Bounce and Spin.... and Dance!

The girls got a Bounce and Spin pony recently, which hooks up to your TV, then changes pictures and plays music when the baby bounces on the pony. While the girls seem to like it, I'm not sure they quite get what they're supposed to do on it. They do a little bouncing and a little spinning, but mostly they like to 1) dance to the music, and 2) pound at the pictures on the TV screen. They're dancing is pretty cute, though! I especially like Claire's hand movements. Check out this little video and judge for yourself. (Abby started on the pony, but eventually climbed off and starting reading books. You might see her shake it a little, though.) Are they ready for "So, You Think You Can Dance" or what??

Claire was really, really thirsty today

The Many Sleeping Positions of Claire and Abby

Best Birthday Ever!!

Man, oh man, did we ever have a good first birthday party!!

Claire (aka Thing 1) and Abby (aka Thing 2) celebrated in style with a pizza party at Davanni's. We started the festivities by playing with all our family and friends that came to help us celebrate, including Cousins Lily (below left) and Alex (below middle) and future boyfriend, Zach Shipman (below right).


We also got to eat lots of delicious Davanni's pizza (the first of many exciting foods we ate that day). Claire, below, thought it was finger-lickin' good. (Oh wait, that's something else...)







Claire and Abby got SOOOO many wonderful gifts!! They got some very adorable clothes, wonderful books (which they can't seem to get enough of), a rug for their room, abaci (thank you math teacher, Uncle Greg!), Big Bird and Snuffalufagus stuffed animals, Little People Ride-on Princess Cars, new shoes, personalized piggy banks, diapers (yippee!), and these incredible benches (see below) that my sister and her husband MADE! Can you believe it?!?!









Then it was time for cake! I got a tip early on that Byerly's does free smash cakes for a baby's first birthday. You never know what you'll get when something's free, but these were adorable and HUGE, I thought, for being smash cakes!
The girls jumped right in, proving once and for all that they are in fact my daughters by devouring their cakes. They were in sugar heaven! Abby tried to shove huge handfuls of cake into her mouth all at once...

... While Claire smiled, clapped, and flung cake everywhere. It was hilarious!

It was a GREAT first birthday! Abby (left), Claire (right), Ryan and I thank all our family and friends who helped us celebrate and sent us birthday wishes. You made our day!!

Owies

Well, we've had our first injury. About 7 p.m. last Sunday night, Abby was standing in the kitchen, opening a cupboard door, when she somehow fell and smacked her eye on something. Ryan and I didn't think much of this as the girls have been falling a lot lately (I think they inherited my klutzy genes). Ryan picked Abby up and I suddenly noticed a gash by her eye!
Of course, I stated freaking out and wondering if we should truck on over to the ER. Instead we put some ice on it (note to self: Abby does NOT like cold towels being held on her face) and tried to calm our little girl down. The cut wasn't bleeding much, and eventually Abby calmed down and fell asleep. She did end up with a puffy eye and a nice-looking scratch (see above), but overall, she was completely fine. Of course, not to be outdone, the very next night, Claire fell and gave herself a bloody lip. Yep, they definitely got my klutzy genes!

The scene of the near-fatal accident:
Claire, pre bloody-lip, wonders what all the fuss is about:

It's a little late, but...

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Flurry

It has been a flurry of activity lately!

December has felt pretty chaotic, and we've had both really fun and really sad things going on. First for the fun stuff! Grandpa Wayne and Grandma Sharon came for a visit in early December. They got to spend lots of time with their two nutso granddaughters (I have a hilarious video of Sharon trying to feed them breakfast, but it won't upload. I'll keep trying!) They left a singing snowman thing that the girls love to dance to:

The girls also got to meet Santa in early December. I was a little worried about how they'd do sitting on a hairy stranger's lap, but they must have already sensed that Santa was a good guy because they did just fine!On December 13th, Claire and Abby's cousin Lily turned 1! I can't believe its already been a year since she was born. Lily had a great party at Grandma and Grandpa's house with her family and friends.

Lily got tons of great presents, but I'm sure she loved this spinning Elmo chair from her Aunt Lisa, Uncle Ryan, and cousins Claire and Abby the best. :) You can see more pictures soon at my sister's blog: www.woyak.com.

Chryst Family Christmas

As soon as Lily's party ended, us Lamberts hopped in the car and drove to Eau Claire for a housewarming party for Ryan's brother, Scott, and his wife, Emma, who just moved into their new house. We also had part one of our family Christmases and the girls' first ever Christmas celebration. We partied it up with Grandma Gwen, Grandpa Rich, Aunt Stephanie, Uncle Andy, Cousin Alex (2, pictured above with her parents), Uncle Scott and Aunt Emma.

The girls (Claire, left, and Abby, above) got cute mouse ears from Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Andy, as well as these cool puzzles with their names on them. They also got a turtle that projects stars and moons on the wall around their room from Uncle Scott and Aunt Emma. Alex seemed to like the Tinkerbell book and Thomas duplos we got her, too. We all got great gifts from Grandma and Grandpa, too, including story book pillows, new sleepers, snowman magnets, and more!

Campbell Family Christmas

And the Christmas fun continues! We spent Christmas Eve at Grandma Maggie and Grandpa Mike's house with Aunt Jill, Uncle Jason, Cousin Lily, Uncle Greg, and Great-Aunt Pat. We discovered a new food we love: green marshmallow jello salad. Yum!

The girls wore these beautiful dresses that Grandma Sharon made for them (can you believe she made them?!?!). Abby, in green, and Claire, in red, looked so adorable! I would have loved to get a picture of them in their dresses WITHOUT pacifiers in their mouths, but they've been teething pretty badly lately and scream any time they're without them. It's made for a fun few days with the girls!

There were also many more wonderful gifts at the Campbell Christmas! The girls got a Radio Flyer wagon -- complete with seat belts, cup holders, and a canopy -- from Grandma and Grandpa. They also got a Little People musical ride-on toy, which they are loving, and a book rack from Aunt Jill and Uncle Jason. And of course, Santa brought them lots of toys and treats! It was a wonderful first Christmas! (I was also incredibly excited and surprised when Ryan and I got a camcorder from Jill and Papa! Woo hoo! I'll put it to good use and you can expect more videos from me in the future, I'm sure)

Good-bye Grandma Great

By far, the biggest (and saddest) thing that happened this December was the loss of the girls' "Grandma Great" (my grandma and my mom's mom) Dorothy Stinson. Grandma Stinson lived a wonderfully long 93-years, and was very healthy for most of those years. However, a very bad gall bladder infection left her with no other choice but to go through surgery, and the recovery became too hard for her. She passed away the afternoon of December 14th, surrounded by her three children and others who loved her.

When I think of my Grandma Stinson, I am sad that my girls won't ever get to hold her soft hands, or play with her beautiful snow white hair, or eat the delicious food that only she could make, but I am so very grateful that she got to meet my girls and spend at least a little time with them. Her family brought such delight to her, as she told us often, and I know each one of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren had a special place in her heart, as she did in ours. She was an incredible woman with a great sense of humor (even at 93!), and she will be missed very much.

My brother and I visited our grandma in the hospital the night before her surgery. I told her that she was in every single one of my big memories from childhood, and it's true! My roommates in college used to refer to my family as "the herd" because we went everywhere together. I realize now how lucky I was to have that. What kid gets not only their immediate family, but also both their grandmas and their aunt, for every birthday and holiday celebration and every trip to the cabin? She has left me a legacy of wonderful memories, and a family whose strength and warmth grew from her own. When it comes down to it, and especially at Christmas, it's the best gift I have ever been given.