ready for school...

well, maybe not just yet...Aren't they precious though?

Now, if I can just figure out how to attach a leash, I'll be set!

Feliz Navidad

What a special Christmas this year has been! I told Matt this was the best Christmas I've ever had. While not Ryan and Kate's first Christmas (at just 1 month old, they partied it up last year) it was definitely their most memorable. We celebrated for 3 days, enjoying time with family and friends. Christmas Eve we had our traditional brunch with the Bells at our house. I am quite proud of how we've mastered this down to a fairly quick and efficient routine of preparing the food so that we can spend more time visiting and exchanging gifts. Kate and Ryan enjoyed opening gifts and sitting up at the big table with everyone else, but I think playing with cousin Naomi was their favorite part. That evening, it was off to Christmas Eve service at church. We didn't make it to the candles (too late for us) but we enjoyed the singing very much.

Christmas morning we got up to find that Santa had left two rather large stuffed black labs for Ryan and Kate. They were really excited and kept kissing Vader and Chewy (named by Matt after the Star Wars characters). After a special breakfast and the story of Jesus' birth from the bible, we loaded up and went to Blackwell to visit with our Braly Family. Much to our surprise, Santa showed up there too. Ryan was thrilled, Kate not so much, but they enjoyed the gift he brought. After Santa, we all sat around and sang Christmas carols together. My mom's family is chock-full of musical talent, so we enjoyed singing in 4 part harmony, with the help of my choir director cousin and guitar playing cousin-in-law. Kate got to sing in an ensemble with the girls and they even played "little drummer boy" for Ryan who sang along "pum-pum-pum-pum" and slapped his belly. It was too sweet.

On Sunday, we celebrated with our Mills family at Uncle Justin and Aunt Jess' house. What a treat to only have to travel 8 blocks up the road!

Ryan got a train set. He was very excited to take it out for a spin. He is also clutching his new favorite toy, a teeny beanie husky named Sleds.

The girls preparing our traditional Mexican feast all dolled up in our aprons. All the food came out muy deliciosa!

little foodies

Oh the joys of learning to feed oneself! Kate and Ryan are really into eating these days. They just love sitting up at the table and stuffing their faces. It seems they are particularly interested in whatever we are eating, often "yelling" at us for not sharing. Clearly, Miss Katie is our messier eater. We always know when she is enjoying something because she loudly says "mmm" or giggles like a little sheep when she gets more of something she likes.

You can always tell where Ryan was sitting because his area is much cleaner than Kate's. This is of course because Ryan doesn't waste food. To date, Ryan has never completely stopped eating on his own. He slows down a bit toward the end of a meal, but he never stops eating until we cut him off. We also know when Ryan is out of food because he will loudly call out to us "mama" or "dada"or just "aah!" The recent hits include: ham, bananas, mac n cheese, crackers, and gingerbread cookies.

And this I just have to share because it is such a great idea (not mine but still so genius). This disgusting looking thing is veggie toast. I read a tip on the internet from a mom who suggested that when she couldn't get her kids to eat veggies too well, she put jarred baby food veggies on toast. Well let me tell you, carb girl especially LOVES this stuff. Ryan of course loves food, so he enjoys it as well. We cut it up into little toast sticks and they get to chomping away. Hopefully some of you find it as helpful as we did.

family photo fun

What a blessing to have friends with a talent for taking photos and the willing heart to give of their time to do so! The husband of one of my friends was so kind as to bless our family with a photo shoot at Theta Pond a few weeks ago. He did a great job and we were really pleased with the pictures. Obviously shooting pics of our family with 2 babies is no small task, so we are very appreciative of both his time and patience!

playtime fun

Riding in our new wagon. Thank goodness we got to go outside at least 1 day last week!

Playing our new favorite game "uh-oh" where we knock the toys off the edge of the pen and then say "uh-oh." Ryan's sounds more like "buh-wo" but so sweet!

Play time in the new and improved super giant pin is proving to be a hit.

Christmas Cookie Crazy

On Saturday Ryan, Kate, and Matt got to be a part of a very special tradition from my childhood. Every year my Nana and I would make cookies together at Christmas time and it is one of my favorite memories growing up. We always made the same 3 cookies: Russian Tea cakes, Kris Kringles (a sugar cookie) and my favorite, Gingerbread boys. Nana would cut them out and bake them and then I was chief cookie decorator. We would ice cookies until the powdered sugar ran out. Over the last few years, it has taken more work to make time to get together and bake cookies and of course with two tiny babies, I missed last year's festivities. But I am so glad we got to do it this year and that my little family got to join in the fun. It made me miss Glenn so much...but I was happy I got to take a few pics of the day in his honor (he was SO picture crazy, I can't even tell you).

Matt even did some decorating. He says he is so good he is now ready to have his own show on HGTV.

Ryan decided he likes cookie icing quite a bit.

Nana even made Kate her own tiny Gingerbread boy apron. It is by far the CUTEST thing I've ever seen and a perfect fit.

