Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone!  We have had a crazy 2008 with the addition of our daughter Ava, a new house and Air Force assignment.  I hope 2009 is less eventful :)!  We are doing okay here, minus being sick over the holidays.  Here are a few photos of the girls.  Hope you all have a healthy and happy new year!

Swimming lessons with the sister!  They love the indoor pool!!!  It has been a great activity this winter!

Christmas Tree

I was pretty nervous about putting up a Christmas tree with my busy little Ava running around.  Of course, I had to put up a tree, it wouldn't be Christmas without one!  Ava is learning so fast, I knew it would be painful for the first few days and after that the novelty would wear off.  I was right, she immediately went over and starting pulling the ornaments off.  She climbed up in the chair next to the tree and tried to get some off of the tree a little higher.  After we "discussed" the tree, she gets it now and just likes to look and touch the lower ornaments.  She still takes them off, but is pretty gentle with them.   Here are a few photos of Ava exploring the decorations.  My camera is terrible, so the quality of the photos is not the greatest.

Children's Christmas Party and Ava's New Love

We had the Operations Group Children's Christmas Party today at the Base Chapel.  I was in charge of the cookie decorating table for our squadron.  Since Scott is gone, I had our baby sitter come with us to watch Ava so I could man the cookie table.  The party was a lot of fun and Emma and Ava thoroughly enjoyed themselves from 8:30 this morning until 1:30 this afternoon!  Santa arrived in a Humvee and Ava's eyes were about to pop out of her head.  This was her first Santa sighting and she was totally hooked from the start.  She was kicking and pushing to make her way to his lap.  Once she was there, she was batting her eyes and smiling away.  She was telling him all about it--whatever it is???  She got very upset when other kids would sit in his lap.  By the end of the party, she and Santa were very good friends.  

Emma enjoyed the treats, crafts, and face painting.  She mostly enjoyed getting to run around with all the other kids her age.  She informed me that the guy in the suit was not the real Santa, so she didn't plan on sitting in his lap.  She did pose for a picture though.

Thanksgiving 2008

First cousins Emma, Bella, Braden, and Ava Thatcher.

Having fun in the basement dancing with Uncle Mike, Scott's oldest brother.

Playing on the blow-up mattress with Bella and Emma.

Playing Monopoly with Aunt Traci, Bella, Emma, and Grams.

Thanksgiving lunch at the Country Club.  We had our own private room because our party was so large!  

Daddy's Departure

Well, Scotty left for the desert on November 24th and we miss him so much already.  Emma took his departure especially hard, as we knew she would.  Luckily Scott's family came for Thanksgiving, so it was a welcomed distraction for her.  Scott is safely settled in to his deployed location and has jumped right into his job there.  He will be home sometime around the first part of February if things go as planned over there.  Here are a few photos of Scott and his girls and of us having breakfast the day he left.