My Big Babies and Little One

These two ADORE their baby sister!

Guess who loves to eat.  We have nicknamed her piglet.

Lilly Grace drinking her apple juice with GG.      

Ry and his best bud.

Christmas 2011

Christmas in the Wells' house was both eventful and uneventful.  For the whole week before Christmas, Matt was in bed with a terrible flu.  Not knowing if we were contagious, and it being so close to Christmas, we stayed clear from everyone, even missing Christmas service at church.  It was a sweet time of just being home.  Though one night, I did venture out with the kids to look at some awesome lights and have Peppermint Milkshakes.  At least it made us all really appreciate Daddy, and how much we miss him when he's "gone"!

Love my baby's expression.  She's just realizing that she and Ryan got Jonathan Park Communicator Watches.

I love Ry's sweet interest in his sister here.  They are buds.

There's that smile.  She is a child that is truly grateful.  It is an innate, God-given gift.  This year, we decided that we were done with Santa.  Madeline had already figured it out, so we decided to tell Ry.  No more embracing the secular world's view of one of our most holy holidays as a Christian.  It was both scary and freeing to take this step.  I had to let go of appearing "strange" to the world and let go of my vision of a Christmas that included Santa.  Our sweet Lilly Grace will grow up knowing that Christ's birth is truly the ONLY thing we celebrate on Christmas.

Beyblades!  These things are so cool.  Ry sometimes spends hours up in his room making new ones, and versing them.

The boy has a love affair with Pokeman.  It's helped that two of our sweet college student (called them "our" b/c we feel like they are our adopted big kids) gave Madeline and Ryan their entire 3-ring binder collections.

Oh my goodness.  I cannot get enough of her expressions.  They are AWESOME!  She is just realizing that we bought them the X-Box Kinect.

Her first cross-stitching craft.

The fam playing beyblades.

Whose going to win???

Last year we started a new tradition of having a big Christmas Eve dinner, and  a big Christmas breakfast.  For breakfast we had eggs, bacon, and homemade sticky buns.  Since the Wells' love to eat, we look forward to this every year.  And did I mention, that we have chocolate lava cakes for Christmas Eve dessert with vanilla ice cream. . .does not get much better than that!

Lilly Grace Standing

Daddy loves this trick. . .getting Lilly Grace to balance by herself on his hands, in mid-air.  Thankfully, after 12+ years of marriage, I trust the man!

More Pics from GG's

My momma, Julia, Manda, me and my baby.  Can you tell we're sisters. . .we all look really different!

Amanda with Jacob, and Madeline with Mommy.  I really do love time with my sister.  I only wish we lived closer and had been closer growing up.  It was especially fun getting to see my baby sister in full swing as a wife and mommy, and to meet Manda's "new" boyfriend.

Andrew and Madeline

A visit to Grandma's

Madeline and her Daddy.

Grandma and Ryan.  Not only do we have one awesome grandma in the DC area, we have two!  Friday we spent with GG, Saturday we spent with Grandpa, and Sunday we got to see Grandma.  Grandma was on the ball with Christmas cookies make and presents under the tree.  It was awesome.  We had a wonderful, relaxed family day!

Madeline with her Grandma.

Grandma got Madeline a Josephina mini doll!!!

Ry opening a pretty cool present.  It glows in the dark and spins around.

The sweet kids with Grandma.  Gotta love Ry's smile!

Making Ginger Bread Houses at GG's

GG is awesome.  We have NEVER been to her house around the holidays without her having spare gingerbread houses to decorate.  Though she was in bed, sick with the flu, the gingerbread houses were already in the house.  Madeline, Ryan and Rowan had the best time decorating them.  Ry and Rowan decorated one, while Madeline did the other.  Unfortunately, the icing glue in Madeline's house did not dry in time, and Auntie Manda accidentally knocked into it. . .it was a sad, sad moment, for everyone.

Our pumpkin pie.

Rowan and Ryan

Madeline with her finished creation.  This girl is so creative and loves using lots and lots of color.

Time With Cousins

With Julia and her family in from California, we all headed to Mom's house.  It was a sweet time with my sisters and a special time for all the cousins. Here are Lilly Grace and 13 year old Andrew. . .I could not believe how deep his voice was!

Ry and Andrew wrestling.  Ryan had the time of his life wrestling his older cousins.

The boys. . .Ryan, Jacob, Andrew, Emrys, and Rowan.

Madeline joins the mix. . .poor Lilly Grace was already in bed.

Madeline and Emrys

Daddy and his Lilly Grace.