Giving thanks

A few pics from Thanksgiving 2010. What a fun day! Although not technically Ryan and Kate's 1st Thanksgiving, it definitely seemed like their first, being that we spent last year in the hospital. Matt's aunt and uncle's house is not far from Baptist, so we drove by to enjoy a bit of nostalgia (and Starbucks). We sure have come a long way in the past year...from tiny brand new babies in the hospital to big kids sitting up at the table and gobbling up everything in sight.

I know we have so much to be thankful for, for God has blessed us so richly. I am so very thankful for our wonderful families who have helped us to get to the point we are at today, our awesome friends who have lent so much support, 2 healthy babies who never cease to amaze us, good jobs, and last yet most important, a God who is so gracious and loving that he gave us his only son just so he could dwell with us each and every day. I hope everyone is counting their blessings too!

1 year!!!

On Wednesday, November 24th, my little babies turned 1. This day was pretty exciting and a tiny bit sad for us, I guess most parents feel that way - excited to make it to this milestone and yet a little sad they are growing up so very quickly. In our case, I also feel really blessed. Blessed to have these precious children and blessed to have survived the past year (and boy were there a few days that seemed in question!)

Kate is walking everywhere! Ryan is pulling up, standing, and then sitting back down to crawl.

1 year milestones:

~laughing/babbling/yelling constantly

~handing us things all the time (bottles when finished especially)

~giving kisses to each other and us (when one is crying the other will often go over and give them a kiss - the sweetest thing I've ever seen)

~waving hello/goodbye (Kate is especially fond of waving - at people, animals, bottles, toys, and many times apparently nothing at all)

~saying "hi/bye"

~relocating toys to all sorts of places

~eating lots

~throwing balls

~singing along with mom and dad

~dancing

~each have 2 bottom front teeth

Party on the Ark!

On Sunday, we celebrated Ryan and Kate's 1st birthday (although their actual b-day is not til Wednesday). It was so much fun and of course we have about a million pics, but here are a few of my favorites.

The theme was Noah's ark: 2 by 2 they came, so Papa Dan built us the perfect little ark where the "kids" could get there pics taken. Turns out the ark was the hit of the party and the big kids really enjoyed getting their pics taken too (more blackmail photos to come!)

Ryan's reaction to his first time eating cake...pure sugar high! He was very methodical though, picking the icing off the edges slowly but surely. Ryan does NOT waste food.

Kate really got into it. By the time we took it away, she had truly done justice to the term "smash cake" which is completely her personality...jumping into everything in life head first.

catch us if you can...

one goes this way...

...the other is headed that way

caught by daddy!

just a day in the life...look out world, here come the Mills twins!

Happy Halloweens!

We were really looking forward to celebrating our first Halloween with Ryan and Kate. I wasn't sure how much they would enjoy wearing their costumes, but they seemed to have a lot of fun. Our first celebration was the downtown Stillwater Trick-or-treat celebration which takes place the Tuesday before Halloween. It is fun to see all the little kids come downtown in their costumes. The local businesses sponsor candy and games and there was even a pirate band, which Ryan really enjoyed. Cousin Cori had fun too and was so proud of her costume that she insisted on being called "Jasmin" all night long.

little skeletons in Halloween jammies (and yes, they do glow in the dark!)

one excited little lamb

ready to trick-or-treat with the grandparents - Halloween night

"dad, can we do this EVERY night???"

just because this makes me laugh...

Kate's personality in a nut shell...just lovin' life

A Happy Homecoming... never mind who won the game!

This year being Ryan and Kate's first time to go to OSU homecoming festivities, we were really excited for this time of year to come around. Matt and I have always enjoyed homecoming, although last year I was too big to go to walkaround (which has always been my favorite part by far). This year was even more fun since our friends The Lindbloms got to come visit and attend homecoming with us. Even though the forecast was calling for 70% chance of rain, we loaded up the kids and headed out anyway. Of course, after finding a legal parking space, unloading all 3 babies, strollers, blankets, jackets and cameras, the rain began to fall. But we walked on, and soon it quit for the rest of the night (thank goodness!)

Saturday was the homecoming parade downtown. I hadn't been to the parade in about 15 years, so I was hoping it was going to be worth missing a good part of morning nap. Well, as seen on Ryan's face, it was totally worth it! Ryan LOVES marching bands so he was really excited to be at the parade. This is the face of pure joy!

Jon, Matt, and the wild bunch

who needs pretty hair when you've got a parade to get to?

11 months!

11 month milestones

Ryan:

~says "mama, dada, bella, bye"

~waves

~pulling up, shaking the gate, cruising some

~crawling all over

~gives hugs and "kisses"

~letting us know when he is happy/unhappy (screams)

~LOVES Bella, marching bands, spoons, hairbrush, hitting things (sound it makes), food, pumpkins, riding in the wagon

~"talks" to Katie regularly

~giggles and likes to make others laugh

Kate:

~says "mama, dada, Bella, bye, bubba"

~waves

~pulling up, WALKING (up to 9 steps at a time)

~crawling when convenient

~giving hugs and "kisses"

~LOVES Bella, hair (others and her own), spoons, water bottles, food from mommy/daddy's plates, finding tiny things in the carpet and eating them, riding in the wagon

~"talks" to Ryan

~giggles and loves to get a laugh from others (definitely our comedian)