Santa Claus

This is the first year that Audrey asked to go see Santa. Up until now, she was afraid of him. We have pictures of Christmas' past where both girls are screaming in Santa's lap. Well, this year was different. Audrey did great. She talked to him and told him what she wanted.

Big girl! Not at all afraid

Abby also sat on Santa's lap. She did not talk to him, though. She was a little bit afraid, but did not cry. She had "puppy" with her for comfort. She loves that little thing with all her heart.

She looks a little bit afraid.

Later on that day, I heard Audrey and Abby playing. Audrey was sitting in her rocking chair acting like Santa and Abby was in her lap. This is what I overheard:

Santa (aka Audrey): "What would you like for Christmas, little girl?"

Little Girl (aka Abby): "I want a chicken."

Santa: "A real chicken or a pretend chicken?"

Little Girl: "A real one!"

Santa: "I can't handle that!"

Little Girl: "Okay, then I want it baked."

Trying to get a decent photo...is it possible?

For the past couple of years, Caleb and I have had someone take pictures of the girls for our Christmas card. This year, we were to do the same. Yesterday, I had a message from the photographer that she had a death in her family and would not be able to take our pictures. Bless her heart, she felt so bad and offered other names for us. Instead, we decided that we would do it (rather Caleb would do it). Caleb is very talented in many areas and I consider him to be kinda "artsy", so I knew he could handle the task.

Our plan was quickly followed with Caleb saying "I am so scared about tonight!" Normally, we would have done them outside, but we figured we just needed to get them done so we could have them mailed before our trip to Mexico.

So, the photo shoot begun. It was not pretty and it really didn't get much better. I have to say, I really think my girls are precious and beautiful, but if they are not cooperating, it just doesn't work too well. You see, Audrey feels the need to pose and plaster a huge fake smile on her face (Caleb says she learned that from her momma and Aunt Ann...whatever!). Abby, well, she just CANNOT be still. I think she would like to, but just CANNOT. She never stops moving/talking unless she is asleep.

Eventually, we were able to pick out a few to make our card. It wasn't easy, though.

Below are some of the pictures that we did NOT use, I think you will understand why. Enjoy!

Early Christmas with LiLi

Christmas has already started for the Seneys. LiLi rotates where she spends Christmas and this year she will be in Thibodaux with the Millers, so LiLi and the Seneys celebrated Christmas last night in Monroe. W did presents Friday night and the girls and LiLi decorated her tree on Saturday. We all had a great time. The girls LOVED the gifts from their LiLi. They each got a stocking full of goodies, a Christmas book, stuffed animals, sleeping bags and a tent to share.

Hope you enjoy the pictures!

The girls in their new tent

in their sleeping bags

Audrey in front of the tree

Abby (she woke up with a cold, hence the red nose and glossy eyes, poor baby!).

LONG TIME, NO WRITE

So, obviously it has been awhile since I have posted anything. I find myself VERY busy, but that should not be an excuse.

Audrey is still loving kindergarten, but still not talking much about it. Abby is still precious and gets funnier everyday!

Right now, the Seney's are gearing up for a great Holiday Season. We love lots going on, but are loving every minute of it. We are really excited about a James Family trip to Mexico. The kids are so excited to spend time with their Poppa and Honey and aunts, uncles and cousins. We leave on December 19th and return on the 23rd. We have to be home for Santa to come visit us.

I will try harder to keep up with posts. Don't hold your breath, though!!

I will leave you with a picture of Audrey and Abby with their cousin Madeline. It was made on Thanksgiving Day. We missed not having cousins Emma and Jack here, but it wont be long until we see them in Mexico!

My Favorite Part of Kindergarten

So, Audrey is in kindergarten. Big girl. I assume she likes it. When I ask her about school or her day, her response is typical Audrey....."that is private business, Mom."


So, this is about MY favorite part of kindergarten. I am being totally truthful here. I love how dang precious she looks in her uniform, or should I say, varieties of her uniform. Check out her cuteness below.

One Lovely Blog Award

I am a winner!! My sweet friend, Lori gave me this award. Lori is my friend from work. We have been 'suite mates" (we share a restroom between our offices) for about 5.5 years. She has a cute little boy, AJ, that is four. Check out her blog....Lori's Home and Family. I am sooo sorry I don't know how to do the link thing. Look for her on my blog roll.


