Christmas in Kerrville

We left for Kerrville on Christmas Eve and stayed at Grammie and Pop's house, along with Lauren and Trevor. That evening we all went to the Christmas Eve service at the church I grew up in and Ainslee did surprisingly well. We had our traditional chili and tamales dinner with my grandparents and enjoyed all the yummy sweets Grammie had made.

Apparently Ainslee had been a very good girl all year, because Santa made a little visit to Grammie and Pop's house that night. Of course, we have the only child who sleeps until 9:45 on Christmas morning! Even better though, was when Daddy asked if she wanted to see what Santa brought, she replied "no." She just wanted her breakfast. After a while she wandered over to the tree and quickly examined the new things Santa had left, although she seemed less than thrilled. Let's just say Santa may not be so motivated next year.... :)

She LOVED the toy cash register from Uncle "Twevor" and Aunt "Yo"


We had a great time enjoying each others company and had a wonderful Christmas lunch with my grandparents. That evening we went to see Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Travis, for Christmas number 2! By that time, Ainslee had really gotten the hang of the presents thing and was eager to pass out presents to everyone. It is so nice to get to see both of our families on Christmas day. Jason's extended family came in from Mount Pleasant and Louisiana the day after Christmas, so we were able to spend some time with lots of our family this year. We had a wonderful Christmas break celebrating the birth of Jesus, something that I think Ainslee was able to some what understand this year. She loved playing with her own Nativity set and talked about baby "Dedus" a lot. I can't wait to see how much more she can grasp next Christmas!

The amazing rocking horse Grandpa made her!

Surrounded by GG and Grandma- lots of love!

Her very own camera, taking Mommy's picture

Claus!

We took Ainslee to visit Santa, who she refers to simply as "Claus," at La Cantera on the 23rd. She was pretty excited, but I had a feeling she wouldn't be quite as excited when it was her turn to sit on his lap. I was correct. She did talk to him though, and when he asked her what she wanted for Christmas she said (with a huge grin on her face) "tree!" That has been her answer all month whenever I ask her what she wants for Christmas. Who knows what her little mind is thinking? :)

Party Time!

Better late than never (just figured out how to upload pictures from our new camera)....

We celebrated Ainslee's second birthday the weekend after her birthday. We had planned to have a small party at our neighborhood park, under the pavilion. I was really praying we would have nice weather, because we would not be able to fit everyone in our house. Well, we did have a beautiful sunny day (which we have only had about 2 of in the last month), but it was FREEZING cold! Ainslee is the most warm natured person I know, but this was the first time I have ever seen her really cold. We are talking about lip chattering, nose running, shivering cold.

Jason had the brilliant idea of borrowing the big coffee maker from his school to use to make hot chocolate for everyone, and I think it was much appreciated! We served pizza and cupcakes (a 2 year olds favorite meal, right?!). Ainslee had been talking about "cu-cakes" for weeks and that was all she requested for dinner the night before her party (wish not granted). The most we were able to actually get her to eat on her birthday was a lick of the icing off of her fingers. Silly girl!

After some snuggles with her grandmothers, Ainslee was warmed up and ready to play for a little while. I think she had a fun time with her friends and all her family. We really appreciated everyone joining us despite the cold weather!

Two!

Ainslee Grace,

Or maybe I should just say Grace, since that is what you call yourself these days. Two! That is what you say so excitedly now when we ask how old you are, of course you hold up 3-5 fingers each time, but we are working on it. I cannot believe how much you have changed in this short little year. You have become a very independent and much more self-sufficient little girl. While you love to do things by yourself, which you make known by pointing to yourself and saying "Grace" or "me do," you still love to be held by Mommy or Daddy and are quite the cuddle bug.

You are such a smart little girl and observe EVERYTHING that is going on around you. You love books, music, animals, balls, babies, and Daddy's tools. You are constantly asking to "go", and you don't really care where, you just want to go explore the world! I love hearing you talk and point out everything you see. You have also become quite the navigator in the car. You point out your favorite stores (Target and HEB - that's my girl!) and your favorite restaurant (Chick-fil-a) every time we pass one. You also try to give directions and get mad if we are not going in the direction you wished, apparently your Mommy was the same way.

Ainslee, I really admire how social you are. You make friends with people in stores all the time, just like your Pop. Your favorite place to be is church. You have always been great at going to your Sunday school class and eagerly run into the room. One time Daddy went to pick you up after church and as soon as you saw him you sat down on the ground and said "No!" So he just left you to play a little longer. I think you will do great when you get to school!

Mommy and Daddy have loved watching you become the little girl that you are today. You seem to have so many talents and interests already, but we can't wait to see what you choose to pursue. We both love you so very much and are so proud of you! Happy birthday, sweet girl!

Giving Thanks

We have so much to be thankful for this year. Most notably-our family, friends, and health. I am also so thankful to be able to stay home with our sweet little girl everyday. This year we gave thanks with Jason's family in East Texas. We made the 10 hour drive (normally about 7) to Mt. Pleasant on Wednesday morning with Grandma and Grandpa. We stopped in Dallas to pick up Uncle Travis and fought the I-35 traffic the entire way there. Amazingly, Ainslee did quite well in the car on the way there and back! We stayed with GG (Jason's grandmother), but drove to Quitman on Thanksgiving morning. Ainslee got to meet a large portion of her extended family on Jason's Dad's Dad's side of the family (I did too for that matter). She took a few nibbles of turkey and called it quits on the "thanksgiving food." She opted for a 3 hour nap instead. Mommy and Daddy got to actually enjoy a long, peaceful Thanksgiving meal! :) We had fun enjoying the country and beautiful weather, and loved watching Ainslee chase around all the dogs. We stayed at GG's through Saturday, where Ainslee was our main source of entertainment. Having two grandparents and a great-grandmother around really allowed her to "show off" :) We all had a wonderful break and loved getting to spend time with our family. We are blessed!

Ainslee enjoyed playing with her 3rd cousin

The fam

She loved the cows



Enjoying a bed time snack

I am so sad that this is the only picture I managed to get at GG's house. Our camera is on the fritz and Ainslee is still opposed to her picture being taken. Bad combination, but a new VERY nice camera will be here soon. Now if we can just get Ainslee to cooperate we will be in business!