Christmas Day...Brunch

Christmas Day started with opening presents with Annabelle...only 2 of her 3 because she got bored with it and just wanted to play with what she got. (sorry no pics of that just video) Then we went over to Hal and Janet's for the Reiser tradition of Christmas Brunch.

Here is Annabelle in her Christmas PJ's that were sooo cute because of the hood. She's playing with her 2 cousin Josh's cars.

Here is Annabelle with a spoon in her mouth. She makes this funny face and looks up at you with a spoon sticking out. It's quite funny. (by-the-way she LOVES spoons)

We had a white elephant exchange at the brunch and Josh was our entertainment.

See she does cry...she loved to look at horse not neccesarily get on it.

Keep scrolling down we have many more posts below for more Reiser Christmas fun!

Christmas Night

Christmas ended for us with an 18lb turkey cooked to perfection by Liz. We had Nana and Bompa over for dinner and watched Elf.

Here are some leftover pics.

Since cinder block isn't really conducive to hooks we decided Brent's scrapbooks would hold them up just fine. (We get our favorite treats in our stockings)

Annabelle got a hold of an ornament painted green by Brent when he was a child...let's hope the paint wasn't toxic.


Here is her Christmas Loot. Thanks for all who contributed! We LOVE You!

Annabelle just loves "Pony Girl" by Nana. Annabelle in her official Christmas dress.

Our lovely manger scene given to us by Grandma Reiser. (one of 3 we have)

Christmas Eve

Next we had Christmas Eve at Melisssa's (Brent's Sister). We had some yummy soups and then made cookies!

The kids put on the Navitity. Cute as ever!

I think Annabelle stole the show in her cow costume.

And then it's time for the Christmas PJ's.

We don't have any stairs for Annabelle to practice on so we took this time to help her learn stairs as well. She's got going up down pat, it's the down that she wants to do head first. Any suggestions???

Christmas on the 21st!

We had our 1st Christmas on the 21st with Brent's Family since Bompa had to work on Christmas Eve.

Here we all are listening to the Navity told by Bompa...

...with a little help from Annabelle's cousins.

Then it's present time. Annabelle didn't really get the concept this year...so daddy helped.

Annabelle and Brynlee giving kisses...Isn't that just sooo precious.

Christmas Getting to know me

Christmas: Getting to know me
Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I like wrapping paper!

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial

3. When do you put up the tree? After Thanksgiving but this year it was really, really after Thanksgiving.

4. When do you take the tree down? In the beginning of January.

5. Do you like eggnog? No, honestly I've never tried it but it sounds gross.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? A BOX! My parents say one year they had to take a loan out to get me Christmas presents and I just sat around all day playing with a box. Now that I have a child I can totally see that.

7. Hardest person to buy for? Me...I never want anything.

8. Easiest person to buy for? Annabelle...I can go overboard if you let me.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, 3 right now.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I LOVE to receive and mail Christmas cards.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Don't know

12. When do you start shopping for Christmas? In December

13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No comment...

14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Everything...especially the candies

15. Lights on the tree? Of course!

16. Favorite Christmas song? Once in Davids Royal City.

17. Travel at Christmas or stay home? This year we get to do both...and I'm sooo happy. We are having Christmas Brunch with Brent's family and then we get to come home and have a home cooked meal by me.
18. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Who can't??? Haven't we all seen Rudolf too many times to count.

19. Angel on the tree top or a star? Neither we have bows.

20. Do you open presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning? Christmas PJ's Christmas Eve. All others Christmas day.

21. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? The commercialism.

22. Favorite ornament, theme or color? Our little pickle ornament gets a lot of attention.

23. Favorite for Christmas dinner? TURKEY!

24. What do you want for Christmas this year? Nothing...I already have it all!

Merry Christmas to Our Family and Friends!!!

For those who didn't get our Christmas letter:
This year has been filled with lots of joy. First we had Annabelle in the beginning of this year on January 27th. We were blessed with a happy, healthy and pretty little girl who steals our hearts with her smile. We are amazed at what a blessing she is in our lives. She is beginning to take steps and walk all around our small apartment. She has many other tricks that she has learned and it has been so fun to see her grow and develop from the tiny, little baby we brought home way back in January.

Brent is still in school, finishing his thesis for his MA degree and should be done next May. He is a wonderful ‘Dada’ and Annabelle loves to play with him. He also got a job with benefits that pay well. Who could ask for more?

Liz stays home with Annabelle now and enjoys being 'Mama' to our daughter. She is a great Mom and does a wonderful job teaching Annabelle new things every day. On occasion still works for her old boss at the hospital. The added income is always beneficial for us struggling college students.

Well we got one more thing…We got a mini van. Yep, I said mini van and we love it. It was Liz's dream mini van, a Chrysler Town & Country. We got a steal of a deal and couldn't pass up the chance to get such a nice vehicle with our little red '94 Nissan Sentra that is pushing 150,000 miles. It was time for a new car.

This year we saw the passing away of a number of our family and friends which means we have lots of angels watching over us. We feel their love constantly and sometime we think Annabelle can see them around even though we can't. We know we are watched over, protected and loved from beyond.