The rules to receiving this award are to: Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

There is one problem: I do not know 15 blogs deserving of this award, so I will do the best I can. Here are the winners:

1. Old Lady Athlete
2. The Jennings Secede from the South
3. The Tylers
4. The Lees

Look at my blog roll and check out these blogs.

Have a great weekend.

SWEET DADDY

I just wanted to share a few pictures of Caleb and his girls. Audrey and Abby have such a sweet daddy and I have a wonderful husband. We love you, Caleb!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUDREY GRACE

WOW!! It is so hard to believe that our Audrey is 5 years old today!! Isn't she beautiful??

Like all moms say, I remember the day she was born. I was induced about 6am and she did not make her entrance into this world until about 10:30pm! She was definitely worth the wait!

Audrey has to be the smartest, funniest and most precious 5 year old in the world. Everyday is an adventure with her...she is a mess!!

I cannot imagine our world without her. She brings sunshine to my days. Thank you, God, for this most precious blessing.

BLOG IDOLS AND DIAPERED ANIMALS

Today was a big day in my bloggy world. My favorite thing to do in the mornings is wake up before everyone else, pour a big cup of coffee and read my favorite blogs. As you probably know, I live in somewhat of a fantasy world and think I actually know these people. I follow three blogs and I have NEVER MET THESE PEOPLE! I like Kelley's Corner (cute baby) and Big Mama (very funny). I recently added BooMama and find her amusing, too.

Today, all the stars aligned and ALL OF MY PRETEND FRIENDS met up and hung out. I was in blog heaven reading about it! Apparently, "Big" and "Boo" went out and stayed on Pioneer Woman's Ranch (I don't follow her, but I have seen her on my cousin's blog list). After a few days of hanging out on the ranch, "Big" and "Boo" met up with Kelley (and baby Harper). HOW COOL IS THAT?? Okay, I am done.

Abby has attached herself recently to a stuffed Snufalufagas (is that how to spell it??). This morning she claimed he needed his diaper changed. She told us "Dino (her name for him) is stanky (you know, stinky). She then went into her room in search of a diaper. Well, seeing as how mature her parents are, we decided to help her out. When we were all done, she even said "thank you".

Can you guess who's idea it was to cut the hole for his tail?? (Caleb)

We are headed to the beach next week. Just the four of us. We have never been on a vacation with just the four of us. The girls are excited as you can probably tell by the baby beach chairs in the background of the above picture. Ann gave them those chairs last year and they have decided they LOVE them. Okay, really those chairs have been out since way before they knew we were headed to the beach! It wasn't planned, but somehow our bedroom is the family hang out room. As evidenced by the Dora chairs and "mermaid kingdom".

I don't plan on surfing the web while we are at the beach, so this may be the opportunity to break my addiction to random blogs. The truth is, we don't have a lap top and that is why I won't be surfing. I hope I don't go into withdrawals....

Just Another Typical Monday Night at the Seney's

A little fishin'

a ballerina doing the splits

and hanging out in "mermaid kingdom"

I Wear My Sunglasses at Night

Abby eats dinner in her sunglasses more often than not. She also eats with two or three stuffed animals and her blanket. She is my kind of girl.

2009 Dance Recital

Well, we survived the dance recital. Well, almost. Audrey had a ballet routine and a tap routine. For some reason, the tap routine was after intermission (about the 10th dance after intermission). I guess "the powers that be" were really not thinking because it is a class of 4 and 5 year old kids! So, she did great in the ballet routine. They were angels and were precious. The following picture was taken at Thursday's dress rehearsal. Isn't she precious?!


So, on recital night, my mom and I go to check on Audrey backstage. The poor thing (along with others) was melting down. Intermission was not until 9:00 so that meant her next routine would not be until around 10:00 AT NIGHT! She was exhausted, hungry and HAD IT! She was begging me to go home. I was so torn. I wanted to take her home, but I was worried that she would regret it later and I was worried that I was setting a precedence that it is okay to not follow through with her commitments (my parents were VERY big on this). In the end, her tears won out and we left. So far, she doesn't regret it one bit. The tap costume is so cute! I took her picture in it Friday afternoon. She is so sassy sometimes! It was a little weird putting make-up on her, but those were the strict orders from you know who, "the powers that be".

