Tessa walking, I mean dancing

Well, I've been trying to get Tessa on the camera walking, but this particular day, she was only listening to the music of her walker instead and getting into the groove. She does take steps now while holding on to something. So for all our family and friends who don't get to see Tessa on a regular basis, this is for you. And here's a picture of her standing at our fridge playing with the letter magnets.

Also, from all of Abby's valentine exchanges, we had a lot of tatoos, so we girls decided to have fun with it...

Happy Valentine's Day

We enjoyed our Valentine's weekend. Abby loved playing with the items from our Valentine's package from Grandma and Grandpa Gibbons. This was her favorite thing to do until dad (the eye doctor) told her she should stop, but not until after I got a picture.

Abby also opened her own mail when I told her two things were addressed for her. She didn't even wait until I was off the phone, she found the two envelopes and pretty much shredded them to get to the cards inside.

We loved that we had a few warmer weather days this week. We took the opportunity to enjoy outside while we could. We spent one afternoon filling our driveway with chalk art including flowers and lots of hopscotch boards. Here's Tessa's contribution.

We also had a fun night with the couples from the ward. We enjoyed the karaoke and I even got a little treat for all you who may think Tyler is the quiet one. Sorry my camera doesn't get sound, but just imagine hearing the words to "Mambo Number Five!"

What about "Mama"?!?

So, this is the cutest thing, however if I really start to think about it, it makes me kind of sad too. Everyone knows that most babies' first words are "dada." This was no exception for Tessa. She's been saying "dada" for a couple months now. The big news is that for about a week now, she has started saying her first real word. You know how "dada" doesn't always refer to dad, it's just that first recognizable word. Anyway, Tessa has now begun saying her first recognizable, real word, and as you probably can tell by now, it's not "mama." That's right - it's "Abby." She spends all day every day saying "Aaaa dee", "Aaaa dee." It is like the cutest thing you've ever heard especially when after you hear it, Abby immediately says, "Mom, she's saying my name." Which I reply with "yep, because she loves you." So, like I said, super cute, but my first statement stands, What about mama?!? I love Tessa's adorable first word, but I'm feeling kind of left out now that her two words are Dada and Aaadee. :) But that's just the beginning of the underappreciation of motherhood now isn't it! :) Boy do I love being a mom!

Tessa's New Binky

So I walked into the playroom this morning and saw Tessa. She had found something on her own to pass as the new binky:

So what is that you ask?

A play mushroom from Abby's kitchen set. Tessa loves it! Here's a video that I thought was pretty cute of Tessa and her "new" binky:

New Job!

As of next week, Tyler will be starting a new job! We're very excited - hence the big purchase (see blog below). Tyler accepted a position with the Booth Laser Eye Center in Plano Texas. He was sad to leave his current employer and co-workers, but he couldn't refuse this opportunity. He'll work a bit more, but his salary will double, so we're very excited that he was here in Texas and ready and able to take the position. Just wanted to pass on the exciting news. And while I'm typing, I've got to add this adorable picture of the girls. I was trying to just get one of the girls in their matching pjs, and this is what I got. Don't we have the cutest kids or what?!? :)

New Bedroom Furniture!

We have just purchased our first bedroom set! It's about time after 7 years I'd say. :) We were tired of using boxes as our bedroom furniture, so we made the plunge and we love it. We've been looking for a wall bed since we were first married and finally found one. They're hard to come by these days. So here's a pic:We even went with a king size bed because after sleeping in one at a hotel, there's no going back. As part of the bedroom set, we also got an armoire. We decided that would fit us better in our room so one day when we upgrade tvs, we can put one of our tvs in our room and start watching movies at night again. Plus, we figured a dresser/mirror would just go to waste since our closet and bathroom is well equipped for dressing and getting ready in the morning. So here it is.

Busy December

I've finally downloaded our pictures so lots has happened in the past month. First, Abby's party. She turned three and had a princess party, of course. It was lots of fun, especially having her best friends over to help celebrate.

Then I was happy to finish making matching dresses for the girls. I had them done just in time to wear to church the Sunday before Christmas. I had decided on winter colors instead of Christmas colors just in case they took longer than I thought, but I really liked how they turned out. The girls seem to like them too.

We were able celebrate Christmas with my family. The girls and I even stayed in WF for 10 days while Tyler came home to work between Christmas and New Years. It was a nice vacation. We played lots of games, enjoyed grandma and grandpa's hot tub, and did lots of shopping.