Christmas 2015

This is a little late on my part, but I wasn't going to let it go unfinished.  Also, beware... there are over 200 photos in this post.  

Here is a compilation of the Patterson Christmas 2015.  Every year at Christmas time, it just gets better and better with the girls.  This year, we started some new traditions and the girls really got in to them.  Doppy (our Elf on the Shelf) showed up on December 1 and they enjoyed looking for him every day.  And they would remind each other not to be naughty because Doppy was watching.

We also started an Advent calendar.  Each day was the next sister's turn to open the door.  Then she would share 2 of her 3 treats with her sisters.  They did great with sharing.  Somehow, in order to remind me to let them open the doors, Mallory would say, "What time is it?"  I'm not sure if I say that or if she was a little confused about the numbers on the doors, but it was super cute (once I figured out what she wanted to do.)

Some new favorite movies/shows are Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.  They especially like Clarice (Clariff) and the Abominal Snow Monster.  They also like The Grinch and Prep and Landing.

I think we lucked out this year with the gorgeous Santa photo.  We went to their preschool to visit Santa.  Mallory and Taylor were a little skeptic and as I was trying to talk them in to sitting on Santa's lap, Samantha hopped right up there and was having a conversation with him.  I think this made the other two feel more comfortable so they joined in on Santa's lap.  They all three asked for a four-wheeler (power wheels), Elsa doll, and bunny tails (what they call marshmallows).

On December 12, I took the girls to my multiples group Christmas social.  They had so much fun making cookies, jumping on the moonwalk, and getting to see Santa.

Taylor and Mallory were ready to tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas.  A four-wheeler, Elsa doll, and bunny tails (marshmallows).  Samantha was a little nervous at first to sit with Santa and insisted that I come be in the picture as well.  I then reminded her that she would get a candy cane if she stayed with her sisters and smiled.  She quickly obliged.

Bye Bye Santa!

 At home that afternoon, we made bead candy canes to hang on the Christmas tree.  They were really in to it and loved the new activity.

Then we had a tea party.

Watching movies at Nana and Papa's house.

December 16th was Christmas jammies day at gymnastics class.  They had so much fun with snowballs and balloons on the trampolines.

On December 17th, we went to the Second Baptist Christmas show.  Prior to the show, the girls got to see their elaborate trains set up in the lobby.

The girls loved the show, especially Taylor.  She was dancing when the music played and asking questions.  During an underwater scene where there were fish and an ocean background, she asked (while the auditorium was silent), "Where's Ariel?"

They did so good during the whole show even though it didn't start until 7:30 PM.  There were some meltdowns on the way to the car but they did wonderful during the show.

I normally don't take my phone with me when I drop them off at school, but I'm glad I did this day so I could capture this cuteness.  They always want to hold hands while the walk in to school together.  They are so cute with their backpacks and lunch boxes.

MBC Snowball fight was on December 23.  They girls were able to participate a little more than they did last year.  It was a lot of fun which then ended with a movie on the projector screen at the end of the cul de sac.

I thought another new tradition we could start this year was making Christmas cookies for Santa together.  Brian actually set up his Go Pro for a time lapse video which was pretty funny but here are some other photos I got.  We baked in jammies and fairy wings.

All of the grandparents came over on Christmas Eve night.  The girls ended up helping make the corn bread.

 

Daddy and Taylor selfies.

 Soaking in time with MeMe and Nana.

Earlier the week of Christmas, I took the girls to Dollar Tree.  They each picked out a gift to give MeMe, GrandPops, Nana, Papa, and Daddy.  Sam also picked me out a little something.  When we got home, they helped wrap each gift.  On Christmas Eve, they were so excited to give their grandparents and Daddy a present.  I loved watching them learn about giving and enjoying watching others be happy.  So special.  

The gifts were entertaining in themselves. .. Purple readers and kids-sized pirate socks for Papa.  2 scarves and hair clips for Nana.  Too small flip flops and flashlight for MeMe.  Car window cleaner for all the men.  Balloons for Daddy and Grandpops.  

They weren't asking for gifts but MeMe had a little something for them to open as well.  We heard three little girls sing Frozen songs the rest of the night.

Setting out reindeer food in the front yard so Santa's reindeer would know where our house was.

My 2nd annual picture of the girls in this spot on Christmas Eve.  Brian also read them The Night Before Christmas again.

Christmas Morning

(the anticipation to see what Santa brought)

Going for their first drive in their "Four Wheeler"

We have 1 good driver and 2 not-so-good drivers.

Now, the anticipation of seeing what Nana and Papa gave them for Christmas.

