Christmas Eve

Grandpa Charlie, Grandma Carol, Uncle Brock, Uncle Clint, Aunt Melissa, Uncle-to-be Matt, Macie, Sarah, Mike, and Caroline

Christmas Eve dinner at Buddy and Brenda's - all the "kids" with their hats on from their firecrackers!

Christmas outfits

Look at those faces! Caroline and Macie love their outfits and are ready for Christmas!

Sip n See for the twins

Good friends of Grandma Carol and Grandpa Charlie, Mike, and mine came over to meet the girls. Macie and Caroline enjoyed getting passed around and meeting new people.

Macie and Caroline in their party dresses!

Atlanta or BUST

After all of this: our flight was cancelled, we waited on hold for 3+ hours trying to rebook, Mike drove to the airport the night before we left to get us booked on a new flight (different airline, thank goodness), we drove to the airport Thursday morning in 3in of snow (which turned into A LOT more once we were gone), we got tagged for an extra security check (imagine Mike holding both girls, our stuff strewn everywhere, while I got patted down!), Caroline bonked her chin on a chair in the waiting area and bit her tongue with her new teeth - blood everywhere! After all of that, we made it to Atlanta :)

Dad with Caroline sleeping on our first flight....

The snow in Portland - hoping we make it!

Lighting the candles

When Ama and Daco babysat the girls the Tuesday before Hannukah started, Daco brought the menorah and candles with him to light the candles with the girls. Ama and Mike held Macie and Caroline while Daco and I lit the candles and said the prayer. Then, Daco told the story of the miracle of Hannukah. It was about a year ago now that we were praying for a miracle of our own, so it was especially meaningful.

Playing in the tunnel

Caroline coming out of the tunnel! Macie going in!

Ama and dad get into the tunnel action!

Macie's so happy to help dad with work!

SNOW!!!!

A few days before we left for Atlanta, Seattle got the first round of snowfall. Here's what the girls thought about the white, fluffy, cold stuff....

Macie decided to keep trying bites even though it was cold! Caroline decided to make a snow angel!

Our house (it looked a lot different when we got back from Atlanta and Seattle had gotten a TON of snow!)

Reading and playing

C and M with mom

How did you get under there, Macie?

O (little) Christmas Tree!

Don't worry - Mike's parents had a BIG tree for the girls in Atlanta for the big day.

Dad with Macie and Caroline in their jammies and booties!

Practicing standing (and sometimes letting go!)

Bundled up to go to the park

Macie cuddling with dad

4 years on the 4th!

We can't really believe there was life before us, but way to go, mom and dad! love, Caroline and Macie

Holiday Card Outtakes

For some reason, these pictures didn't make the final cut....

mmmm, leaf.

New place to play

Macie shows me how she can crawl under and all around her obstacle course, usually chasing Caroline and picking up Cheerios on the way!

So many Santas!

Gabe, Macie, Jonathan, and Caroline - all coming up with their wish lists for the real Santa!

9 months old! VIDEO

We are daily amazed and thoroughly entertained by Caroline and Macie! They have done so much in the last nine months, we can barely keep up. In the last month alone, they have both gotten to be expert crawlers (Macie went through the phases of army crawling, yoga crawling, and now is onto traditional crawling to keep up with her sister). Macie is waving - all wrist, just like a princess :) and Caroline loves to clap with people. They are both pulling themselves up on everything and trying to scoot along the couch. They have even gotten the tv remote off the couch and switched the channel to Oprah, much to Mike's dismay! Caroline got her third tooth on Thanksgiving and is working on the fourth - I guess all she wants for Christmas is her two front teeth.... Macie and Caroline love taking baths, sometimes together, playing in their cribs, exploring everything, stealing toys and binkies from each other, and making the loudest screeches they can. We are having so much fun with these two!!!!

Santa came a little early to the Smiths!

Looking for Santa!

Did you know that Santa loves Cheerios, just like Caroline?

Santa can be little just like you, Macie!

Thanksgiving!

We hosted Thanksgiving for the first time, the first one for Macie and Caroline, in our new house. It was wonderful and we have so much to be thankful for. Going around the table clockwise, you'll see: Macie, Caroline, Mike, me (Sarah), Uncle Steve and his friend, Judy, Gabe, Cheryl, Jonathan, dad, mom, and Tony.

Crawling, Climbing, Clapping