Wachlin Christmas!

Yesterday we went down to southern MN to celebrate Christmas with the Wachlin family! We had such a great time with them, anc Camille was happy the entire time, despite going six hours without a nap! She slept the whole way there and the whole way back, though.

Lydia was sporting her big sister's headphones!
The girls with Grandma and Great Grandma

Valerie was all smiles the whole day!

Camille spent about 45 minutes just relaxing with Great Grandma (who I think was glad to have a reason to just sit and cuddle her littlest grandbaby!)

Valerie brought her new Elmo Live and Camille loved it too!

Aaron and his cousin Tammy were having fun with their cameras...

Playing on Mommy and Daddy's bed before bathtime

Trying to attack Daddy and the camera

(Notice the beautiful quilt on our bed that Aaron's grandparents made for us!)

Well, I think all of our Chrismas gatherings are over with for the year. We're relaxing at home today, and it's back to work tomorrow. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and have a great New Year!

jenna

Camille and Isabel "Sledding"

Aaron took the girls out on saucer sleds today after lunch. For once it's not absolutely freezing outside so we thought we'd better seize the moment!

(Megan: Remember when we found that picture of me and my friend when we were little? We were all bundled up by the front door of our house in VA, and the back was labled Jenna and Robbie "sledding." We couldn't figure out why "sledding" was in quotes. Maybe it was because we weren't actually sledding, just playing in the snow with our flattened cardboard box. Or maybe it was in quotes because we weren't actually using sleds since it probably was just a cardboard box!)

For unto us a child is born

Disclaimer: Get ready for LOTS of pictures!

We spent yesterday morning at Isabel's house helping her celebrate her first birthday! The girls had a great time playing together and opening Christmas and birthday presents, and I had a chance to help Kristy get things ready for the dinner she was serving to her family who was coming into town.

This picture is of the girls standing at the gate that blocks the way to the basement. They love standing here, especially when there are lights on or people downstairs.

We tried getting a picture of the girls in Christmas outfits by the tree, but it wasn't working very well. Too many distractions I think!

Then we tried putting them on the couch, but they kept trying to crawl off!

After their morning naps, it was time to sport the tu-tu's! I brought Camille's so she could wear hers, and we gave Isabel one for her birthday.

And I FINALLY was able to snap a picture of Camille standing without holding onto anything. She was having fun playing with the magnets on the fridge while we were working in the kitchen.

We went to church at 4 and were lucky enough to snag a spot in the pew next to Nick, Angie, and new baby Lyla! She was able to come home from the hospital on Monday and has been doing very well. What a sweet and TINY thing she is, at just 6 lbs. 2 oz! She slept the entire time, but we certainly enjoyed looking at her. Camille was in awe and kept wanting to touch her (gently, of course).

After church we went to David and Jeannie's house for dinner (cheesy meatball soup, as usual!) and gift opening. We wanted to get a picture of the girls with Grandma and Grandpa, but it was quite difficult - Lydia had an ear infection, Camille was tired, and Adeling kept wanting to "help." But we managed to get one that turned out nicely.

Then we tried to get a picture of just the girls and it did NOT work! Babies started crying and we knew it wasn't going to work!

Time for gift opening! Camille recieved lots of fun presents, the best of which was a Leap Frog drum that she absolutely adores. Uncle Bryan and Aunt Megan gave her one like the one they had at their house when we were visiting. As soon as she had that drum she forgot she was tired and had a blast!

This morning we did something we've never done before - we started opening presents before the sun was even up! Camille woke up at 6:30, and by 7:30 we were all up, in the living room, and opening presents. Boy were we tired! Camille's pile was by far the largest, and she had a great time helping open her presents and playing with them.

Then I had the great idea of seeing if she would fit in her stocking. It was a tight fit, but eventually we squeezed her into it!

Santa brought us all "Excavation Kits" where you dig tiny dinosaur bones out of a brick of...well, I'm not sure what it's a brick of! But Aaron has begun working on his, excavating on his brick to find all his dino bones. Apparently it takes quite a while, especially when you accidentally throw one of the bones away and have to go "digging" for it in the garbage!

Camille has beey VERY overstimulated by all of her new toys! Some she's already figured out how to work, and other's she's still working on.

We wanted to take a family picture of us on Christmas, even if we weren't all dressed up. So here we are, one of us still in our jammies (Aaron), one of us without brushed hair (me), and one of us looking just as cute as ever (you all know who)!

We pray that you all had a wonderful Christmas! Blessings to you!

jenna

Happy Birthday, Isabel!

Happy Birthday, Isabel!

How special it is that you get to share your birthday with Jesus! What a tiny bundle of blessing you are to everyone you meet! We pray that the LORD will continue to bless you as you grow into the little girl He has planned for you to be. We look forward to watching you grow up with Camille and can't wait to see how you will grow and change in the coming year.

Hi everyone! I know it's been a while since I updated you on what Camille's been up to these days. She is now crawling like a pro and cruising around furniture like you wouldn't believe! She can also stand for quite a while without holding on to anything for support, and even likes playing with her toys while standing up. She's also learning to make new noises with her mouth, and in the process has figured out how to make a very quite whistling sound. She continues to "drum" on everything in sight, whether it be a table top, baby doll, or Isabel's head (we're working on teaching her what is okay to hit and what/who isn't okay to hit).

We're definitely excited to be spending our first Christmas as a family of three. It's been hard not to buy every single thing I think she might like, but I'm sure she will be getting plenty of gifts from other people too.

Tomorrow is Isabel's first birthday, and we will be celebrating with her in the morning before coming home for a nap. Then it will be off to church and then to Aaron's parents' house for dinner and gift openeing.

Here's a picture I took this morning while the girls and I were watching Frosty the Snowman. I have to put the ottoman in front of the tv so they don't touch it. Whenever the music was playing they were dancing to it. Just when I grabbed the camera to take a picture of the dancing Camille she put her arm around Isabel. It was SO sweet!

Camille took her first "big girl" bath tonight. Aaron was cooking dinner and I didn't feel like cleaning out the sink. So she sat in the bath tub with her Duckie and cup and had a grand ol' time!

We'll make sure to post a Christmas update as soon as we can. Merry Christmas everyone!

jenna

Christmas Picture Link

If you'd like to view Camille's Christmas pictures, you can go to www.smilesbywire.com, create an account (for free) and take a look at them! The last name to enter is Polzin (duh!) and the album access code is LTPP0232124566JCPSHARE. We had a lot of fun having them taken, as it was the first time she actually SMILED for their camera and didn't cry at all! I'm really pleased with how they turned out and can't wait to go back for her 12 month pictures. Enjoy!

jenna

Welcome to the world, Lyla!

Our friends from church, Nick and Angie, welcomed their daughter into the world early Monday morning. Little Lyla was born five weeks early, but weighed in at a healthy 6 lbs! Congratulations, Nick and Angie! We are so excited for you and praying that this tiny bundle of blessing will be able to go home soon!