Christmas Pictures

**Merry Christmas**

William's First Smile

I have been waiting for the day that I see our baby smile, it happend and it was such a great feeling! It was such a beautiful sight! He was about 4 weeks old, but when I caught it on camera he was just about 5 weeks. I was pretty excited because he seemed to only smile right in the morning when Will was already at work and I would tell people I didn't think they fully believed me, but NOW I have proof! He is such a sweet, happy boy and I love him more and more everyday.

William's First Time Meeting Santa

So we finally got to see Santa Claus, since the last time we tried the mall was closed. Ann, Joe and the kids came as well. We were the first ones in line and I was so excited because it was William's very first time meeting Santa. Last year I went with Ann and the kids to see him and Skyler asked him for a baby for me and Will, and what do you know, we have one this year. She totally knew! All the kids did great with him as expected and it was so much fun!

Homemade Ornaments

Ann found this recipe to make your own ornaments and we thought that it would be fun to do William and Gavin's hand prints and footprints since they are so darn cute. So we tried out the recipe and they turned out pretty good. All they involve was flour, boiling water and salt... tooooo easy! After we got them all pressed out and baked we painted them and they were perfect! Skyler also wanted to help and she got to do her hand print as well. Gavin than discovered the flour and he wanted to participate in the kitchen too. Who needs toys when you got a cutting board, flour and a rolling pin? Not Skyler and Gavin that's for sure! They were having so much fun and Ann and I were having so much fun watching them!



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'Tis the Season For Desserts

Baking is my favorite, and Ann and I LOVE our sweets! Since this year Will and I didn't get to go back to PA we decided that we would celebrate with the Mercier's. Ann and I of course wanted to make a whole bunch or yummy treats for us to snack on, so we chose to make M&M cookies, Hershey Kiss cookies, "Puppy Chow" a.k.a Reindeer food (since it's Christmas time), we also made buckeyes and sugar cookies. The guys went hunting that weekend and we hung out and planned out our Christmas activities so that when the guys got home we would be able to tell them what we were going to do and they had no choice.

The guys got home on Tuesday morning and Ann and the kids came over to my house and we started the baking. It went smoother than i thought it was going and we had a great time doing it as well! We baked our butts off and then everyone was starting to get hungry so I made up some of my mom's famous pizza dough and made a pizza and even a rolled pizza. Skyler even got to join in on the fun and she made her very own personal pizza. I figured she would enjoy that because my nephews and niece love to make their own and help grandma every week when she makes pizza.

The next day we finished our sugar cookies and got them frosted and they looked so cute. We then did our weekly thing and went for tacos at Hudson's. After we had the funniest night at Hudson's (thanks to Skyler), Will and I went to look for some Christmas presents for our little guy.

One of my neighbors told us about this Christmas play that was going to be happening right around Christmas time and I have heard nothing but good things about it so we decided to check it out. We figured Thursday night would be the best night to go since we had already made plans for Christmas eve. We made sure to get there early and good thing we did because it was already packed an hour early. They had turned away 700 people and it was a packed house with 4,000 attendants. This church was very large and it is the 38th largest church in the United States, it was pretty amazing. The play was great! There was even real animals and the angels were flying from the ceiling.

My Extremely Creative Sister

So my older sister Rachel is so creative that she decided to come up with a way to get her stuff out there so she turned to the Internet. She started a website for all to see and for people to purchase her items. She has some items up already but trust me and keep the website because it's going to be FULL once she gets rolling! I still haven't figured out how she comes up with this stuff but let me tell you she is pretty good!! So check out her site and you might just find some inexpensive last minute holiday gifts. www.rachelscraftroom.etsy.com

He has a Bellybutton!!!

There for a while we thought he was never going to let go of his umbilical cord, the doctor said about 2 weeks after birth it will fall off. Well, two weeks came and went and this thing was still holding on real good. He turned one month old and it was still on!!!! I just couldn't believe it, I have never known any one to have their cord that long, just unreal. Finally it fell off, he was one month and two days old, right before we went and got pictures done and I was so happy because I didn't want that nasty shriveled up thing in our pictures. Now he has a cute little "INNY" bellybutton. We can finally take REAL baths, instead of sponge baths, so exciting!

1 Month Old

Our little man was a month old on the 5th which was this past Sunday! It really is amazing how fast time goes by. He is such a great baby and we love every second with him! He is still sleeping pretty much of the day/night, there are some rough days, but that can be expected. He surely is growing, he is starting to out grow his newborn clothes, and he is just about to grow out of the newborn diapers and go into size 1. It kinda makes me sad, but it's going to be so much fun watching him grow up.

