Our first Christmas as a family of four!!

We decided after all the traveling we did in November, that we would stay home this Christmas.  We didn't want to subject the kids to another long car ride and since both Ben and my parents will be here for the kids birthday in another week, we figured it made sense to just stay close to home!

Christmas was a low-key affair around our house.  Since it was just the four of us here, we slept late and ate breakfast as a family.  Then we Skyped with my parents and sisters in NC while the kids opened their gifts from everyone.  We exchanged gifts with each other afterwards and spent the afternoon/evening with our small group leaders at their house.  It was a fun day and we enjoyed spending our first Christmas as a family of four making new traditions!

Here are some pictures from the month of December:

During December we had the opportunity to go down to Nashville for a weekend and visit Gaylord Opryland.  We had a great weekend as a family and even threw in a visit to our favorite used bookstore :-)

Relaxing in the rockers daddy got them for Hanukkah!

We got new teething rails for our cribs...

Reading one of daddy's new popup books!

11 months old already?

Josh and Savannah are only a month from their first birthday and I can hardly believe how fast they have grown.  Has it really almost been a year since they arrived?  I can't imagine our lives without them, but at the same time it has flown by so quickly.

Joshua is starting to pull up and cruise along the furniture, and he is finally "walking" along with us when we hold his hands instead of immediately sitting down.  His separation anxiety is at it's peak right now (I hope) and he hates to see anyone leave the room (especially mommy!). He is starting to chatter more and more and Ben and I love hearing them talk to us.  He also loves to be chased... he will take off across the room and if you don't follow fast enough, he will turn around and come back to within a foot of you and then turn back in the other direction to crawl away while laughing!

Savannah is definitely little Miss Independent.  She will take a few steps (hands free) between Ben and I, but still doesn't have enough courage to walk on her own.  She loves being on her feet though, and it is very hard to keep her still!  She will push her toys around the living room, and gets frustrated when walls and furniture get in her way.

They both have enjoyed having a Christmas tree in the living room, but hate that mommy and daddy have it fenced off.  Savannah spends a little bit of time everyday with her hands through the fence trying to pull off ornaments and even unwrapping presents if she can get her hands on them.

We have had to invest in real baby gates to block off the staircases and the dining room to keep the twins in "safe" play areas.  Savannah has tried climbing over these fences already and Joshua sure does love to follow her around.  The other day I was distracted in the kitchen and heard them both laughing hysterically.  I found Joshua a few steps up the stairs to our room and Savannah was a few steps from the top!  Her laughter got louder as I got closer and she took off in a hurry!

Since Ben will be off a week at Christmas time, he is going to help me make the bottle/sippy cup transition and help me attempt to put the kids on a regular meal schedule (which means mommy has to come up with three baby friendly meals a day!).  It is bound to be an interesting month!

Here are a few pictures of the kids this month!

The rocking chairs were a Hanukkah gift from daddy and the teddy bears were a gift from a sweet friend... now if only Savannah could learn that they are made for sitting in and not standing on....