Christmas in Oklahoma

We started off our Christmas break with a quick trip to Oklahoma to celebrate Christmas with friends and family.  The girls always have fun seeing everybody, but this year the highlight was definitely getting to play with their cousins and getting to visit their great-grandmothers:  

Early Christmas

Every year, our dear aunt sends early Christmas presents.  The girls really enjoy getting to open some gifts before Christmas Day, and it seems to make them even more excited about the holidays.  This year was no exception:

Sophie loved her new book and her new math toys (which she has been playing with non-stop since she opened them):

Even with all the fun toys, Helena's favorite gift was her kitty shirt (she loves Buster and Louise and "kitty cat" is one of her favorite things to say).  She liked it so much that she insisted that we put it on her immediately, over her pajamas:

Helena was upset that we would not open the cats' gift, so she tried to open it herself:

She was convinced there was a snack in there for her.  She was very sad to learn that it was really for Buster and Louise.  I guess the cat on the front of the bag didn't tip her off.

Despite the disappointment over the cat food, both girls had a blast opening their gifts and they spent the whole weekend playing with all their cool new toys.

Gingerbread House

Last weekend, Sophie and I decorated our gingerbread house.  You might remember that we didn't get to decorate last year's until Valentine's Day, so we wanted to be sure we got to it on time this year.  Sophie was very proud of the finished product, and she was also very happy that there was lots of leftover candy:

Christmas Program

Tonight, Sophie had her first school Christmas program.  She was very excited and could hardly wait to get to school:

The Second Graders put on a play while the Kindergarten and First Grade classes helped by singing cute songs:  

Sophie really seemed to enjoy performing and we enjoyed getting to watch.  It's hard to believe that she's old enough to be in school play, but I think we have a lot to look forward to as she gets older.

Helena: Post-Nap

No caption necessary...

Winter Wonderland

This past Friday, we visited a nearby park with some friends to see the "Winter Wonderland" Christmas display.  They had over a million lights this year, and the girls enjoyed seeing everything.  We decided to rent a carriage to take us through the park, and although it was cold, it was a great way to see the lights:

Helena - 16 Months

It's hard to believe, but Helena is 16 months old now.  Yesterday, we went to the doctor for a checkup and some shots.  Helena is now 31 3/4 inches tall (80th percentile) and she weighs 22 lbs, 14 oz (45th percentile)!  Here is a recent photo:

And here's another recent photo we just wanted to share (this is what happens when Helena "helps" me bake - she samples all the merchandise):