Getting Ready for Christmas

We finally got our tree! That always makes me more excited for Christmas - it doesn't seem official until you get your tree! We got the $20 Home Depot special and it is beautiful....and the perfect size too! Madison LOVED decorating it and had tons of fun going through all of the ornaments and playing with them. She did a great job putting them on the tree too! Daddy always sets the tree up, puts the lights on, and then mommy does the ornaments. This year, I had a great helper! I look forward to the many more Christmases to come when the girls will be able to be much more involved in the Christmas traditions!

Here are a few cute pics from last night - poor Madison has pink eye so even though she looks uncomfortable, she was having a lot of fun!

How could she NOT be on the "nice list" with that cute face?!

They really do love each other - Madison is a great big sister!

Madison is always taking care of Caroline....I think they are going to be great friends!

Daddy and his girls...thanks for being such a great father to them, Joseph!

And the stockings were hung by the chimney with care....

Our mantle looks so much more complete this year!

Caroline is such a big smiler!

And, of course, Madison did the honors of putting the star on top.

Our Christmas Photo Shoot

Thanks again to our dear friend, Peter. He took us to such a beautiful spot in Black Hills Park to capture sweet memories for our family. I just love how these pictures so portray such a perfect picture of our family dynamic. And, my beautiful girls are just so sweet....Thank you Peter!

Grandparents are the BEST!

I just had to give a "shout-out" to my parents. They love our girls unconditionally, help us out ALL THE TIME, and do everything and anything for us and the girls. Mom & Dad, thank you for all you do all the time! Thanks for orienting your lives around our family. We love you very much and our girls are so blessed to have you as grandparents!

Monkey Slippers

I just HAD to include a picture of the cutest girl ever with the cutest new slippers ever! One of her favorite animals (although she really loves them all!) is a monkey. I found these slippers and knew she would love them. How cute are they?! And, how cute is she?!

One last scooter ride before the cold sets in.....

It is November, but we have been experiencing some really mild weather. So, the other day when it was pretty warm outside, we took Madison outside to ride her scooter - probably the last time before the cold sets in.....oh, how I miss summertime when she can play outside and get all of her energy out!

Here she is perfectly posing for the camera

She LOVES her Daddy

My Thanksgiving...home alone :-(

Thanksgiving is always a fun time at the Apolenis household, with all 8 siblings, their wives, and children in town! However, this year was a little different for us. Madison and Caroline BOTH got sick Thanksgiving morning with fevers and colds. So, mom and the girls stayed home in order to not spread the sickness around to the other little ones. It was quiet, but my mom gave me a good reminder. I could be thankful that I even had children to be home with. In that moment, I realized how grateful I was. The Lord has blessed me with two beautiful girls. They needed me to be with them, caring for them. What a joy it was to serve them and love on them. Joseph and the girls are my life. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Christin & Eric were in town visiting. Their little baby boy, James, was born 2 weeks after Caroline. We were so excited for them to finally be able to meet each other! Here are some cute shots of them - staring into each other's eyes, holding hands, and loving on one another.

Karen's Baby Shower

As tradition would have it, every time one of the Apolenis girls is pregnant with their first baby, the other sister-in-laws host a baby shower in her honor. It's always fun planning and getting excited about a new Apolenis grandchild! Mark & Karen, the 4th in line, are having their first baby in January. This will be baby #7 - and it's a GIRL! Yeah! We love girlies in this family!The shower was a success and Karen was super blessed. We can't for our new little niece to arrive!

Caroline's 1st Taste of Cereal

Caroline is now 4 1/2 months old. I realized that I hadn't even started introducing any kind of solids to her. When you have your 1st child, every new milestone is such a BIG DEAL and you are counting down the days until the next big milestone. With the 2nd child, everything has been a little "delayed." hehe :-)
Here is the progression of how the experience went:

BEFORE feeing her cereal (happy as a clam)

DURING the eating process (she's not so sure....)

And, just one more bite....pure DISGUST!

AFTER the eating was finished (whew....happy again!)

Caroline's Baby Dedication at Covenant Life Church

On November 1st, 2009, we dedicated our sweet little girl, Caroline Brooke, at Covenant Life Church. Our church does a ceremony where parents can publicly state that they want to dedicate their child to Christ and the important job we have of raising our children to love Him. Our family & church family agree to come along side us in this awesome journey to love, nurture, and teach our children about the Gospel. We pray that the Lord would help us raise our 2 daughters in His ways, to love Him first and foremost with thier lives, and to one day make the decision to make Christ their Savior. What an awesome day that will be for Joseph and I to witness.....There could be no greater joy than knowing our girls will be with us forever in Heaven worshipping our Savior.

Mom & Dad are so grateful for you Caroline - what a blessing you are to our family. We look forward to each and every moment we get to spend with you.

Thank you to our families for attending this day with us. We love you and appreciate your investment in our childrens' lives.

We all love you dear Caroline!

Update on potty training....

So, we hit a little "bump in the road." After our very successful week of going on the potty, Madison got sick and going to the potty was very difficult for her. So, we have resorted back to pull-ups for a little bit until she is fully better. Of course, we still remind her to go and she sometimes tells us. But, there is a big difference when she is wearing pull-ups. She is less aware of it and still ok with going in her diaper. So, as soon as she is ready again, it is back to the big girl underwear!

Potty Training (finally!)

Ok, so the day was finally here. I guess you could say I have been putting it off. But, I knew that Madison would do better once she was a little bit older. And, I have been busy taking care of a newborn and adjusting to life with 2! So, Madison turned 2 1/2 and I thought it was time to tackle the whole potty training thing. She did GREAT! We just decided to go "cold turkey." She woke up and I told her we were going to wear big girl underwear. Now, she had already been watching potty videos and reading potty books. She had also been practicing sitting on the potty a lot. So, I knew she was ready to at least try. I put the big girl underwear on her, she had 2 accidents, and then that was it! She went on the potty the rest of the day! Now, we just have to work on her telling me just a little bit sooner. Each time she would have to go, she would yell "Mom, it's coming out!!" and we would have to high-tail it to the bathroom! With a little sticker and candy incentive, she was super excited! Of course, she we haven't figured out the whole naptime/nighttime thing yet - she is still wearing pull-ups while she sleeps.

As you can see from the pictures, she was very proud of her new underwear! :-) I think this is Madison saying, "Ok, mom, enough with the camera.....you are embarrassing me!"

GiGi's 75th Birthday

On October 22, my grandmother turned 75. She has been such an important part of my life and is now so involved with my two girls. I love it! Madison affectionately calls her "GiGi" for Great-Grandma. She dotes over them and spoils them to death. We celebrated her 75th birthday at my parent's house with just our family and Robin and Jesse. What a fun night!

She is such a loving Great-Grandma to my girls. Gigi can always make Caroline smile!

4 Generations (Caroline was sleeping)

Of course, Madison wanted to help open presents. We made GiGi photo coasters from Shutterfly. What a neat idea!

I am my grandmother's ONLY granddaughter. So, as you can imagine, we have a special relationship. I love you Grandmom!

Robin & Jess are like family to us.