Matt & Karisa: December 2009

This year we went in to get our pictures taken for Christmas cards. ALL of us. With kids, it's hard to get everyone positioned and looking and not crying (and in Makenna's case VISIBLE...we tended to have her tipped too far back or facing sideways...what a circus). Anyway, here's a sampling of our pictures....

Makenna: "What's going on, and where did my bottle go?"

Mattaya: "Hmm, those toys over there look REALLY fun..."

Makenna: "Oooh, pretty lights"

Makenna: "Oop, I'm feeling a little ooky..."

Mattaya: "Why did they put us on the floor like this?"

Makenna: "I don't know. Look at those pretty lights!"

Mattaya: "Hm, your hair feels soft."

Mattaya: "I kind of like you, Little Sister."

Makenna: "What's that I smell on your breath? Is that cereal? It smells DELICIOUS!"

Makenna: "I'm getting bored."

Mattaya: "I'm getting ready to make a run for it."

Makenna: "I might go to sleep right here."

Mattaya: "I might cooperate for a minute and a half."

Makenna: "Seriously? We're still doing this?"

Smiling like the kids aren't even going nuts.

Kisses ;)

Everyone

Damma Leelee & Boppa Dev

Uncle Luke & Auntie Becca

Mattaya: "Mommy, what's that funny smell?"

Mattaya: "Oof! It's your breath!"

Wowza. I never cease to be thankful that we have such a patient photographer. :)

November seems to have a passed in a blur. We've been keeping very busy, and we've been constantly reminded of the many reasons we have to be thankful. Even though I haven't mastered this two-kid thing, I'm so thankful for BOTH my girls. And because I haven't mastered the two-kid thing, I'm doubly thankful for my loving and helpful husband! Our family and friends have also proven especially helpful. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, we got to see a little more family than we usually do; and that was nice. :) Sadly, Grandpa Leander passed away on Thanksgiving evening. While we mourn the loss, we enjoyed the opportunity to celebrate his life and to reminisce about the good times we've all had with him.

Proof that she's mine: check out that bedhead!

Under.

We've been learning a lot of prepositions lately. "Under" is by far our favorite.

Just chillin'.

I have high hopes that her love for the mini-sweeper will last long enough for it to be helpful to me. ;)

We have tried to make the most of every opportunity to get outside before the temperatures drop. (And it's a good thing, because when December hit, the temps went downhill fast!)

Our busy little girl likes to play "nap", but that isn't as calm an activity as it sounds. It involves lying down and pretending to snore and asking for blankets and for nap buddies and for pillows. Mattaya is happy to orchestrate the whole "game" and will dole out commands for her playmate to sleep and to "shart" (which to her means, SNORE).

Getting to know Gramma Julie a bit.

I couldn't get her to hold still to model her new boots...apparently these boots were made for walkin'.

Real men wear...BABIES!

For quite a while, the only way I could calm Makenna and get her to sleep in a reasonable amount of time was by wearing her in my sling. So Matt thought to himself, "I gotta get me one of those." Pretty snazzy, eh?

Gettin' down with her bad self.

Makenna is quite the kicker.

Necklaces.

Whenever Mattaya joins me in the bathroom while I'm putting on make-up, she puts on ALL my elastic headbands one by one and tells me she has "pretty necklaces".

Proof she's mine: check out these wild curls!

If she's awake, we're burping her.

Mattaya wants to get in on all that cuddle time, too.

And tries to help the process by SQUISHING the burps out of Makenna.

Being IN the hamper is at least as much fun as being UNDER the laundry basket. ;)

This is the matching mommy-and-me shirt set. We had gotten a decent picture of Mattaya and me wearing them, but didn't get quite so lucky this time. Oh well.

Looking a little shocked and horrified that Mommy's taking another picture.

Darn paparazzi!

I'll show you...

Say cheese!

Going a little stir-crazy, I bundled them up and walked to the park by myself one day.

Mattaya gets very excited to wear "fwedders".

(sweaters)

Too cute! Don't you just want to SQUEEZE her?

Big sisters are the coolest.

I totally agree, Mattaya.

Daddy hung Mattaya's old outdoor swing in the laundry room. HOURS of fun, I tell you.

She's all about the mobiles.

Mattaya is very involved. She loves to help with feedings and changings, and now that Makenna has a little more awake time, she also loves to entertain her.

The other day, Makenna had an especially messy, especially stinky, especially green "gift" in her diaper. Mattaya came running to help when she saw that I was changing a diaper. She stopped short and became very upset when she saw the contents of said diaper. She was very sad and a little panicked and needed to be held and consoled. I was somewhat befuddled and kind of amused. She's never gotten IN TROUBLE for any accident she's ever had, and no accident has EVER looked like that...so I'm not really sure where the emotions and the "Oh no! Oh no!" came from. But I tried to reassure her that Mommy could clean it up with wipes and that Sister would be fresh and clean again soon. She looked doubtful but stopped crying.

"I may be the little sister, but I can STOMP you."

Sweet Sister

I think she's pretty sure the mobile is her puppet. She really tries to interact with it physically. Too funny.

Surprise!

A girl after Daddy's own heart. She takes advantage of any opportunity to drum. She's had fewer opportunities since Makenna came home. (The house certainly isn't as quiet as it was when Mattaya was little, but drumming would really be pushing the envelope...just too loud for Little One to sleep through.)

Thankfully, she's still very concerned about dental hygiene.

And not just her own...Daddy's too.

"I think you missed a spot."

Stirring.

Since the weather has gotten chillier, Mattaya got to have her first hot chocolate experience.

(Really, it's more like Almost-Lukewarm-Chocolate since she's sure that anything remotely warm is seriously hot and will burn her. Thanks a lot, Matt.)

The stirring quickly turned into tasting, so it really wasn't well mixed at all. There were still chunks of powder floating in there. Yum, yum.

Oh poo. The thumbnail didn't look blurry when I chose this photo, but I'm too lazy to go back and look for another. Some friends sent some matching bracelets for the girls. I'll try to get Mattaya's again WITH Makenna's. That will be better anyway.

YAY--we've hit the smiling stage!

She's a much easier smile than Mattaya was. All you have to do is talk to her, and she's all grins.

LOVE IT!

Check out that bedhead!

Brushing teeth is a twice-daily occurrence.

And she loves to help.

Matt has finally learned to guard against the gag-check. ;)

Mattaya helped Mommy make pumpkin bars for Thanksgiving.

Stirring, stirring...

Tempted to taste...

Happy First Thanksgiving, Makenna!

If there are bubbles in the sink, Mattaya isn't far away.

Cuddles and burps with Auntie Cindy.

Cake.

Mattaya always requests a fork when she's given cake...then she proceeds to stab the cake and pick up the ENTIRE PIECE as a bite.

Peek!

"My cheeks feel funny."

As soon as the weather got chilly, Mattaya's cheeks were suddenly chapped.

She's at such a fun age. So many things to do and say.

Sometimes she looks SO MUCH like Mattaya's baby pictures. Other times not so much. This one is definitely a look-alike.

Rocking with Grandma Mabel.

Dave and Julie and Luke and Becca and Mommy and Daddy and Mattaya and Makenna ALL went for family pictures. Afterward, we enjoyed lunch at Grampa Dave & Gramma Julie's house. While there, Uncle Luke realized that he could mimic Auntie Becca's outfit a bit more closely.

Now that Auntie Becca is over half way through her pregnancy, they know it's a Boy!