2008 in Review

So, I thought I would review all things the girl's have accomplished this past year. :) So, here are their Top Tens:

Ayla - Let's see......
1. grew an insane amount and is very tall
2. Learned to read AND write most of the alphabet.
3. Learned to write her own name (today, she also wrote Daddy's name and David's)
4. Can now count up to 20
5. Developed and fine tuned her amazing imagination, evolving into puppet shows, making up her own songs and stories, and creating her own set of multiple personalities (when she is a boy, her name is Aiyah and when she is not Ayla, she is Daisy. AHAHA)
6. Got to be flower girl at her Aunt Henry's wedding and stole the show (welcome to the fam, Uncle Jeff!)
7. Her artistic ability is becoming quite astounding. I will take some pictures this week of her works. I can't believe these come from a 3 year old!
8. Has maintained a perfect memory of the past year on what her 4th birthday party theme will be and has reminded ME at least every month. "I'm going to be 4 on my Hot Dog Party."
9. Adjusted amazingly well to her move to Colorado and proclaims to everyone that it is where we live.
10. Immediately recognizes Barack Obama on TV or when hearing his name on the radio "Mom, they said Back Bama!" or "That's Bark O Mama!" Tee hee

Miss Sophie:
1. Learned to walk and run
2. has started trying to draw and write like Ayla and is very intent on it.
3. Learned to use sign language to communicate. Her vocabulary includes: nurse, sleep, more, please, thank you, and all done
4. Has started to learn to vocalize some words. Mostly only mama, but she throws Ayla and Daddy in there, too.
5. Became highly proficient at saying "yes" or "no" by shaking/nodding her head profusely.
6. Has learned to become a good playmate for Ayla
7. Has learned to be a pain in the rear to Ayla
8. When I am sweeping or vacuuming, she has learned to help by getting her own broom and vacuum.
9. Seems to have learned humor and is wonderful at "trying" to make us all laugh at her antics
10. Become a sweet snuggler who can tell everyone "night night" with kisses and hugs before bed.

Enjoying the New Year

I was able to get off a little early on New Year's Eve and with weather in the high 40's I was able to convince the ladies to go for a bike ride in Bear Lake Park. It turned out to be a bit shorter then we anticipated as it got cool quick with the sun disappearing behind the mountains to the west. Never the less, it was a good time with the family.

Tabetha bundled up and enjoying the ride



Ayla with a cherry tipped nose



Sophie is hiding in the wagon...enjoying her ride



This morning I was able to get out for a few hours of Ice Boarding at the local ski Run...I say Ice Boarding as we had 90 MPH wind gust for about 16 hours straight three days ago. The result...nothing but ice left on the mountain. One of my falls ended in a 200 yard slide on my chest down the slope.

Cold in Windy





Rewinding a bit....this past weekend I took the girls to the Kids Museum and got them a year's pass with some of the Christmas money they received.

Sophie in the tunnel



I think we need one of these at home



Sophie crawling through a window



Ayla hanging out

We had a Happy Solstice and a Merry Christmas!

We've had a wonderful month of holidays here at home. Jennifer joined us for our Winter Solstice dinner before we exchanged handmade gifts. Jeremy was sweet and had some photos of the girl's framed, while I handed out knitted hats, mittens, and bowls. Jennifer made us a cool scrapbook that is ready for pictures! Christmas Eve, Ayla and I made cookies for Santa, leaving them on the table with a cup of milk and a note of thanks. She was SO excited to see the crumbs he left and the presents under the tree. It was fun to see her getting into "it" for the first time. The girls played with their new toys all day...

We have so many thanks to send out for the gifts and money given to us: Auntie Boo Boo, Aunt Jennifer, Nana & Pops, Grama, Aunt Debbie, Esmeralda and Family, Grandma and Grandpa Hedrick, Grandma Barnes, and I am told that there is more coming in the mail. Thank you, everyone, for your sweet generosity.

Jac's wedding was a lot of fun. It was wonderful seeing all the family again. We were thrilled to finally meet Jeff and certainly glad to have him as part of the clan. The girl's were great while in Florida, and while Tampa is on my most hated city list, I look forward to seeing my sister's again soon.










Here's some random pictures from this month (just 3):
This is Ayla modeling the sweater that I custom designed for her (yes, I am pretty darn proud of it!)




Jeremy out riding in the snow. It's starting to become a common occurence! LOL

Its the Great Puppet show; Ayla Hedrick

One is Independent and One is Sick!

Miss Ayla is officially an independent potty-goer! Yea! That means she goes by herself AND wipes herself! Yea!

And little Miss Sophie is sick with pink eye. I have never had to deal with that before from any kid I have ever babysat, so its a new experience. And yucky! LOL But, she is already looking tons better from yesterday.

Found Some Pics

I dug back through our flickr page and found the pictures of the girls in the first Colorado snow of the season. Thought you might enjoy seeing them.








Jeremy has picked up snowboarding (and loving it!), so Jennifer took him out for his first run. They had a really great time falling down a lot. Tee hee








We leave Thursday afternoon for Florida. Sunshine, here we come! Jac is getting married to her beau, Jeff. We can't wait to meet them. Ayla will be the lovely flower girl, so be prepared for beautiful pictures when I get back (which will be Sunday evening).

Thanksgiving Snow

Well, we didn't really get snow ON Thanksgiving, but it came the next day... and the day after that. LOL I think we received a grand total of about 5-6 inches here. It was AWESOME! And then the next day it was in the 60s! Whew! Ayla LOVES the snow and as soon as she saw it, she insisted on going out to build a snowman. For some reason, though, that picture accidentally became erased. Sophie doesn't like the snow too much, preferring just to stand on the side to look at it. She screams pretty loud when it touches her hands. Haha!

Jeremy went out for his guy bike ride on Friday night and it was so clear, but then in the middle, the snow came falling FAST!


Sophie checking out the snow aboard her sled



Thanksgiving was wonderful. We spent the day with Vincent and Aunt Jennifer, eating lots of turkey and pie. Yum! It got exhausting pretty quickly with the kids all over the place, but it was so nice to spend a holiday with family.






Ayla and I spent a day together recently and it was loads of fun. I took her to see "Bolt" in the theaters (her first visit to one) and then pick up her flower girl dress for Aunt Henry's (Jacqueline) wedding. She was so funny in the bridal store, running around to all the dresses and exclaiming about how fancy they were. She kept wanting to know if they were "her size."

We all went hiking out at St. Mary's Glacier not too long ago and were awed by how much snow there was on the mountain top. We weren't exactly prepared, but it was still fun!
This is the lake with at least an inch thick of ice




December 1 was when we pulled out the Yule Tree and began the decorations. The girls were so excited and remain captivated by the lights.

Enjoy the rest of the pictures!

Sophie says "That was one dang good cookie!"


Sweet Smile