Christmas and Happy New Year

Kaylie sitting by our Christmas tree. Taylor wouldn't do it.

I love my sissy!

We got pretty brave at the park

Talor loves the cake and Kaylie doesn't

I dressed myself

I love cupcakes

Rockin Out

Kaylie and Nana

I love presents

Taylor loves the penguin

Kaylie and Granddad

We can't quite ride these yet but we like sitting on them

Kaylie and her penguin from Aunt Cathy

George and Neale

Dancing with Dora

Taylor is the baby's stroller

Happy New Year!

Grandpa Dale and Grandma Fran with Kaylie

Nine adults tried to figure out how to get six Sing A Ma Jigs to sing in unison and we couldn't figure it out.
Kaylie pushing Taylor in the babydoll's stroller.

Kaylie and Taylor trying on mama's jackets

Kaylie loving her baby

And to end 2010...Taylor is still trying to close the mailbox...some things never change!

I really want to keep pulling sissy but I am so tired.

New Year's Eve Neale was the 12th year anniversary of when I met Neale and we started dating. And as Taylor has been walking around saying for the past two days "Mama, Dada, Happy". I have no idea where she got the phrase but it certainly is fitting. I would say our life is just about perfect.

Christmas was wonderful! We had the family in town and we appreciate everyone coming to our house to celebrate. Thanks for all the presents and the hard work everyone put in while they were here too.

Taylor and Kaylie REALLY got into opening presents or "pants" as they called them. Taylor would run to the tree and grab gifts and start opening. There was one present that was so big that no one thought she would go for it but she did and she pushed it with all her might to where she wanted it to be. A big hit for Kaylie is the dancing Dora doll. You turn that on and Kaylie starts dancing! Taylor loved pushing her baby stroller and shopping cart outside. She even got Kaylie in the wagon and pulled her around. I think I have heard her "Outside" request about a hundred times a day. She loves to go out and she doesn't want to come back in. The baby dolls, Penguin, books, and play guitar or "tar" as they call it were also huge hits. The girls got a photo album from Grandma and Grandpa Pettigrew with photos of the girls and the family in them. They have had a big time going through the album and naming everyone. The funniest thing is that Kaylie points to photos of herself and says "T" because she thinks it is Taylor and Taylor points to photos of herself and syas "Kiki" because she thinks it is Kaylie.

We went to a Mexican restaurant and George asked me if the girls could have chips and salsa. I said no because I didn't want them to eat any junk food (which really makes no sense because they were eating Chicken fingers for dinner). So we were all talking and noticed that Taylor had helped herself to the cips and dipped it in the salsa. She loved it! There was alot of triple dipping going on but that is all she ate. She wanted nothing to do with her dinner. She thought she was pretty hot stuff dipping her chip in the salsa. Very funny.

The girls had a Christmas program at daycare. Their teacher made them some red hats for the program and they wore them around for days.

Taylor loves cake and cupcakes and Kaylie doesn't like them. Kaylie doesn't like most sweet stuff.

Taylor is very shy when she meets people and turns her head away from them and hides behind her mom. Kaylie is more outgoing.

The girls like to do stuff all by themselves and if you try to help them they will pitch a fit....especially Taylor. She thinks she has to have her way all the time. When Taylor gets mad she hits or bites or kicks. She gets angry. We are working on that.

Popular words/phrases: "cookie", "boote" (book), "Hey", "Come On", "Sydney", "pants" (presents), "Mama, Dadda, Happy", "potty", "eat", "juice", "outside:, "Nana", "Grandma", "Grandpa", "Papa", "baby", "Minnie" (Kaylie's bunny), "Frog" (Taylor sleeps with), "all done", "uh-oh" and of course "No".

We hope everyone had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

New Phrases

See through bottom of boots - they are too big but the girls LOVE them
Taylor loves going outside but we don't get to do much of that lately - it has been freezing!

