Khalil & Aaliyah

It seems like time has been flying by, and Khalil and Aaliyah are getting so big! Aaliyah turned 1 year old on December 19th (she's just 4 days younger than Ethan), and Khalil is 2 1/2. (For those of you who don't know, Khalil and Aaliyah are my brother Travis' kids). Anyway, their mom is out of town for a few days, so the kids are staying with my mom. Ethan and I went to visit them this morning and I just had to get pictures of their cute faces! (Also, I thought you out-of-towners would appreciate some pictures, since y'all don't get to see them very often...... you're welcome!)

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My mom holding Ethan and Aaliyah

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She was ready for a nap and REALLY didn't want a photo shoot.

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I love this picture! These two are such opposites when it comes to being grumpy. Ethan whines and fusses, and Aaliyah has a total meltdown, lol.
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Khalil

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Sleeping

Ethan's been on a good schedule for awhile now. He usually wakes up at 10:00 a.m., naps for 2 or 3 hours at about 3:00, and then goes to bed around 11:00. It's perfect for us because sometimes Jonathan doesn't get home until 10:30 at night, so then he can see Ethan before he goes to bed. Another reason I love having him on a schedule, is that I know when I get a break to excercise, or clean the house, or just relax. He's usually so good about naptime and bedtime, he almost never cries about it. I just tell him it's time to sleep, then I give him his blanket, and lay him in his crib. A lot of times, he'll take his blanket off my shoulder and put it in the crib himself! I guess that means he's ready for bed (and he knows he'll need his blanket for that). After he's been asleep for awhile, I go check on him to see if he needs to be covered up. Here are a few sweet pictures of what I see when I walk in...

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He likes to chew on the tag, and he fell asleep with it sticking out of his mouth!

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Ethan can read! (almost)

Ethan loves books, and often reads them himself. Here's a little sample of his advanced reading skills...(sorry, it's so dark, my poor camera does the best it can.)

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Christmas Day

On Christmas Eve night, I opened my presents from Jonathan. I was so excited! He got me clothes, gift cards to my favorite places, and a few things for the house. I love that he's not afraid to shop for me, he always knows what I'd like. The next morning, Ethan woke up and saw that Santa had brought him some toys. He was super excited and couldn't wait to play with them. After that, we went to the Ochoa's where we got to open even more presents! The rest of the day we ate, visited my parents, and then ate some more. It was a great Christmas, I can't wait 'til next year!

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Me, Jonathan, and Ethan

(Jonathan bought me that shirt for Christmas, he's got good taste!)

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This is after we opened presents at my in-laws. Jonathan's excited about his new toothpaste.

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Ethan got a Fisher-Price barn from Santa. I grew up with one of these and I'm so glad they still make 'em. He really likes it.

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Ethan's playing with his new toys in his new gingerbread pajamas.

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Ethan's not into dolls (thank goodness), but apparently he likes to kiss them every once in awhile.

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My family had their Christmas party on the 23rd. Unfortunately, Jonathan had to work, but Ethan and I had fun opening presents anyway. Oh, and my parents got us a vacuum cleaner! It was on my Christmas list and we desperately needed one, so it was the perfect gift. I've been using it almost everyday and I love it! Dirty floors are one of my biggest pet peeves. Seriously. I'm much happier with a freshly vacuumed house.

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There's me and my little man opening presents. He's gotten really good at it.

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Here he is talking on his new cell phone that he got from his cousin.

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Here's my sister Jill with Bryn, and me with Ethan.

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Wouldn't you love to get him as a present?

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We're so lucky to have such wonderful people to spend the holidays with. Thanks everybody for the thoughtful gifts and the fun parties! It was the best Christmas ever! (...well, it was definitely in the top 5, for sure)

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