The most wonderful time of the year

Our Christmas was so sweet, and I hope each of you also had wonderful, wonderful days of celebrating Christ's birth.

We let Abby Jane start opening presents on Christmas Eve so the actual day wouldn't be overload.  She was SO excited! She also helped the twins open their gifts, which included the blocks pictured at the top that are a tradition to receive from their Uncle Greg and Aunt Susan!

The girls were given a Radio Flyer wagon on Christmas morning that turned out to be the perfect place for other presents and little girls!

 

Then we went up to Cartersville to spend the day with Jake's family, joined by my mom later in the day.  Here are the oldest cousins playing in Cade's new tent, having a wonderful time together as always.

The ladybug tea set you see her opening here is now one of Abby Jane's most treasured possessions- she loves to offer cream and sugar with your "hot hot tea" that needs her to blow on it to cool it off.

 Blythe and her Bop Bop- I think she was here for at least an hour!

All five cousins- Joy, Cade, Abby Jane, Blythe, and Luke

I gave Jake a game called Last Word (first discovered with our dear friends on our trip to Mammoth earlier this year), which all the adults played during the kids' naps, and it was SO fun! I highly recommend it for a good laugh. The twins' Christmas gift to Jake and I was sleeping through the night for the first time on Christmas Eve!  

Jake is finishing up a paper tonight, then we have a whole week ahead to hang out as a family before he heads to LA for his Jan session at APU!

Family weekend

My extended family get-together was on Saturday night, and it was such a delight to introduce Blythe and Joy to my aunts (my Uncle Wayne had already met the girls).  Now that I'm an aunt so many times over, it makes that even more special as I think about how much it will mean to me to someday meet MY nieces' and nephews' children!

Joy (on left) and Blythe (on right) hanging out in their bouncy seats during the party at my moms.

Scott, Ryan, and Ashley before everyone got there...

On Sunday we saw my mom's side of the family and had the wonderful honor of receiving my Grandaddy's traditional great-grandchild gift of these beautiful handmade adirondack chairs for the twins. These are such treasures- and just think- he's made one for each of the eight, going on nine, great-grands!

Worn out from weekend partying (and yet inseparable from the Trader Joe's reindeer sticker)...

"Manger Song"

We realized the other day that we had not posted a video since April... which would be right before we found out we were having twins... so here is what is known around here as "MANGER SONG!!!"

Christmas cookies

 

Help

Does anyone know how to center that header picture? Thanks!

Friends, Santa, and Cornbread!

The Boutwells came for a visit yesterday!  Jane is SUCH a refreshing delight to be around, and sweet Anna and Elisha are just the same.  I didn't get a good pic of Elisha, but here are the girls with Blythe!

We went to the Kennesaw Christmas parade today that passes by the downtown train depot so we could see this guy afterwards.  It was cloudy and 30-something degrees, thus the bundling! 

Abby Jane talked a big game about sitting in Santa's lap, but you can see what happened when push came to shove!  That's definitely a meltdown you see on her face.  Blythe and Joy had a lovely time, though!

Lastly, Abby Jane made her first cornbread tonight to go with our chili, and she baked some in her own cast iron skillet that Jake bought her at the Big Texan in Amarillo, TX on his cross-country road trip in August.

The first week of Christmas

Seeing the Christmas tree for the first time, completely decorated...

Christmas Parade in Cartersville- SO COLD, but SO fun!  The twins were snuggled down in their carseats!

Hug from Cade while they were watching the Budweiser Clydesdale horses get unloaded...

The "I just saw Santa for the first time" face!  On Abby Jane, that is...

We had a snow flurry on Saturday morning!  I was afraid it would end before we got totally dressed for it, so yes.  She is wearing rain boots with her PJs!

Saturday night, Jake and I went to our small group's tacky Christmas sweater party, but sadly took no pictures.  I will say that Jake was wearing a green turtleneck with a red cardigan with a jingly Christmas wreath pin on.  Fantastic.

Sunday night, live nativity at Mom's church with random animals milling around for kiddos to pet.

Decorated our gingerbread house this morning... a little icing got stuck to the lip somehow...

Caught Joy's smile on camera for the first time before naps this afternoon!

They rarely sleep together since they have their own cribs, but I think it's fun to do every now and then!

Stocking Stuffer idea!

One of my dear friends and neighbors in CA just launched this Etsy site with several styles of these darling headbands!  

I LOVE how cute and funky they are and that they can be sized for children or adults- y'all have got to check it out!  FABULOUS job, Tiffany!

A few delightful wintery recipes!

You have to try this stuffed acorn squash.  

I substituted in chicken apple sausage for the other sausage, and it was awesome, came out looking just like the picture, so it is obviously easy, too!

I also fixed these eggnog cupcakes 

in this month's Southern Living for a party last weekend and it got rave reviews.  Looked really cute with nutmeg sprinkled and a mini candy cane stuck in the top!

