Feliz Navidad

So last night we had all my moms side of the family over to our house for a Christmas party. We had YUMMY soup and bread bowls, hot chocolate, and homemade cinnamon rolls. Each family exchanged gifts. We got a beautiful picture of Christ, a nerf gun, and bracelets for Berlyn and I. My grandma gave us an ornament of the Quetzal bird from Guatemala. (She gets all the grandkids a new ornament every year for Christmas so by they time they are my age and married they will have a tree full). She also gave Bear a Guatemalan tie and sling-shot. She gave Berlyn two Guatemalan dolls and I got a Guatemalan purse and necklace. Then we skyped my grandparents so they could watch our program. Each family sang a Christmas song. Our family sang "Feliz Navidad" with Bear playing the guitar. I love my family. As my Grandma said last night, "There is no greater joy than family." Merry Christmas!

My mom even found a cute little sombrero for Berlyn. :)

Gingerbread House 2011

So Bear wanted to make a gingerbread house this year. We made it ALL from scratch. It took about 2 hours to get the measurements right for the model before we started baking. The gingerbread alone took about 5 hours to get everything made...then it took about another 17 hours (all from about 9:30pm to 1am) to get everything put together and decorated. PHEW! That was a lot of work, but it paid off. We think it looks pretty darn good. It is a gingerbread model of Bear's parent's house in Utah.

This will be one of our family traditions with our kids. Of course this will probably be the best looking one until all our kids are older, but still it will be a fun bonding time for all of us. I can't wait!

 Berlyn was very fascinated by the house. She wouldn't stop staring.

 Front. Like the porch?

Like our homemade trees? Skill right there...

 Sun room and garage.

 Basketball hoop and car.

 Backyard.

 Homemade tree again, trampoline, and firewood. Look at the porch and stairs. Impressive huh?

 Chimney.

 Why hello Santa. A little stuck?

Berlyn and the gingerbread house. :)

Three Months

On November 30, Berlyn turned 3 months! Wow that felt like it went fast. Here is an update.

• As you probably already knew, Berlyn had her first laugh (see previous post for video).
• She rolled over a few more times.
• She can hold her head up while on her stomach.
• She does little push-ups with her arms while on her stomach.
• She now weighs over 12 pounds (not sure by how much, we go to the doctor again at the beginning of January)
• She is talking (cooing), squealing, and gurgling at us ALL the time. 
• She loves her mommy and now recognizes my face and daddy's face.
• She sleeps in her own crib and in her own room now.
• The longest she has slept without eating is 11 hours (does not do this all the time though).
• She has found her hands. She loves playing with them. 
• She can now grab objects you put in front of her hands, but will not reach for them yet.
• She has been able to hold her head up since about 1.5 months.
• She is still eating every 2-3 hours (probably because we are nursing).
• Her hair is still growing and growing. No bald spot yet. It is starting to come in lighter...blonde in the front. We can do twists and put her hair in a ponytail.

Look at our chunky monkey! We love her!