Stuffington Bear Factory

Nathan did not know until Christmas Eve that he was going to get this entire week off. So we decided to do something fun with the girls. Many of you know that I have been a crew member for Noah's Ark Animal Workshop for the past 2 years. My girls have helped me stuff and dress many animals but we thought it would be fun to see how a teddy bear is actually made. So we took them to Stuffington Bear Factory and did a tour.

This bear is 1 of 3 bears that is the largest in the U.S. They were made by Stuffington Factory and this one is over 10ft tall and weighs in at 572 pounds!!

Inside the factory

This is a machine used to cut out the templates for the different bears.

The girls were able to touch and feel the different kinds of noses and eyes they put on the bears.

This machine blows the stuffing into the bear like at Build-A-Bear except this one is super loud!! I wish I could have gotten a picture of the girls holding their hands over their ears.

This machine sews up the hole and then the bear is brushed and bathed before being shipped off to be sold. (Bathed means to use compressed air and blow any remaining fuzz off..lol)

Madison and Morgan really enjoyed the tour and I let them pick out something from the gift store. They each picked out tiny backpacks and hats for their animals. It was a fun thing to do and I highly recommend it since it's FREE!

Christmas Morning

Christmas morning was a little different for us this year. We had our first Christmas alone since Madison was born. We have always had family at our house bright and early to watch the girls wake up and see what Santa brought them or we have traveled to Grandma and Grandpa's house to enjoy Christmas with them. We had planned on spending time with Uncle Shea and Aunt Elisabeth from Flag but due to the snow they were unable to come down. Nate's brother now lives in Seattle with his wife and have a baby due any day now. My parents live in Austin and could not get time off work to come out to Arizona. And last but not least my brother and his family live in Kentucky and spent time with Erin's parents this year.

So this year I told the girls to come wake us up when they got up. Of course we were already awake when we heard tiny footsteps creeping around the house. We figured it was Morgan because our clock read 7:30 which meant her clock read 7:00. We adjusted the time awhile back when we told her she could not get up until 7am. Well she must wake up around 6am because every morning right at 7am she would come wake me up. So we figured the adjustment of time was good for everyone! Madison noticed a change in her clock the day I did it but to a 6 year she thinks that a digital clock can just run slow and that her clock has something wrong with it.

Anyway back to Christmas morning...so we heard Morgan walk into the living room at which point we thought she would come running into our room to tell us Santa had come. Well instead we her the sound of the T.V and just start cracking up because that is normally her routine. She wakes up and either comes in our room or turns on cartoons. So I have to then get out of bed and go tell her to wake up Madison who is still sound asleep. I run jump back in bed and wait for Madison to see what Santa has brought. The next thing I know Madison is running into our room saying "Santa came..Santa came!!". Now that was the reaction I was hoping for!

We then called Grandma and Grandpa in Texas to tell them we were finally up and turn on their Skype. We were able to enjoy the opening of presents with them via the computer which was really fun and we got to watch them open their gifts. Technology..isn't it great!!

The most important gift Santa brought was Tumbles. The girls have been wanting him since he came out and saw him on T.V.

Madison and Morgan each received double strollers from Aunt Erin which I must say was a huge hit!

Madison got a Baby Alive doll that actually wets her diaper. I think Santa knew mommy would like this one because she can drink plain water and we don't have to worry about any messes...whew!

Here is Morgan with her favorite puppy Max who is part of the family now and her newest love Tumbles. If you notice in the background Bailee is patiently waiting for someone to throw her new squeaky toy Santa brought her...ahhh.

Madison wanted this journal so that there was something she could keep Morgan out of. We are reaching the stage of wanting more space and unfortunately Morgan is at the stage where she wants to do everything with Maddie. I can't believe Madison will be 7 next month and before I know it she will be turning 14...oh my!

To end we wrapped up our opening of presents and then went over to visit with Nate's parents for awhile. We had a nice but quiet Christmas and enjoyed our time together as a family.

Christmas Dresses

Apparently there was some confusion about who the baby is on our Christmas card. I assumed most of you would recognize her as "Michaela" my niece and cousin to Maddie and Morgan. The picture on the card does not show her dress well so some thought she was a boy. Anyway here is another picture with her dress. She was not very cooperative the day we did this and in this picture Morgan is holding her down. Still a cute shot though..don't you think!

Snow in Phoenix?

Desert Springs Bible Church brought in 20 tons of snow for the kids to play in for the beginning of their Christmas services.

It's nice to have a little snow in Phoenix every once in awhile. I prefer this kind because that way I don't have to drive in it!!

Zoo Lights

Aunt Elisabeth bought glow sticks for the girls which they always enjoy!

There is a new exhibit at the Phoenix Zoo where you can touch sting ray. Morgan was a little bit scared of them but warmed up to the idea after a few minutes.

Just Right!

Miss Michaela thought the perfect stroller could be Madison's American Girl doll wheelchair. It was just the right size for her and her baby doll.

She even tried to see if she could go for a ride but realized she was a bit too big!

The Results Are In!!

Well it's official...We are going to be welcoming 2 nieces and 1 nephew beginning in January of 2009.
Jonnae and Elisabeth are having girls and yep you guessed it Erin is having boy #4!! We are very excited to meet these new little ones. Jonnae will start the year off in January followed by Elisabeth in Feb. and Erin in March. I will post when we hear the great news that all is well with our newest members of the family!