Meet Ava and Piper

Christmas came early for Ciera and I this year. We each got a kitty for Christmas! We went yesterday to the Rockwall Animal Adoption Center to look for kitties. We found some, but weren't quite sure that they were the ones we wanted. The shelter told us that they were having an adoption event at Petco, so there were more to choose from there. We went over and found two sweet kitties to adopt.Ciera's is named Ava, and she is 5 months old. She is really playful and sweet. She is great with all the girls, and is cute and cuddly when she wants to be. She is a great fit for Ciera. She was quick to settle into the house and even slept with Ciera for part of the night last night.My kitty is named Piper, and she is 4 months old. She is super sweet, but is having a hard time adjusting. She is really loveable and loves Dave and me to pet her, but is really shy, so she has been hiding under the bed most of the time so far. (I have to lay on the floor to pet her!) She has a SUPER loud purr, and woke me up last night standing on my chest wanting to be petted. After I pet her for a while, she curled up on our bed at our feet and slept for a while.
We are so excited to have little kitties in our home and can't wait for them (mostly Piper) to become comfortable with us all! I am so glad that my sweet husband thought to get me a kitty for Christmas. And we were so happy to get Ciera her own first pet! Merry Christmas!!

The Great Christmas Baking Day (actually... days.)

On Friday and Saturday, we baked all of our Christmas goodies. We did it as a family. I made a schedule (what cookies needed chilling and cutting, what baked when and at what temperature, what cooked on the stovetop, etc.), and then we all got involved in the treat-making extravaganza! It was fun, and a little bit crazy! I think we will make it a tradition every year!

HaPpY BirThDaY AuTuMn!

Autumn has had several "birthdays" this year. On her actual birthday, we had her open her gifts in the morning, and then we did a baking day, where we made all the holiday treats. She was glad to have the day with everyone at home together. She was able to be a "taste tester" on a lot of the goodies, and we all tried to make the day special to her!She loves to play princess. She loves princesses... anything having to do with princesses. That is why I was surprised that she wanted a "fruit" cake for her birthday. Not a fruitcake. A cake with fruit drawn on the top. I worked on changing her mind for a while, and after a lot of convincing, she chose a princess cake instead.
We are so happy that Autumn is in our family. We love her!

Autumn is five!!

I can not believe that my baby is five years old today. It truly has flown by! It just seems like yesterday that we were in the hospital and our beautiful baby girl was born. She has been such a feisty spirit since the day she joined our family, and she makes me a better person just by being who she is. She is such a joy to have in our home, and I am so glad that we are blessed with Autumn in our lives.

Happy Birthday to my little sweetheart.

Winter Band Concert

Ciera's band concert was last night. They did a great job! The entire band played two songs together, and each instrument got to do a song by themselves. There are six French Horn players, and Ciera is currently second chair. They did the song "The Holly and the Ivy". I really enjoyed watching her play, as did her dad and sisters! We are so very proud of her! (The video is the song by the horns only.)

Dance Recital

The dance class that I was teaching this fall had their dance show yesterday. I had 11 children in my 4-7 year old Tap/Ballet class. Brooke and Autumn were both in it. It ended up being really fun. Here is their show...

Visit by Grandma and Grandpa Tanner

We had a wonderful weekend with Grandma and Grandpa! They arrived on Thursday, and we went out to get a Christmas tree. Friday, Grandpa and Dave went to work in the morning, and the girls went shopping and made the fondant for chocolates. We met the men for lunch at Costco and shopped a little more! In the evening, we decorated our tree and made the chocolates. They turned out SO good (the tree looked good, and the chocolates tasted good!)!! Saturday, the boys went to cut wood for our fireplace, and the girls shopped some more (Yay shopping!), celebrated Autumn's birthday with Grandma and Grandpa a week early, then we went to the Stake Christmas Choir concert in the evening (which I sang in). Sunday we went to church and then came home and had a big early dinner/late lunch before having to say good bye to Grandma and Grandpa. It was a wonderful visit, and we are so glad that they were able to visit us here in good ol' Texas.