This past weekend we thought that it would be a good idea to start decorating for Christmas ((since Will had off work)) and we had to go out and buy everything because we had absolutely nothing! We figured this year we wanted to go all out because it's our baby's first Christmas. We went out and got a tree with the Mercier family, Will put up lights on the house and we even planned on going to see Santa at the mall, but around here the mall closes at 6 on Sundays, yeah pretty stupid if you ask me especially around the holidays, I mean isn't Santa suppose to be working overtime??? oh well we are planning on getting back there this week, hopefully tonight! I don't think I have ever been this excited before about any holiday, but I am now because we have our baby boy to celebrate with. We really wanted to get back home for the holidays, but I just don't think it's in our cards this year financially. Hopefully shortly after the holidays we will be able to make it back, I know everyone is dying to meet the baby.

Our boy is starting to smile a little bit when you talk to him, it's mostly right when he wakes up and it's just the sweetest thing in the world, it makes my heart skip a beat. I haven't been fast enough to catch it on camera yet, but I don't have a very good camera either, maybe I will ask Santa for a new one ;o) We also just got some holiday pictures done and I will post them as soon as we get them back, they are so stinking cute i cant stand it, our baby is just too sweet for words just you wait and see. Ok enough bragging, but I do get bragging rights now that I'm a mom right? Well i hope you all enjoy the new photos and like i said the holiday ones will be here in about a week so check back soon. i hope everyone has a wonderful time getting ready for Christmas because I know I will. God Bless!

Thanksgiving 2010

We had so much to be thankful for this year, and I owe it all to God! He really has blessed us with wonderful family and friends and especially a beautiful baby boy! The food turned out delicious as always and we all had a great time. One of my brothers called me way back in August asking if he could come down when the baby was born and I was all about it! We figured that the week of Thanksgiving was going to be the best time because the baby was going to be here for sure. So as the week approached I was getting more and more excited about him and his girlfriend (one of my best friends) to come to El Paso, and I was even more excited that I was going to get to spend Thanksgiving with them! I had talked to another one of my brothers who also lives in TX about what his plans were and he was thinking that he would be able to get off of work to celebrate with us as well.

Anthony and Brittany flew into El Paso on that Sunday and William and I were at the Airport to meet them. When we got there they were waiting for their luggage. We got to my house and they had so many great gifts for the baby from themselves and also some from my mom and sister who really wanted to come too but there is so much family back home that they had to tend to for the holiday. So I called back home and we got on the web cam so that my mom and sister could watch me open the gifts they sent.

The whole week we hung out and did the "touristy" things, I showed them around the city and we also did some shopping at some of the specialty shops and Anthony even bought a pair of cowboy boots since El Paso is known as the "Cowboy boot Capital of the World". On Wednesday night we did our normal Wednesday night thing and went to Hudson's for free tacos. We met Joe, Ann and the kids and their grandparents and also Jimmy there. The guys got talking and since us girls had planned on baking that night the guys thought that it would be a great idea for them to go out so that they wouldn't be in our way. We thought it was a great idea as well, a nice relaxing night baking without the guys? Sure!

We left Hudson's and Brittany, William and I met Ann at her house and we started to get to work, even though I had to run all the way back to my house because I forgot the MOST important ingredient, the apples for one of Ann and I's favorite dessert, Apple Crisp. We were really happy to have Brittany for another pair of hands and we got done with everything in half the time it took Ann and I last year. The guys were out till late which was expected and I still had things to get ready for breakfast the next morning.

We finally got home and I got the french toast casserole made and put in the refrigerator. We got to bed and before I knew it I was up and in the kitchen again getting breakfast for everyone. We had scrambled eggs, bacon, french toast casserole, fruit salsa and this really good drink that Ann and Joe brought over and all it was was orange juice and champagne, I forget what it's called but it was yummy! Ann and Joe had to get home so that they could get the turkey in the oven and start getting things ready for dinner. Brittany, Anthony, Will and William all crashed out and took a little nap. Rocco called and said that he would be in town just in time for dinner and I was so excited that I got up off the couch and made him a pumpkin roll.

We all got ready and headed over to Ann and Joe's. Dinner was amazing and I was pretty excited to have Anthony, Rocco and Brittany there this year. After dinner we had some dessert and the guys sat out by the fire. We decided to put on a movie, and it was "A Christmas Story", so appropriate. After that we made our way home with full bellies and sleepy eyes, we all hung out a little longer on the couch watching TV and visiting and then we went to bed. I fell asleep with a big smile on my face because of the great friends we have and especially because I had family in town.

The rest of the week was wonderful, but it came to a end way to fast! I enjoyed spending time with Anthony, Rocco and Brittany. This Thanksgiving will be remembered forever and I thank God for our family and friends that he has blessed us with this year.

*Our First Thanksgiving as a family of 3*

Daddy and baby taking a nap

"Gobble Gobble"

Yummy Pumpkin pies right before they went in the oven

My brothers and I

Ann and her little helper :o)

Our little man in his turkey shirt Aunt Rachel made for him

Uncle Anthony and Aunt Brittany

William and Skyler

Gavin LOVING his first Thanksgiving Meal

B and Me

*Ann and Joe*

Uncle Rocco meeting William for the first time

**And Baby makes Three**