Nutcracker 2011

This year we got to go to the twice!  We took Cora to the children's production at the library.  Hannah and Elizabeth came with us which was an added bonus!  She was totally mesmerized and sat through the whole thing!  Look at our little Christmas ballerina . . .

Later that night we met the Jaworskis so the girls could come over for a sleepover!  It was awesome having them here!

The next day we took the trip to San Antonio to see the real nutcracker with all the Snoga girls.  This was our first year to do it, but we hope it is a Christmas tradition that will stick! 

Cora stayed up late playing with her aunts and uncles.  They were harmonizing and singing her songs to try to lull her to sleep and it took until 1:30am! I guess she just didn't want to miss out on their beautiful musical stylings!  

9 Month Update

These chair pictures are getting harder and harder to take each month!  When I first put her in, she thought it was funny . . .

Hilarious, even .  . .

But she quickly started figuring out the safest way to get the heck out of there . . .

Free at last.  9 month stats . . . 29 inches long (98th percentile) 21 pounds (85th percentile) and healthy as an ox.  She has also taken up speed crawling.  She has followed the trend of the year and become a protester . . . of vegetables and occasionally sleeping.  I keep trying to hide her veggies in her fruit or yogurt, but she's no fool.  Her current play obsessions are books, anything that makes noise and my eyelashes.  She has started to hold up phones (and anything that merely resembles a phone) up to her ear and say "oooo"  Apparently I talk on the phone too much.  She is still a total cuddle bug and loves to be held all the time, which we love as well!  

We are constantly trying to find new ways to make her laugh because it is just the best sound in all the world.  She is getting into EV-ER-Y-THING all the time.  Our little Cora the Explora.  She is big on dancing right now.  Anytime she hears music from anywhere she starts bobbing her head and then she raises one arm and really gets into it.  Its hilarious.  She has GREAT rhythm (I need to calm my inner stage mom).  

All in all she is a wonderful baby.  She is our little parrot mimicking all of our sounds and actions.  I can't believe she is only three months away from her first birthday!!  We are cherishing every moment.  

Sawyer Beth Boening

On December 1st we were blessed with our tiny, precious little niece.  She is so amazing and beautiful!! We were just giddy to become an aunt and uncle for the first time.  Ever since Full House I have looked forward to the day I would become "Aunt Becky" and it is even better than I imagined!!  Tara and Barry are already such incredible parents.  And I am so looking forward to sharing the experience of raising a little girl with my big sister.  Their difference in age seems like a lot now, but in a couple of years I think these cousins will be two peas in pod!  Look at this adorable familia . . .

Aunt Becky and Uncle Mike!!!!

LOVE her!! . . . 

Dads with their girls . . .

We got to spend some time with them in Houston when they brought SBB home from the hospital!  The Udells also came for a visit which made for one of the most hilarious days between these little girl cousins to date.  Abigail is the kind of girl who has no fear, but we found her Achilles heel . . . . .

Big babies.  

Her and Cora played together just fine in the beginning and all was well until our "little" one got a case of the squeals (as she often does).  Abigail was terrified of her and her screeching.  At one point she even ran past her with high knees, crying, trying to avoid her and climbed up Melissa as fast as she could. But you might be a little scared too with this babyzilla coming after you . . . 

Hahahaha we were all crying we were laughing so hard.  I wish we would have recorded it!! And of course little angelic Sawyer slept through the whole thing. . . 

Our neice just made life even sweeter.  We love her so much and are looking forward to watching her grow up and being there for every step of the way! 

Happy Advent

It's the most wonderful time of the year!  The first Sunday of Advent we got our house all Christmased up and the little one had a fabulous time getting tangled in the tinsel.  This is our second married Christmas but our first one in our own house and of course Cora's first Christmas! 

 We hope that we can always make the Advent season full of magic for her.  But most importantly we pray that she will always cherish the true meaning of Christmas.  

Now we spend most of our evenings playing with her next to the Christmas tree . . .

or cuddled up by the fire watching Christmas movies.  Ahhhhhhhh the holidays.  

Thanksgiving

This was our first time to host a holiday!!  It was so much fun!  All of the Paweleks and Father Eric came to College Station for Thanksgiving.  We all prepared the meal together which was really special and made it much easier on us.  

I put our large menu up on our chalkboard and intended to plan out the schedule of when we needed to do what, but while us girls took a last minute trip to the grocery store, one of my brother-in-laws (not sure which one) wrote "Love Cora" under the schedule.  I just thought that was the sweetest thing ever . . . .tear.  She is so blessed to have such great uncles.  

And love Cora they did . . . 

Getting in on the cooking action . . .

That night we all loaded up and headed to the last meeting of A&M and Texas (at least for a while).  And even though the outcome was undesirable to say the least, it was still a cool thing to be a part of.  

We brought Cora to the game thinking that I would just leave after the first quarter but she fell asleep during the second quarter and slept the ENTIRE GAME! I tip toe around my house all day and the smallest noises wake her up, but eighty thousand plus people screaming as loud as they can lull her right to sleep.  Go figure.  

The day after Thanksgiving we got to have a quick breakfast with the Jaworskis before we he had to go our separate ways.  Don't let their faces fool you, they were thrilled to see each other . . .

We headed on to San Antonio to watch the Tigers in the playoffs.  They lost :(  so it ended up being Brie's last football game as a high school cheerleader.  

so cute

We spent the rest of the weekend relaxing and hanging around my parent's house.  It was a wonderful holiday.  

8 Month Update

This month has brought on a lot of changes!  The biggest one being that Cora is now crawling!! She took her first short journey across the living room on November 9th and now she is all over the place and into everything!  It is so cool to see where SHE decides to go.  On November 14th, we thought we spotted her first tooth, but now we can't find it. Soooo still no teeth, just a phantom tooth.  She has also mastered the fine art of clapping.

                                       

So now we kind of treat her like a circus monkey, always trying to get her to clap, but it is just so darn cute.  She is really big on clapping while she is crying.  I don't think she has grasped the meaning yet.  This little one certainly has a mind of her own.  

Ugh, Mom, enough with these baby poses, I want to do my own thing!

She brings us more and more joy every single day.