My mom introduced me to this Cranberry Apple Crisp this fall, and we're addicted.  Particularly yummy with Publix's Chocolate Chip Oatmeal ice cream.

Cranberry-Apple Crisp

3 c unpeeled apples chopped into bite sized pieces, sprinkled with lemon juice 

2 c whole raw cranberries

1 c granulated sugar 

1 1/2 c oats

1/2 c firmly packed brown sugar

1/3 c all purpose flour

1/2 c melted margarine or butter

1/3 c chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 300. Combine apples, cranberries and sugar.  Mix and put in 2 qt casserole/ shallow pyrex dish.  Mix remaining ingredients and spread on top of apple mixture.  Bake uncovered until bubbly and light brown on top, about 45 minutes. You can freeze at this point and thaw and warm before serving.  

Lots of pics to come from Christmas festivities the last few days!

Turkey Days and one-month photos

We had a great Thanksgiving and hope that you did as well!

Blythe and Joy made the rounds on Thursday with my family and on Friday with Jake's family. Here are all eight little cousins on my side of the family, the oldest two holding the youngest two...

The five of us at Jake's family Thanksgiving...

It was so sweet to get to share the twins with Jake's Granny!  

Tummy time this morning (note the half-finished tree- we're doing the rest tomorrow night!) P.S. Did anyone else's toddler really not like the chainsaws that trim the trees before you leave?  We're still talking about how "the Christmas tree was loud", meaning the trimming!

Happy one month birthday to Blythe and Joy!  This is Blythe with the horsey Jake gave her at the hospital (she was so little that we decided she needed some giddy-up!)

Here is Joy with her puppy dog from Jake

All three of my little loves together! 

Thankful...

for all of you, for my precious family, and for the mighty grace of God!

Sneak Preview

YEA!  I'm so excited!  We just saw our sneak preview of Karen's photo session of the girls from a couple of weeks ago.  Here's the link to the post for our family on Karen's blog!

Seven Firsts

More cousins in the last week!  Betsy brought Luke and Cade over to play last week and to get in some time with the little girls!  We got to see Betsy and Luke again on Saturday night to watch the Georgia game, dismal though the second half was...

The weekend was fantastic and included...

1. first breakfast out as a family of five... to IHOP, where potentially loud children would go unnoticed

2. first bottle feeding for the twins- successful! (THIS IS HUGE FOR US- please recall that Abby Jane refused the bottle and went straight to the sippy cup, but not until she was 4 months!)

3. first time back in church, where above-mentioned ability to bottle feed came in handy

4. first attempt at taking picture of the girls in their Christmas dresses- 

UNSUCCESSFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!  Normally sleeping Joy was not feeling it (she's on the right), and Abby Jane picked up on the mood.  Thankfully, we had a shoot done the first week the girls were home by Karen Baker, a friend of Jake's from high school who blessed us with the gift of her amazing talent and the pleasure of her company.  We'll be using her pictures on our announcement- she is SO amazingly talented for any of you who are in town!  More on that to come...

5. first time for Jake to get peed on as he comforted a teary naked Abby Jane in the culmination of a debacle involving chicken that did not get chewed up for about 30-45 minutes... naked because she was supposed to be getting a bath that never happened...

We followed the weekend with...

6. first solo trip to Target yesterday morning, just me and the girls... I forgot to use the coupons I had brought, but otherwise, successful!

7. first solo trip to library story time this morning- celebrated the good time had by all with a delicious peppermint mocha from Starbucks on the way home... via drive through, so as not to push my luck!

I don't get tired of opportunities to take these kinds of photos-

 

this is when I threw them in the same bouncy seat as I was loading various people into their carseats this morning!

Family Time

On Saturday, Blythe and Joy got to meet their first set of cousins when the Elliotts came down for the weekend!  Due to various colds and schedules, this was the first time the little girls got to meet any of their seven cousins (including both sides of the family).  

Scott (6) and Ryan (4) are holding the little girls, and Abby Jane and Ashley (17 months) are in the middle.  The boys were VERY well-behaved with the babies and were fascinated by them!

My big brother Greg holding Joy in her Auburn outfit- this is particularly classic as Greg and Susan both went to Furman- who Auburn beat on Saturday (thankfully- if we hadn't, I might not have ever been able to talk to them again)...

Ashley was also really interested in the girls, especially when they were down on her level in their bouncy seats.

We took a family trip to the park on Sunday for a little walk and picnic.  It felt so great to be outside and enjoy such lovely weather!Abby Jane helped me make some Christmas cookies (to freeze) while my mom was over to help out yesterday.  Jane wasn't really sold on how the vibration of the mixer felt in her hand!
Great Grandaddy and Granny Joan came over yesterday afternoon to see all the girls.  The twins pretty much slept through the visit, but Abby Jane was delighted to play with them and loved their thoughtful gifts!

We tried to teach her to eat our Thai dinner with chopsticks last night... this is "cheese" face...

And none of us can get enough of these little girls!