Christmas continued...

In the Afternoon we headed over to Aunt Pam's to celebrate Christmas with my side of the family. It was so nice to see everyone and of course the food was AMAZING! We really do have the best cooks in my family... After eating we once again opened presents from Mimi! Ashtyn was a pro by now, and was so happy to finally get the present she asked Santa for - her play house! She opened her house and instantly started playing with it! She even clapped her hands for this one...

It was a great afternoon of enjoying family, eating, relaxing and eating some more! We had a great Christmas this year - so sad to see it go by so quickly, but enjoyed every minute of it! Merry Christmas!

SANTA Came...

This was the first year Santa visited our home and it was quite exciting for Ashtyn. Ashtyn woke up not knowing this day was any different, but when Matt came downstairs with her she was so surprised to find some new things waiting for her.




Santa brought Ashtyn a new Activity table, an Art Easel and art supplies! Santa also stuffed her stocking with M&M's her favorite and Dora stuff - movies and a toothbrush! Ashtyn broke into everything right away - she was just so excited. She started painting pictures and was amazed she could now use chalk in the house on her new chalk board!

Nana, Papa and Kevin came over Christmas morning to have breakfast and open presents. Ashtyn got Papa and Kevin quickly involved in her new gifts. Papa helped her color a picture and Uncle Kev played with the Play Doh - I think they all enjoyed this precious time!


After breakfast, we opening another set of presents from Nana and Papa - Ashtyn was now aware of what to do and was even more excited to see what she got. Nana and Papa bought her a computer complete with a mouse - which Ashtyn was just amazed with, she LOVES computers! And Uncle Kev bought her a cash register with money! So many new toys...


We are definitely some lucky people to be able to have such a great Christmas and enjoy family all at the same time. We got some great gifts and most importantly got to spend the morning with the ones we love so much!

Christmas Eve...

Christmas Eve is my favorite - I am not sure why, I guess because most of the day is laying around and getting all the last minute things ready for Christmas and there is still just so much excitement. I know as a kid I was always so excited for this day - We always had our big family dinner with the entire extended family, and then went to my Great Grandma's house for dessert and presents - I really miss this tradition, but with all the families growing it just had to end. And then of course I was always excited for Santa, so I guess as an adult I just still feel that same excitement, especially now that I have my own children to create amazing traditions for! This year we started some new family traditions. We had the Trujillo family over to our home for Christmas Eve. Everyone came over and we played Scrabble - Sandy WON! watched Elf, had a wonderful dinner, steak with lots of other great dishes, and then opened presents! This was the first year Ashtyn could really open a presents, which she finally figured out what to do although she was very slow at opening her presents. She would open one and the would have to play with it before she would consider opening another one - so it was a long process, but very fun to see her eyes light up with every gift she opened. Ashtyn got tons of new toys, a real digital camera, an ATM machine, baby stroller with matching swing and play pen, a cute outfit, a blender, a coffee maker and her favorite thing of all a light box that looks like an aquarium - she LOVES this thing! It is her new night light in her room, and she had to show everyone who came over. After opening presents we played "White Elephant" a new tradition with the Trujillo family - which I think was more fun then getting real presents. The gifts definitely made us laugh and I am sure there are some gifts we will see over and over for years to come - especially the Santa shorts! It was a wonderful Christmas Eve and I wouldn't have chose it to be any different, I hope my kids get as excited for this night as I did which I was a kid.

16 Week Check Up

I recently had my 16 week check up and everything checked out normal. The baby was sleeping this time so their heart rate was only 140, but still there! The doctor said I was measuring perfectly and my weight looked good - for now! I have been feeling much better lately, more like myself and not sick at all which I am so THANKFUL for. You forget what it's like to not feel nauseated! I am still not showing too much, but I am very itchy and feel very crampy so I am sure the stretching it starting! I am definitely having some weird cravings which I never experienced with Ashtyn. I LOVE Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Startbucks, which is weird because I have never ever had a Latte and I really don't like pumpkins, but for some reason this is a treat I have once a day! And I am also craving cinnamon rolls - so nutritious I know, but I just love them right now, and if Matt would let me I could possibly eat a whole pan of them. Next appointment is my 20 week ultrasound and we FINALLY will know the sex, which I am most excited for! They want me to get the H1N1 shot which I am a little hesitant about, so we will see if that happens, but for now I will enjoy the time of feeling normal and having energy!

Wrapping Presents...

Every year the Police Department raises a bunch of money and has numerous toy drives so they can give Christmas to the kids in the Louisville schools who not as fortunate as the others. Matt is one of the organizers, which keeps him very busy all of November and December preparing for this event. All the schools in Louisville nominate families in need and then Matt and the other team members have to call each family, see what they need, collect money and then go shopping for all the kids. This year they had 20 families to buy for and was able to provide each family with everything they needed with the money they collected and from the toy drive they had at a basketball game hosted at Louisville Middle School - the cops play the kids and teachers, it's very fun to watch. After they collect all the presents, we have to wrap all of them and get them organized to be delivered. So on Saturday morning, Ashtyn and I went with Matt and a bunch of other helpers to wrap the hundreds of presents for these kids. It is such a fun thing to be apart of, and really puts everything in perspective. I hope to always have Ashtyn help with this, so she can realize just how lucky she is and how necessary it is to help others. We were able to get all the presents wrapped that morning with the help of lots of people and then the cops who work Christmas Eve deliver the presents to the families that day. I hope they all enjoyed their gifts and were able to enjoy their Christmas this year.

Tis' the Season

So we finally completed the decorating of our house for Christmas...it has been quite a process given I started before Thanksgiving. We were able to get the basement decorations finally completed today - this year I decided to decorate two trees one upstairs and the other downstairs - who knew how much work that would be, but it all stemmed from me falling in love with these snowman heads at Kohls, which then lead to my "Snowman" theme tree and then I of course had to do the traditional tree with all the ornaments I have collected and received since I was a baby.

So finally all the hard work is done, the trees look beautiful, and now there is only really 2 weeks before Christmas to enjoy them - Oh well! Along side decorating the tree downstairs today, Grandma Trujillo gave Ashtyn a set of Chili Pepper lights for her room, but we thought it would look better on her playhouse downstairs. So Matt hung the chili pepper lights on Ashtyn's house - SO ADORABLE! She is just tickled with this and loves that she can turn them on and off all by herself. She keeps saying "Oooo..." when she sees her house all lit up. Thank you Grandma Trujillo for giving the gift of light to your precious granddaughter!

Christmas Cookies

Traditionally every year all the women on my mom's side get together to bake TONS of cookies to give away to friends and family for Christmas as well as to enjoy during the Holiday Season. This year was no different - we all met over at Pam's kitchen to make sugar cookies, thumb prints, pitzels, kiflings, peanut butter balls and many others I don't even know the names of... It makes for a very busy day, but afterwards the table of cookies is very impressive.

Ashtyn and I joined the morning baking session before nap time, and I think Ashtyn enjoyed herself. Mimi had her help roll the Thumb Print balls, but she just ate the dough instead, so then we thought she might do better with the sugar cookies.

While Nana made the sugar cookies Ashtyn got to sprinkle the tops of them with red, green, purple and yellow sprinkles - she did very well at this, a little heavy on the sprinkling, but you really can't go wrong decorating sugar cookies.

I think she had a good time and it was fun to spend the day with Mimi, Nana and all the Aunts and Cousins. Now we get to start enjoying all the yummy cookies!