Dear H and O,

It was a wonderful Christmas! We’ve had a fantastic Christmas  season, actually… we’ve had some wonderful times celebrating as a family — I didn’t take very many pictures, though, because I decided that I wanted to enjoy the moments with you without the distraction of trying to capture every second with photos. Believe me, we had a grand time in the days leading up to Christmas!

On Christmas Eve, we ate dinner at Nana and Papa’s and went to church. On Christmas Day, we woke up and opened presents and then had a big Christmas dinner here, with Grandma and Jiddoh, Nana and Papa, Ken and Marcia, Uncle Ramsey and Aunt Lisa, Charlie, Alex and Oliver! It was a great time!

Love you,
Mama

All Dressed up for Christmas Eve church:
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Christmas Morning — and art easel and a fire truck from Santa:
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Exchanging gifts with cousins:
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Aunt Lisa helped your cousins pick out this American Doll just for you — she looks like you and even wears glasses like yours! (Although yours were missing over Christmas!)
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Dear Baby,

Today we had our first appointment with Dr. B. We got our first look at you! Your heart is beating 166 beats per minute and you are due to join our family on July 26, 2012. We are very excited!

Love you,
Mama

You, 7 weeks, 4 days:
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PS — Today I ordered calendars for Nana and Grandma – and this picture is the July picture with a caption that says, “Baby McCauley #3 due July 26, 2012!” We will be giving them these calendars on Christmas Eve to tell them our great news!

Dear H and O,

Today we went to see Santa at the park. Hayden, you took your list and told Santa all about it! Owen, you were not very excited about sitting in his lap! Also, our Christmas card went out this week!

Love you,
Mama

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Dear Hayden,

We had a special week! Oliver came to stay with us for a little while while Aunt Lisa and Uncle Ramsey were out of town. We had a great time while he was here! We played with Play Doh, watched movies, went to the park and played a lot! It’s fun to have a special time like this to spend with a cousin!

Love you,
Mama

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Dear Hayden and Owen,

It’s Christmas time again!! Tonight we decorated the house and put up the tree — it’s so fun to have these traditions with you! You make our holidays the happiest they’ve ever been!

Love you,
Mama

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In the Tree Box!

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Playing with the Nativity scene

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Christmas PJs and Christmas Fun!

Dear Baby,

This morning, I learned you are on your way! I had an inkling because of how I was feeling, but today I took a test — I love this test because the response window reads YES and that is exactly how I feel about having another little blessing in our family! Yes!

Love you,
Mama

The YES test:
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PS — Here’s how I told Dad — He was very excited!
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Dear Owen,

Today, you are one year old! You are such a big boy and you are so much fun! You are 32 inches long and you weigh just over 21 pounds! On Saturday, we had a party for you with family and a few friends — we had a special “It’s Been a Sweet Year!” candy station and a bouncy house outside! We had a great time celebrating your first year — you ate your first cupcake and made a bit of a mess with it! Today, we had a birthday dinner with Nana and Papa and we made you your first over-sized birthday cupcake — that’s a “real” birthday tradition around here! You enjoyed a piece of that cupcake, too!! All in all, it’s been the fastest and best year ever!!

Love you,
Mama

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Dear Owen,

Today Friday on Frank was special! There are 5 kids in our neighborhood who were all born within 4 weeks of each other — and you are one of them! Today, at Friday on Frank we celebrated these very special first birthdays! Your buddy Cole is a little under the weather, so he couldn’t be there, but he was born November 2, 2010 — just 14 days before you! You were not a big fan of your birthday party hat, but you were a big fan of the cupcake that Tara made for you! I just love your cupcake face!

Love you,
Mama

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Dear H and O,

I LOVE this time of year — but one of my most favorite things about it is that you get to wear fuzzy pajamas! They are super cute on you and they are, to me, the essence of childhood!

Love you,
Mama

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Dear H and O,

We had a really fun Halloween! We had a block party, just as we have for every Halloween that we’ve lived here. We’re so lucky to live among friends! Afterward, you went trick-or-treating with Daddy and all the neighborhood kids, Hayden, and Owen, you went to bed! After you got back, Hayden, you left your candy out for the Switch Witch. She’ll switch your candy for a toy while you’re sleeping tonight! I bet she’s bringing something good!

Love you,
Mama

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