We had the option of having their pictures taken at the civic center, but they were done at 8:00 on Thursday morning and I just didn't think she would have made it with the LONG dress rehearsal after that. So, my friend Erin and I had Allison (Picture This) take Audrey and Mia's picture Friday afternoon. I can't wait to see how they turn out.

I know I am being negative, but I am not sure I want to go through all this again!! I really want her to be interested in gymnastics or swim or soccer...anything that does not involve a recital!!

RAVE, Level 4

I did not sleep good last night...I was worried and TERRIFIED about the big dance recital dress rehearsal. For those of you that do not know, the annual dance recital is a HUGE undertaking (mainly for the mothers). The thing that really terrified me was the "bun". Yes, all girls are to have their hair in a classical ballet style bun. In case you don't know, Audrey has a bob. Her hair is NOT very conducive to a bun. There were strict instructions...ALL HAIR OFF FACE AND NECK; NO FLY-AWAYS! I knew this called for the "big guns". That's right folks...RAVE Level 4.

Oh, the memories I have of the RAVE. The turquoise can, the nauseating smell. When I think of RAVE, I also think of my friend, LeeAnn. She and I both loved RAVE and used it religiously. The only section of our hair we used it on was our bangs. It is quite a talent to create the bangs we were able to create in high school. The two main tools needed were a curling iron and RAVE. The bangs moved in one big section!!

So, the other day I head to WalMart in search of RAVE. As I scanned the aisle, I got very nervous. Where was the familiar turquoise can?? I broke out in a small sweat thinking I may have to buy AquaNet. But then my eyes landed on it....RAVE. Apparently, the RAVE people are trying to keep up with the times by changing their bottle color to silver. They did not fool me!

This morning the bun was created. I don't think I have ever used so much hairspray in my life! When it was all over, Audrey said her hair felt like hay. Poor thing...she survived, though and that hair did not move all day!

On our way to rehearsal. I did not put her costume on yet because I was not sure she would fit in her booster seat with all the "business" involved with it.

PRECIOUS!!

Side view...yes that lace was part of the costume; not my idea

Because I feel like I have posted so much about Audrey lately, I decided to add a picture of both of my girls being silly (what they do best).

The End of WMS

I go to get Audrey at school Friday and she is CRYING! My sweet girl is sooooo sad that school is out. She is excited to do somethings this summer, but still wants to go to school. She has LOVED Wildflower Montessori and her teachers. I hope she transitions okay to AEP in the fall, at least 3 of her current classmates will be in her class so maybe that will help. She is so smart and loves to learn...just like her momma! HA!

They had their end of the year party of Wednesday and I went along to help drive. The party was at a playground and the kids had sooo much fun. I am glad I went, too. I went a little overboard with the pictures, but I am a momma, what can I say??

Miss Lauren helped Audrey get on this cool thing that you balance and walk on. Audrey loved it.

Isn't it neat?

Sidewalk chalk...always a winner with Audrey

Audrey and her friend Sophia "attacking" Miss Lauren. She didn't seem to mind.

Audrey and Sophia goofing around (as usual)

Audrey asked me to take this picture before she went in Mrs. Shelly's house. She said "I am sure my Nanny will want to see a picture of just me on the computer."

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

A Little of This and a Little of That

The Seney's have been busy!! Audrey had her end of the school year party today (will post pictures soon), we are gearing up for the big dance recital, which is apparently a BIG deal; bigger than I expected. It's so big that I have to take 3 days off next week. Audrey has swimming lessons, vacation Bible school and art camp to look forward to. Poor Abby, there just aren't a lot of options for 2 year-olds, but I really don't think she knows any better.

Caleb has been busy, too. With what you ask...............

Another summer starts this coming Sunday. It's always fun for me to sit back and see what interesting "jobs" Caleb will be doing. Just this week he built a small fence. He is especially fond of the gate. I may need to check it out so that I will know his skill level and what I can expect from him at our house!! Another fun aspect of camp is when we all four go out for dinner. Yes, it is always fun to see the kids, but the best part is the FOOD! Mrs. Mavis knows her way around a kitchen.

What else? Well, a few weeks ago Madeline came by to visit. She is precious as always!

Two little princesses

Ashley sent me this today! They are at the beach this week! I am so jealous. Look at Andrew holding his "mini me". How cute is that???!!