We are grateful for the knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ and are thankful that at this time of year we have the chance to think about His birth, His life and His atoning sacrifice in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross. What peace and joy it brings to our lives knowing that the Savior lives, that He watches over us and that He loves us.

We are a happy little family with lots of love from family and friends and we want to take this time to thank you. Without family and friends as loving as you are we would not be as happy as we are. We hope this next year comes with fulfilled dreams and peace and most of all love for you.

Love,
Brent, Liz & Annabelle Reiser

SLEEP

Brent and I made it through Annabelle "crying it out" or "the Ferber method" of sleeping. We started last Saturday with her first cry it out session from 2-2:45am and another that lasted 20-30 minutes that same night. Then they gradually got shorter and now here we are sleeping through the night twice in a row. Even though Annabelle was breaking teeth and she was eating at night as well.
I know most people think crying it out is a horrible way to treat a child. If they are crying they need you...how in the world could you leave your child while they sound like they are in distress. Well let me tell you I had all of these thoughts as well. So how did we get here? Well I think Annabelle or really any child is incredibly smart and they know crying gets them their way...but what gets you your way? Ignoring it or really feeling like a horrible mother for a couple of days and then realizing how much sleep deprivation has had an impact on you and your body. Yesterday, Wednesday I was sooo tired because I got a full night sleep without any interruptions. Then today my second day of a full night sleep I feel GREAT.
Let me tell you I do not have a single regret because this helped not only me but Annabelle as well. She sleeps continually, she doesn't need me at night like I thought she did. She needed to sleep. Yay for 12 hours of continous sleep for Annabelle! We made it and we are proud!

Some pics to update everyone

Annabelle is dressed for the storm we had today!!! The snow jacket and pants are a little too big but she'll grow into them!

This outfit is for less severe weather.

Annabelle now gives kisses to books and people. She was hoping the frog would turn into a prince (maybe next time...)

This is where she LOVES to hang out! Yep, under the table!

And lastly, this is what she looks like at every meal. Some of her favs are black beans, cottage cheese, Graduates, meat sticks, and any kind of bread or cracker. We bribe her to stay in her high chair a little longer with Nilla's so we can finish dinner. Yeah we are bad parents we know!

Tomorrow I will tackle Thanksgiving!

TAGGED

I have been tagged and I have to share 7 Random things about myself so, here we go...

#1 I'm 30...crazy huh!

#2 I really, really love to sleep. I can sleep for hours on end and I love it!

#3 I hate spending money...especially on clothes and hair. I swear I feel like a horde and I ALWAYS have buyers remorse after a large purchase even if we need it. ( a catch to that is I don't mind spending money on travel or going out to eat once a week.)

#4 I LOVE to work. Maybe that goes with #3...I've never thought of that.

#5 I LOVE to talk and talk and talk and talk..sorry to all my friends out there.

#6 I dream scary dreams of people dying, getting robbed etc...sometimes I can't tell my dreams from reality it's weird.

#7 I like to try different things but don't necessarily like to do them again... like crafts. I'll try anything once and then most likely I'll never do it again. Which is why I always borrow things because I know I'll never commit to doing something crafty. they should have a craft library for people like me. We can check out tools for a couple of days and return it.

Beginnings...

I can hardly believe that Annabelle took her first steps today! She is still in newborn socks and still wears 3-6 month clothes...I just got the 6-9 month clothes out and she's 9 months. How she balances on those tiny feet are beyond me. It was sooo fun to see how happy she was when she walked. I think the most she got was 3 steps before falling into mine or Brent's arms but she was laughing and clapping the whole time. She is growing up too fast! This picture is the best we could do. Enjoy because by Christmas we may have a walker on our hands (Brent thinks maybe by Thanksgiving but I'm hoping that's too soon)

Fall Fun!!!

More pictures my cute friend Brittany took. We were outside and she was taking pictures of her little girl and I changed Annabelle and got some pictures of her. Thanks Brittany we couldn't choose because they were all so WONDERFUL!!!

If there is something on the ground it will be in Annabelle's mouth as soon as she see's it.

Well as far as our little family... Brent is breaking his back trying to support us. Not only is he applying to PhD schools, but he is writting his thesis, working 30 hours a week and as of today I'm bleeding him dry...he is donating plasma. Somedays I feel so bad that I can't help more. But I think if I ask Brent one more time how I can help, he'll leave me. :) No not really, but I do ask a lot.

A few voting thoughts...

I was just thinking how exciting it is that our country has just elected an African-American President. I am hoping that Obama's speeches are going to motivate Americans to make some changes. I don't think a President can do it alone. I hope people can keep the excitement they felt at this election and put it into action. I worry that people think that by voting for a President who wants change they think they are done. I am worried for the future and believe that America is really corrupt and going down the drain. I worry for my child and her education and most of all I worry about the morals of this country. I really think that Politics/Politicians are not virtuous by any means. So whether or not you voted for Obama lets try and make this country better and I'm hoping that means by supporting him!

