Present and a peek into the future?

This evening while I was preparing dinner, the girls were in their bathroom playing peacefully. I peeked my head into the room to see what they were doing. My heart melted because this is what I saw...

Big Sister fixing Little Sister's hair. 

They both stood on their step stools so they could watch themselves in the mirror. I was taken back by how mature they appeared. A lump formed in my throat. After taking in the moment, I quickly grabbed my camera.

 I love these little girls so much. I am truly blessed to be their mommy. I thank God for entrusting me with their lives. 

As I went back into the kitchen to finish preparing dinner, I couldn't help but think to the future... One day, when they are older, they will be helping each other in the morning get ready for school. Perhaps a dozen or more years from now, high heels while replace the step stools and they will be doing this before Homecoming and Prom. And then my thoughts traveled even further into the future and I thought of their wedding days. Will they be sure their sister has everything, from hair to veil, in the just the right place? Then the lump grew a bit bigger and I thought I might cry.

Next year Gabriella will attend all-day Kindergarten and Adriana will begin her first year in part-time pre-school. I knew it was inevitable that this day would come, but I struggle to believe it's only 7 months from now. Geez.

But, until then, I will continue to enjoy having them both with me daily. It's truly a blessing.

Let's Go Fly A Kite...

And send it soaring! 

We did that yesterday at a local park. It was a perfect windy day. It felt like early spring rather than mid-winter. We've had these kites for about 8 months so the girls were very eager to fly them.

Oh what fun!

Gabriella is in the pink shirt and Adriana is wearing pink and purple stripes. What a great afternoon for kite flying!

Adriana thought it was so cool. Daddy helped her handle her kite.

Gabriella handled her kite really well. She loved it of course.

What fun and cute little girls!

Another Christmas celebration and a visit to the zoo

Last weekend we celebrated Christmas with Aunt Megan, Aunt Bridget, Nana and Grandpa at our house. We exchanged Christmas gifts Saturday morning and then went on our first visit to the Tulsa Zoo on what was a warm January afternoon. We enjoyed the unseasonably warm day. 

Near the zoo's entrance is a large pink penguin honoring of Breast Cancer Awareness. We stopped to take some photos. 

We had a nice close view of the pretty zebras.  

Gabby was so excited to see a buffalo (in the back corner). As she learned in school, buffaloes are not found in the United States  - only bison. But, this was an "imported" African Buffalo and she was so excited: "There's a buffalo in the United States," she yelled with excitement when she saw it!

Adriana swinging with her aunts.

Beautiful pink flamingoes! 

We had an enjoyable weekend with family. We hope had fun visiting us as well!

Christmas 2011 in Sunny Florida!

Last week we made the 21-hour drive to Nonnie & G-Pa's house to spend Christmas with them, Uncle Tommy, Aunt Danielle and Vinny. We did the trek in 2 days and it really wasn't as challenging as we thought it might be. The girls did really well in the car and we are so proud of them. We did so many fun things while in Naples, in addition to celebrating Jesus' birthday. Here is an assortment of photos:

We had beautiful weather the entire week of our stay. It was in the low 80s several days. We had fun at N&G's pool. Aunt Danielle is pouring water on Gabriella as she sits in the toy tub.  

Adriana and Daddy in the spa. What fun it is to be in warm weather with family!

Vinny is so adorable! He is nearly 7 months old and a doll! We loved spending time with him. 

Gabriella, Mommy (without make-up!) and Adriana made a gingerbread train poolside. It was such a warm day we had to do it quickly so that the icing wouldn't melt.  

Ta da!

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Christmas Eve

Before Christmas Mass. 

After Mass and dinner, we opened gifts from family. Vinny really liked his toy.

The girls loved their Yo Gabba Gabba! backpacks from Uncle Tommy, Aunt Danielle and Vinny. Did you notice?

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Christmas Day

Santa brought lots of gifts!

Santa visited three good little kids.

Gabby was most excited about her make-up case. She has been asking for one of these since September. It has lights and glamour written all over it.  

Adriana opening up her Bitty Baby and American Girl outfit. 

A board game we can all enjoy!

Strawberry Shortcake dress-up outfits were a hit, too! 

What cuties!

Santa's helpers!

Christmas morning by the pool and in our Christmas pajamas from N&G. 

Before Christmas dinner with N&G.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Our darling little girls Christmas evening after dinner by the beach. We dined outside at a very nice resort. Just a perfect way to celebrate this special evening. 

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The day after Christmas we spent at the beach. A warm and sunny day that we all enjoyed. The water was cool but Gabriella still loved it.

Adriana preferred to play in the sand. 

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One of our last days in Florida we visited the Naples Zoo. It was a cooler day but perfect. Last time we visited it was well over 100 degrees!

Daddy and Gabby (with her new Bitty Baby and sling from Santa).

Feeding the giraffes lettuce. What long necks! 

This was Gabby's favorite part - riding a camel. Adriana passed on this one, but Gabby had a good time with Daddy.

Playing at the zoo!

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Santa's visit to our house... He made a quick stop to leave a few things he knew wouldn't fit in our car. What a thoughtful man!

After a long two days of driving, the girls were so excited to see what Santa had waiting for them. They ran straight from the car  into the house! Waiting by the fireplace were personalized bean bag chairs and bath robes, a Barbie storage case and stockings full of goodies.

They love their new chairs! Thanks Santa!

We had a very special and memorable Christmas. We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, too! It's hard to believe another year is behind us. We wish each of you a blessed and healthy 2012.

Christmas Program, ice skating & gingerbread houses

This morning Gabriella's school held their Christmas Program for parents and families. It was so darling!  They had a short "play" reenacting Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem. Afterward, the children sang. It was so special. The PreK students wore head pieces - the little girls were Mary and the boys were Joseph. Gabby is the third child from the right wearing a blue head piece. The other grades dressed as animals and angels.

After the program. She did a wonderful job. Knew all the words and hand motions. She has been singing the songs at home for about 2 months. 

Visiting with Santa afterward. Adriana was eager to sit with him this time. She regretted missing out last time as she told us after we left she wanted to see him. She didn't hesitate this morning...she even told him what she wanted (a Barbie!). Gabby said she wants make-up.

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On Sunday we brought the girls downtown for their first ice skating experience. So cute! They loved it and so did we! We cherish making memories like these with the girls. 

Before heading to the rink, Santa's elves stopped to take a picture. 

So excited! It was just under 60 degrees so not your typical outdoor skating weather. But, it was perfect because we didn't need big coats and layers to stay warm. 

Adriana was so brave and didn't tire or cry. She loved it!

Gabby did great, too. After a couple laps around the rink, she got brave and wanted to skate by herself. She fell once but took it like a champ! :) The girls are already asking to go back again!

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Last week we met up with some new friends at our house and built gingerbread houses. So fun! And they turned out really cute!

Gabby and Adriana's house. We cheated a bit as the house already came constructed, but the girls decorated and Mommy made the door and window. 

We can't wait for Christmas! May you have a blessed holiday season!