FUN WEEKEND, Part Two

Sorry for the delay, but for some reason I have neglected my blog. Sorry to all (2 or 3) of my faithful readers!!

The second day we were in Thibodaux, we went to the local fair. Wow!! Audrey has never been to a fair, so this was an experience for her. I admit, I did not have much faith in her. I assumed she would be deathly afraid and not want to ride anything!! I had some faith in Jack. He sort of goes back and forth between brave and not so brave. But, with Emma, I had no doubt! I knew she would want to ride everything!! This is the child who, when asked what her favorite part of Disney World was responded "THE TOWER OF TERROR!" That's right; not the princesses or castles, but THE TOWER OF TERROR (by the way, she is 5 years old). Ann and I rode a couple of things with them, but for the most part they were on their own and had a BLAST!

Maybe they are still a little dizzy from the "boat"??

Audrey might be a little scared (her eyes are closed)

This really surprised me

Tired, hot and ready to go home!

FUN WEEKEND, Part One

Because my life is not all that exciting, I have decided to do two posts from our weekend in Thibodaux....one from Saturday and one from Sunday. Also, my arms are a little wobbly after doing the 30 Day Shred (Jillian Michaels, trainer from Biggest Loser, or as I like to affectionately refer to her, THE DEVIL).

Audrey and I got up early Saturday morning and headed to The Miller's in Thibodaux. Daddy and Abby were both still sleeping when we left. The ride was pretty uneventful (well, except when I looked back at Audrey and she was playing with her gummy worms, which she first put in her mouth to get wet).

Saturday was a beautiful day and we stayed outside ALL day. Ann's yard is so pretty. She and Steve (okay, really Steve) have put a lot of hard work into it and it was was enjoyable to just relax outside all day.

The kids immediately put on their swim suits as Ann filled up the baby pool. They ran around jumping and splashing in the water and jumping on the trampoline.




They really are three of the cutest kids EVER!! Emma is nine months older than Audrey and Audrey is nine months older than Jack and they get along really well (most of the time)!



Ann left for a brief while to go pick up lunch. During that time, the kids turned on the water hose and made mud puddles (no, I didn't stop them). Emma and Audrey then rolled around in the mud like pigs (hope they don't catch swine flu)!!

I'm not sure anyone else can pull off this look

I think the hi-lite of the day was when all three of them discovered that they could fit into a trash can...good times!!


I will return soon with a follow-up post. I KNOW each of you are on the edge of your seats!!

Hmmm...What's On My Mind

RANDOM THINGS I HAVE BEEN THINKING:

1. Henry James Jennings is a PRECIOUS baby with a lot of dark hair.

2. We have 11 wheeled objects (not including our cars) under our carport.

3. All three of the Seney girls LOVE Popsicles.

4. My legs are VERY white, but I am trying to break the bad habit of sunbeds.

5. I am excited that Audrey and I are going to my sister's this weekend (Abby is staying with her daddy because Audrey and I haven't had much "big girl" time lately).

6. My dad and his wife are in Mexico...I wonder if they have started to "oink" or grow squiggly pink tails? (just kidding; I spoke with them and they are fine).

7. I would consider having another baby just so I could buy him/her some of those cute "baby legs".

8. Why don't the "powers that be" turn on the air conditioner at work? Why do they have the control in a locked box?

Okay, I think that is all that has been on my mind lately. Tomorrow is Wednesday...half-way through the week! Hang in there. We can make it!

What's One More??

Caleb and I had the opportunity to babysit our friends (Cody and Morgan) little girl, Marlee. She is 4 months younger than Abby and is a sweet little girl! She and Abby played and Audrey did an excellent job "babysitting" them both.

The weather was so nice, they played outside for awhile Friday evening. The picture below cracks me up...not sure what I was focusing on! Audrey and Abby are looking up at an airplane, but I think Marlee is only concerned with her juice!





For some reason, my girls LOVE to play in Abby's crib. Marlee joined in on the fun, too. Unfortunately, by the time I took the picture, Abby had had enough...I am sure that is obvious by her sad little face!

After getting into their pajamas, it was time for a little late night snack. Aren't they cute all on the chair together??

The night came to an end with a little relaxing and movie-watching!

Marlee is precious and we would love to have her back anytime! Audrey is already anxious to have her back so she can "babysit" again!!