Happy Halloween!!!

Halloween was fun for us although Annabelle was sick. We went over to Brent's sisters home and made doughnuts. We went trick-or-treating but as soon as we started Annabelle was asleep in her stroller. So we got a nice walk with the family.

Annabelle and her cousins.

Yes she's in a tree! Our little monster!

Thanks Alison for the monster costume and Brittany for the tutu! It was sooo fun and warm!

9 month appointment

Annabelle had her 9 month appointment and she is 16 lbs 5 oz and 26 inches long. Still in the 10th percentile...so she is small like her parents. The good news is... she is socially at 12 months. Right now she is sick, sick, sick. Which is so sad because we have such a cute Halloween costume for her that she may not even be able to wear out. She has a fever at 101 and runny nose. We are hoping this goes away soon. At these times when Annabelle and I are sick I wonder how anyone can deal with more than 1 child. Lucky for me I have a wonderful husband who stayed up with Annabelle from 1-4am while I slept, so I could catch up on some sleep.

I'm placing my order...

So Annabelle has decided that crawling is not the BEST method of travel so how about walking. No, she's not yet to the point of walking by herself but she is able to stand alone and take a step, she LOVES walking with her Fisher Price walker thingy by herself. :) I mean she just started scooting. Can our genius baby really start walking at 9 months??? Well I'm told she still might take a few more months to get hang of walking by herself or a few weeks.

We will take walking at 11 months please...

This is how Annabelle crawls.

This is how Annabelle would like to get around. Thanks Emily for the walker!

Did you notice the Aloha shirt??? We are getting her ready for Hawaii! :)

Too Funny...

While at the library today I was standing behind a lady whose daughter was around 18 months and Annabelle and the girl were looking at each other. Annabelle was waving at her daughter trying to say hi and the lady was SO IMPRESSED. She told me that Annabelle was a genius and we should take her and get her tested in a year. I smiled and said thanks, but she was persistent and kept telling me babies shouldn't know how to wave so soon and use it in a proper situation. Well ofcourse Annabelle is genius baby...I mean look at her parents :) So tonight I got my BabyCenter update and lo and behold it says...

IT'S A FACT: By 8 months, most babies can learn sign language, whether formalized signs or simple gestures, such as waving "bye-bye."

Well it's OK to be normal...Right? :)

So onto the other info. Annabelle is on the move...she scoots though. It's the funniest thing she keeps her left leg on the ground and moves forward with her right leg and moves her left leg up to her right. She's getting quick though. She is so interested in standing and walking with help. She LOVES to walk around holding onto our fingers. She can't pull up onto things yet...but I think she's almost there. What happened to my baby?

Annabelle clapping!!! (our genius baby)

Annabelle in her "Pooh" oufit. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Lawyer!

My canning effort. I canned around 40 jars of applesauce, peaches and apple pie filling. Next time I need a real kitchen.

Plucking sunflower seeds from a sunflower and making yummy salted sunflower seeds was fun! Annabelle was my little helper!

So far in September...

I have been so busy with work I haven't even thought about updating our blog. So here goes... Well a paper Brent wrote got accepted to the Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities. So we are going to Hawaii in January. I am so excited. Annabelle is learning about her voice right now. We get to deal with lots and lots of screams. It's not very fun because she doesn't know what "We don't scream" means or even what "No" means. So she screams a lot. She can say mama, wow and do some clapping and waving. Which is quite cute. She is starting to crawl...backwards. Which she is frustrated by, because I think, she thinks the toy is moving away from her instead of her moving away from the toy. She can scoot around and stand for couple of seconds on her own. As for me, I am done working for a little while which means Brent gets the computer back and I can get back to reading and going to the library and going on walks. (and of course updating our blog.)

Here are some pictures of Annabelle a professional took while she was babysitting Annabelle. (the first time Annbelle has been left with anyone outside of family) Thanks Brittany!!! And you to can get some wonderful photo's done by Brittany if you go to http://www.photographybybrittany.com/

Update

So Annabelle has two teeth coming in. She's actually been quite good during this process. We can't get a good picture of her teeth but as soon as we do we'll post 'em. Brent got his full-time position, so we are very excited about having GREAT health insurance again. That's about all, but it's good enough for us!

Vegas Baby

So we went to Vegas a couple of weeks ago and had a GREAT time! We flew for the first time and there were no major out cries from Annabelle, so we were glad. She flew like a pro. Not that we'll fly alot it's expensive! We didn't want to drive because Annabelle is in constant need of attention and driving would have been a nightmare with her at this age. We hung out with Grandpa and Annabelle didn't have any "stranger danger" after 2 days with Grandpa. She hung out on his luxerious new carpet all day and took a bath in his new granite sink. Thanks Grandpa for making all those improvments. Brent especially loved Grandpa's 52' HD TV. If only he had a Wii. :) We stayed mostly indoors because it was hot, hot, hot in Vegas.

Grandpa and Annabelle saying Goodbye till Thanksgiving!

Annabelle effectively showing us how to chill at Granpa's!

Annabelle loved watching Grandpa's turtles swimming.