Reflection of the previous year

Well, I will answer the questions about Christmas and New Years first.

The girls are definately spoiled. They had many gifts, and for us they were our gift. The girls are getting bigger, and are now mostly wearing 0-3 month clothes. Another strange event, is that on their checkup just before christmas, Alyssa is now weighing more than her sister.
For Christmas, we went to my inlaws for christmas eve, then opened gifts to eachother and from us to the girls on christmas day at our house. At about 5 pm we went up to Wichita because my mom's birthday was on saturday. We opened gifts at her house, then left on saturday because Gary had to work on Sunday. Everyone seemed to enjoy seeing them, and the girls actually opened a few of their gifts, with my help of course. They would grip the paper, then I would either turn the present or lean back so the paper would rip. It was quite cute and we got some good pictures of it. I will post those later.

For New years, we slept. That was the highlight of our New Years. We fell asleep at 11pm New Years Eve, and slept in other than getting up to feed the girls.

This last weekend, the girls rode with me and my friend Amanda on horses. We used those papuse packs and rode around a small lake on private property. It was rather fun.

Looking back over this year, a lot has happened. I got pregnant, which I was told could have not happened. Having the disease PCOS, it could have made me infertile, and the fertility treatments do not always work. I was extremely lucky because it worked on the first treatment, and then it worked so well that I had two beautiful girls.

My cousin's family lost their little girl during my pregnancy. It was difficult going to the funeral, but it was a beautiful one, and I am sure that she will continue to live on through her parents and brothers. Her healing grace raised awareness of heart disease and showed the family about the meaning of life a little more, and showed all of us the value of a day, a hour, a minute, and a second. Something that we will probably not forget anytime soon. Ava, your memory will live on, and you will remain loved.

Alyssa and Sierra were born 6 weeks early, had a 2 week stay in the hospital, Sierra got braces on her feet, and the girls have both been given SoonerStart to try to catch up to their peers in their development.

Gary and I celebrated our wedding anniversary during the girls' stay in the hospital, so we celebrated the anniversary of the day we met on December 21. We stayed in a bed and breakfast where we had dinner served in our room, a massage for 2 in our room, and a one night stay in a very nice suite. The bed and breakfast was here in the city, and my mom had come down for the day to watch them.

Also, my mom got engaged to be married and has decided to have the ceremony in July of this year.

I will post the pictures later from the holiday. I hope that everyone had a good holiday, and has a great new year. May the blessings of the season be with your family as it has been with ours, and I look forward to continuing to share the experiences of our daughters with you in this year and the years to come.