They loved their new dress up cabinet.  It went in the playroom perfectly.  They got dressed up and then sang and looked at themselves in the mirror.  It was precious.  The hard part was getting them to change in to their Christmas dresses later.

Playing with their cousins.

After a nice meal and time with the Patterson family, we packed everyone up and headed to my parents house.  The girls were troopers the whole day since they didn't get a nap.  MeMe and GrandPops had one of their gifts set up when we arrived.  They were excited to play with Paisley in their new teepees.

The best family photo we got on Christmas.  It may of had something to do with no naps.

After presents, more family came over for dinner.  The girls continued to play with their new toys.  Towards the end of the night, they got to watch their favorite movie, Frozen.

We also hosted Christmas with all of my friends on December 27.

On our road trip to the River House to see Granny Fran.

The girls got to ride horses for the first time.

Painting rocks (with Rylee too)

We arrived on New Year's Eve so as something fun for the kids, Aunt Frances organized a NYE party on New Year's Day.  She had recorded the ball drop in New York, bought hats, necklaces, and blowers.  At about 7:15 PM on Jan 1, we celebrated New Year's Eve with counting down and then a parade around the porch.  All the kiddos (and adults) loved it!

What a fun celebration of Christmas in 2015.  I'm kinda glad I took so many pictures so I can remember the amazing times we had.

My Girls at 30 Months

Its been awhile since I've done an update like this.  The girls are changing immensely these days it seems and I just want to get it all written down so I don't forget a thing.  Sometimes I want to just freeze time and soak up the precious moments with my little girls and other times I just want to fast forward (through the meltdowns mostly).

It seems like we are in the transition right now from toddler to little girl.  I hate to say it because it means my babies are growing up.  This stage is so freaking cute.  I can't imagine them being any cuter and then... Bam!... cuteness overload.  Its a good thing they are cute, too, because they whine and cry more than I think they ever have.  The whining and crying is normally one of two things.  1.  Fighting for Mom's attention.  2.  I can't help with their "needs" immediately because I'm helping a sister.  The cuteness comes in when they play together or say "I love you", "thank you", and "You're welcome" to each other.  They can be so sweet to each other and it just melts my heart.

Samantha

Sammy, Sammy, Sammy.  AKA Sassy Sammy.  There is very little persuading with this girl.  She does not back down from a fight very easily so when she has her mind set on something, you either give in or hear never-ending screaming.  If I tell her "No" about something, she begins crying with the cutest little lower lip sticking out, pretty much walks in a circle, realizes she needs comfort because she is upset, and then demands "Mommy, UP!"  So if she is mad at me, she wants me.  I don't quite get it, but her 2 year old brain knows what she is doing.  Sam has the sweetest little voice when she is talking to you.  Sometimes she whispers which is adorable.  I watched her the other day walk up to Mallory, get right in her face, and say, "Mal-lor-y." (She normally calls her MalMal) "I wuv you."  Sam surprises me all the time.  She must do a lot of observing because when I see her do something for the first time, she normally does it well.  She loves having her hair in pigtails, but also loves taking rubber bands out of her hair.  She is still the pickiest of picky eaters and it is getting worse.  Right now, her diet mostly consists of veggie noodles and cheese.  She won't eat any meats or veggies.  She will eat bananas, watermelon, and canteloupe (with the perfect ripeness).  And will kick and scream if I even attempt to put something new on her plate.  She won't sleep with any sort of covers.  She stopped wearing a sleep sack over a month ago and won't let me put any blankets on her while she sleeps.  She also likes to sleep in her sandals.  And I've learned to pick my battles, so I let this one slide.  Her favorite color is still blue.  Her favorite animals are monkeys and cows.  She still sleeps with her 3 red doggies and my childhood stuffed dog, Cuddles.  She likes Bubble Guppies and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse but rarely sits through an entire episode.  She has a short attention span so goes from one activity to another.  She really really likes to pack bags.  She is really good at putting all the puzzle pieces and small toys in bags and then carrying them all over the house or in the car or down the street or in her crib.  Most of the time she doesn't unpack them.  She likes to make it fun for Mom and Dad to reorganize everything when we are cleaning up.  Sammy loves gymnastics and does her forward rolls down the cheese mat really well.  Her favorite song is the froggy song.  She loves to help load the dish washer and makes sure I put soap in the right place, "Right here, right here, right here, right here!" in a super quick voice as she points to where the detergent goes.  If you ever mention MeMe or Nana, she immediates states, "I love PopPops!" or "I love Pawpaw!"  Like she is claiming them because you can only love one person at a time.  Sam wakes up first from her nap most of the time so we occasionally will get some one on one time.  This one on one time is so nice.  She doesn't feel like she has to scream and cry about everything because she has all of my attention.  She is super sweet and we have the cutest little conversations.  She loves to help.  She will bring the stool over while I'm cooking dinner and insist on helping.  She is becoming the least shy of the three and will talk to new people.  She likes to tell them who she is and who her sisters are.  She is starting to fill out and I think she may be passing up her sisters in weight. Its all of those carbs she is eating. Sam is funny and she laughs at jokes or laughs at things she thinks is funny.  Its hilarious to watch her laugh at her sister who just fell down or when she tooted.  She may be feisty but she is still my sweet Sammy and I love her dearly.

