2 Years, 3 Months, 1 Week, and 5 Days

Ruby & Charlotte and 2 years, 3 months, 1 week, and 5 days old today. We had a very generous Christmas thanks to friends & family. We decided to open gifts from family on Christmas Eve so that Ruby & Charlotte would not be overwhelmed with presents the next morning. This is the first year that they understood the concept of Santa Claus and were excited to open gifts. Enjoy the photos!

The aftermath of opening presents on Christmas Eve:

After Santa visited our home:

Opening gifts on Christmas morning:

Obligatory family photo in front of the tree on Christmas morning:

The biggest hit so far seems to be the Hideaway Hollow play sets with little mice figures:

Ruby loves to take any 2 toys and let her imagination run wild with different scenarios for them to act out. She cracks herself up with laughter on occasion from it:

Drawing on the chalkboard with Ava:

Turning the ottoman into a drum set during a play date with Ava:

At Lucinda & Delia's home, Lucinda showed them their new 3 story doll house:

Charlotte discovered the joys of dress up jewelry and happily layered it on with the help of Nancy, Lucinda & Delia's grandma:

Playing with the Hungry Hungry Hippos game, though they just sat and opened the hippo's mouth to feed it individual marbles:

2 Years, 3 Months, and 5 Days

Ruby & Charlotte are 2 years, 3 months, and 5 days old today. Uncle Trevor and his girlfriend Marissa came to visit for a few days. We decorated the tree and staged a pre-Christmas Christmas morning while they were here. Ruby & Charlotte seem to have gotten over their 3rd cold of the year as of yesterday. Enjoy the photos!

Uncle Trevor reads to them:

Marissa reads to them:

Uncle Trevor bought them the one gift they specifically requested, "Bumble and his friends" from the 1964 Rudolph movie:

Holding their new Bumbles in front of the tree after we decorated it:

Uncle Trevor helps them with a snowman stacker:

Our pre-Christmas Christmas morning:

Opening gifts took a long time, as they each called out if they had torn off a "really big", "big", "little" or "small" piece of the paper as they unwrapped:

Playing with their new trains on the train table:

We made Christmas cookies (which Uncle Trevor documented with the camera so I am featured in these):

Pouring the sugar crystals on was their favorite part:

Charlotte ended up licking most of her crystals off with her finger, so we separated her cookies from the rest:

Our first batch of snowflake, tree, and star cookies:

We exchanged gifts with Ava earlier in the week:

27 Months Old!

Ruby at 27 months old"

Charlotte at 27 months old:

2 Years, 2 Months, and 4 Weeks

Charlotte & Ruby are 2 years, 2 months, and 4 weeks old today. One of the rules in our house is that we do not put non-food items in our mouths. Charlotte reprimanded Bob the other day for holding a pen in his teeth while he was drawing. "No mouth, Daddy!" Ruby has been consistently peeing in the toilet for a few weeks, first thing in the morning after waking mostly dry and just before bath or pajama time at night. Occasionally she asks to do it during the day, but we are not pushing toilet training yet. Enjoy the photos!

Drawing on their new Aquadoodle (those are Bob's socks that Charlotte has on over her pants):

Our friend Melissa helps them with a Look&Find book:

My friend Audra Stratton took magnificent photos of us in late October:

We used one of her shots to create our first photo holiday card this year:

2 Years, 2 Months, and 3 Weeks

Charlotte & Ruby are 2 years, 2 months, and 3 weeks old today. We let them watch the 1964 Rudolph stop-motion classic to start a tradition of seeing it every year as Christmas nears. We had prepped them with books from the movie this past week, mainly to introduce the character of Bumble the Abominable Snow Monster in a friendly way in hopes that they would not be scared during the show. While Ruby did start crying during the movie, it was not due to fright; instead, she was upset that "Rudolph sad!" when he went off on his own to protect his friends. Enjoy the photos!

Running outside to experience the first flurries of the season:

After our first snow storm, they watched the Bobcat clearing the driveway:

Going outside to play in the snow after the sidewalks were cleared:

Snow bibs, jackets, & boots = moving like a robot:

Charlotte attempted to walk in the snow (shortly after this photo she fell and could not get up on her own):

Ruby fell face-first into the snow and was not amused:

Bob built a snowman for them (and yes, that is a mustache on Bob courtesy of the month of Movember - look it up):

Charlotte reads some of the Christmas books:

Ruby turns the motorcycle into a slide for the frog & donkey:

We went on a Polar Express trolley ride Sunday afternoon:

Santa & Mrs. Claus came aboard when we arrived at the North Pole:

Charlotte's face upon seeing Santa in person:

Ruby's face upon seeing Santa in person:

Santa gave out bells to all the children:

Lucinda & Delia came over to play yesterday, and brought toys with them that they thought Charlotte & Ruby would enjoy.

Charlotte figured out how to use the lacing beads with a little instruction:

Ruby is fascinated with the Barbie dolls that Delia generously picked out from their collection at home to give us:

Eating lunch together at the end of the play date: