn Baby Belle off if she decides to get too unruly. :)

Smells

Right now our house smells super yummy! We baked all kinds of goodies today to take to Grandma and Grandaddy's house tomorrow (and to have to snack on throughout the weekend here at the house). I helped Daddy make pretzel sandwiches.
Mommy and I baked peanut blossoms.

We also have some scotcheroos and peanut clusters. I love the holidays!

Fun Times

Now that I'm a little bigger/stronger/more stable, this exersaucer shenanigans is a butt ton of fun!
Hi Mommy... I see you! :)

It's beginning to look a lot like...

... Christmas. While Daddy prohibits us from decorating much of anything before the day after Thanksgiving, Mommy was getting all twitchy at the sight of neighbors with lights and their Christmas trees up in their windows. Yesterday Daddy went out "really quickly" to run a couple errands. What did we do while he was gone? We decorated part of my playroom:

I became acquainted with some of Mommy's childhood Christmas nick nacks:

While Mommy put up her Willow Tree nativity set, I put some of my animals away:

I decorated my own little tree with all of the ornaments I've gotten in the last two years:

We put it on my train table, so now Thomas and his friends can ride around my beautiful Christmas tree all winter long!

AND Mommy put up my little nativity set, so that I can play with it. We're currently making "LOST" signs for poor Joseph... hopefully we'll find him before Christmas. :)