Taylor

My sweet Taylor.  She is loud, she is funny, and most recently she has the cutest singing voice.  Frozen and Tinkerbell are her favorite movies right now and she will randomly bust out in song singing "Let it Go!!!" over and over again.  She is really grumpy if she is woken up in the mornings or at nap time too early.  She normally wants to be held for about 15 minutes if she is in a bad mood.  She still has the cutest run as her knees knock in to each other and she lets her arms flail behind her.  She is our little Mama.  She carries around her purple baby and takes care of her.  Her hair is starting to grow a little more and she has some curls forming on her head.  She insists that she get a braid as well when I am doing the other's hair.  I either have to act like I'm doing it or tell her I will braid her hair every day when it is long enough.  Lately she has been insisting that I have a braid (Like Anna and Elsa).  She is very picky about her clothes and normally fights me about them every single day.  She would actually rather be naked all the time than wear clothes.  She loves yellow.  It is her favorite color and she will let you know.  She will sit on the yellow star at gymnastics 5 minutes before class starts while all of the other kids run around crazy, just to make sure she gets a yellow star.  She used to be the most outgoing, but I've noticed lately that she is very shy and sticks by me when we are in social situations.  She really likes to be tickled and her belly laughs are contagious.  She likes to ride her scooter, her four-wheeler, and her bicycle.  She gets away with being a picky eater since Sam is an even pickier eater.  She takes so long to eat some times.  She likes olives, pickles, and pepperoni so she obviously loves salty foods.  She counts to 10 well and attempts to count to 20, normally missing a few.  She sings her ABC's and likes to learn new songs.  At gymnastics, she is jumping well and does forward rolls.  She also practices her handstands at home a lot.  She loves to help Mommy and also wants to stand on the stool while I cook.  She gives the most pathetic look ever when you are trying to comfort her from a booboo.  Its like she knows she has to make that face to get some sympathy.  When I sing her a bedtime song, she always closes her eyes and acts like she is sleeping throwing in a word here and there.  Once in bed though, she is wide awake.  She takes the longest to fall asleep lately.  Taylor loves her Nana and MeMe so much.  She is normally attached to them if they are around.  She is really good at sharing and even insisted that I eat her last Frozen gummy today.  She has such a giving heart.  Love her.

Mallory

Mallory Ann.  Too smart for her own good.  She is still leading the way for her sisters.  She is back into puzzles and completes 24 piece puzzles without a problem.  She counts to 20 (skipping 14, 16, 17, 18 every time), she spells her name, and she can identify the letters of the alphabet and tell you an animal that starts with that letter.  She has a better memory than I do.  If she asks what something is, she will remember it even if I only told her once.  Her vocabulary is expanding every day and she is talking in sentences.  She reminds her sisters that something is "dangerous" or to "hurry" or "Santa won't be happy".  She would rather build towers and put together puzzles than play dolls with her sisters.  She eats like a horse and then finishes what her sisters have left on their plates.  She will try most things.  She loves to play outside and go on slides.  She is really shy when it comes to interacting with new people.  She can throw an epic temper tantrum if you make her mad.  The kicking, screaming and rolling around on the floor.  She has mastered it.  She can sit in front of the TV all day if we let her.  She loves Bubble Guppies, Mickey Mouse, Sophia, Tinkerbell, and Frozen.  Her hair has grown quite a bit.  Most of the time she tells me, "I'm fine. I'm fine" when I ask if I can do her hair.  She just sweeps it out of her face and she is on her way.  She jumps but it sometimes looks more like a gallop.  She does really well on bars at gymnastics and is so close to doing a back hip circle.  She has so much upper body strength.  I watched her climb out of the pit with a wall about 2.5 feet above the level of the foam blocks and she does the rock wall all by herself.  She has great comprehension and problem solving skills.  She asks questions and you can tell she thinks about things to figure them out.  She loves getting her sisters to play with her.  She loves Hide and Seek where most of the time she hides in the cushions of the couch or the hall closet.  We just took her to the eye doctor and she will be needing glasses.  We noticed that her left eye was turning in when she focuses on things, especially the TV.  She likes to color and do stickers.  She "reads" by saying each letter in a sentence in the book she is looking at.  She once handed me a book and demanded, "Mommy, help me learn."  She is determined, smart, and definitely a thinker.  She impresses us every day.  Love you, Mal.