I can't believe it is mid-December already! I haven't been blogging because I have Christmas picture deadlines gone mad!I am still getting orders for Christmas and last minute photo sessions and I am realizing I should have had a cutoff date! I told myself 2 weeks ago that I wasn't taking anymore sessions before Christmas and I know I have booked at least 10 since. My Christmas shopping time is going to be very limited. AND ....I am disappointed to say that I haven't even gotten a chance to take Christmas photos of my girls or design any albums like I wanted to. On a positive note, I am very blessed to be busy and I appreciate the business. 2 years of babies and no Christmas cards! That is something I am going to have to change next year!

The girls are more fun each day. Taylor and I were ready to go downstairs and Kaylie was down the hall so Taylor kept yelling "KIKI!!KIKI!!!KIKI!!!!" Taylor speaks Chinese fluently or at least that is what it sounds like when she reads her books. Occasionally I will hear "mama" or "dada" or "baby" but the rest sounds like Chinese. The girls are both very intent on telling me long sentences and very serious about it. They will repeat themselves and repeat themselves but I usually can't figure out what it is they want. Kaylie loves "Minnie" which is her bunny. She used to be able to say "Bunny" but now it is "Minnie". Kaylie's common phrases are "get it", "more please" and "come on". Taylor's favorite thing to say is "No". She also loves to "wash". She takes baby wipes or paper towels and cleans the floors or whatever she can find. Kaylie loves to dance and put on hats and shoes. She puts her shoes and socks on by herself every day. She tries to put on her pants too but both legs always end in one leg hole. Every morning when going to the car to go to daycare Taylor runs over to the wagon and gets in. She is hoping I will take her on a walk. We haven't been outside much because it has been freezing here! Kaylie learned how to get into and out of the pack and play by herself. She has NO FEAR. She will dive in and out of it head first. So it looks like it won't be long before we move to the big beds. I am not quite ready for that.

Thanksgiving and Christmas (Soon)

Kissing Sissy
I love my Sissy

Taylor's eyes say it all

Decorating the tree

My Silly Girls

Playing in the leaves on Thanksgiving

Kaylie

"Uncle" Paul trying to give Taylor junk food. She gave him the cold shoulder!

Little Miss Independent raking leaves

Reading books with Mommy

We had a great Thanksgiving with family. Everyone always says Kaylie looks like me and Taylor looks like Neale. Kaylie also eats like me! On Thanksgiving the only thing she wanted to eat was the rolls. A girl after my own heart. Give me some bread and a coke and I am all set! On Thanksgiving we raked a pile of leaves for the girls to play in. I remember when I was little my dad used to make piles of leaves for my brother and I to play in. I was thinking of those fond memories as I made the pile for my girls to play in. Taylor loved it especially. Kaylie couldn't really sit still long enough to play in it but she was content running around.

We put up the Christmas tree and the girls helped decorate. They would grab ornaments and take them up and drop them on the tree. So I was trying to catch them all before they hit the ground. The girls really had fun doing it. They are learning about Santa. Grandma Fran and Granpa Dale sent some Christmas books and clothes. We read the books and I ask the girls to point to Santa.

The girls giggle all the time. Especially when we are in the car calling Nana on the car speaker phone. They get so excited and giggle and scream. Taylor has also developed a fake laugh. She is very shy around people that she doesn't know. She is very independent. When we go to daycare and bed Taylor walks and Kaylie has to be carried. Taylor still gets her shy little smirk that is precious. Kaylie loves to be silly. She is a ball full of energy. She has to put her shoes on by herself. She usually gets them on the right feet. She is very picky about her clothes. She likes to pick out what she wants to wear. If she doesn't like it she will tell you No and pitch a little fit. I never knew a less than two year old could be so opinionated. At bedtime she usually picks the Dora pajamas.

I was able to visit my family in Greenville the day after Thanksgiving which was nice. Neale is enjoying working in the school system. I am busy with Christmas photography orders and editing. Things are great!