Triple Play: 2.5 Years

How old?  2.5 years

Our weights?  S:  28ish lbs T: 28ish lbs M:  28ish lbs
Heights - ?? Will measure soon. 
They are wearing 2t and some 3t tops.  
Shoe size:  S: 6.5m  T: 6.5w  M: 7m

Our sleeping patterns?  Nap around 1 until around 3.

The girls have gotten deep in to a routine when it comes to going to bed at night.  We go upstairs anywhere between 7:30 and 7:45.  Brian gets the bath water running while I undress them and chase them around the upstairs play room.  They sit on the potties and then we bathe them.  Daddy takes toddler 1 to put on a diaper, comes back for Toddler 2 to put on her diaper.  Then I drain the water and bring in Toddler 3.  I put on their jammies while Daddy brushes their teeth.  They all hug Ryley good night and then Daddy takes her downstairs.  While we are waiting for Daddy to come back we play and giggle (or throw a tantrum about nothing) and I get them room ready for bedtime.  We then all 4 "Hide" in the in the closet or bathroom for when Daddy comes back upstairs with milk.  He stomps as he is getting close and yells "Fe Fi Fo Fum!"  The girls giggle and ssshh each other.  He comes in the room and starts saying, "Are they in the drawer?" and they all say "NO!"  "Are they in their beds?" "No!"  "Are they in the closet/bathroom?" "NO!"  And normally by that point one of them has gotten so excited that they have thrown the door open to show Daddy where they are.  It is pretty darn cute.  Then, they all run to the play room and jump in their chairs.  Daddy carries each one in the room in her chair while I pick out books to read.  They sit in their chairs with their milk while I read a few books.  Brian normally leaves and uses this time to clean up a little downstairs.  If they girls run out of milk, they like to scream "DADDY!" at the top of their lungs to let him know they need more.  They used to scream "BRIAN!" because they heard Mommy doing it.  We read for 10-15 minutes and then Daddy comes back upstairs.  They get a few sips of water and then we hold each individually and sing them a song.  Mallory normally wants the ABCs but lately it has been Rudolf.  Sam and Taylor like the Froggy song.  Then they are laid down in their beds and then the 1000 requests happen.  Tuck me in, sleep sack, water, froggies need water, no sleep sack, no covers, I want my bear, tuck me in (because they kick off the covers), water again, and again, etc.  A few minutes of this and we can finally get out the door.  They may or may not cry and we sometimes have to go in one more time to say "GO TO BED!"  And that is our bedtime routine.

We still average about 1 wake up per night.  Sometimes none, sometimes 3, it just depends on a lot of variables.

 Our eating schedule?  The girls have breakfast at 8:30 AM, Lunch at noon, snack when they wake up from their nap (between 3-4), and dinner at 6ish.  

 Our favorite foods?  S: Veggie noodles, yogurt, cookies, and carbs
T: Olives and pickles are her faves right now.
M: M's & M's as she calls them.  She still likes a lot of foods and typically finishes what her sisters don't eat.

Our likes? Frozen is their newest obsession.  They listen to the soundtrack, watch the movie, and read the Frozen book any chance they get.  Christmas things like Santa and Frosty.  Treats.  Slides and swings.  They are really enjoying school and gymnastics.

 Our dislikes?  Doing what Mommy and Daddy wants us to do.

Our favorite games/toys?  Princess castle, Frozen things, coloring, stickers, scooters and tricycles

Our milestones? 
M: Counting (1-20), identifying letters, remembering the finest details, problem solving
T: singing songs, identifying some letters, understanding more concepts
S: singing songs, counting 1-10 (sometimes), knows the letters S, T, M.  Talking in sentences.

Things we do to make Mom and Dad smile?  Good girls at school and other places.  They are starting to say some hilarious things.  Mallory says "Oh My Goodness!" and Sam always points out when you are being "silly".  Taylor can sing "Let it GO!!!" so loud.  I'm so enjoying watching them grow and learn.  It is so special to experience raising multiples.  

Our pictures