Ryan's Baptism

Our perfect baby boy was baptized today! We were thrilled that his grandparents and godparents, the Honorable Quinns, could be there for the special event. Dad was taken by surprise when Mom dressed Ryan in the new christening gown that she argued would now be a family heirloom. She heard Dad whispering "This is the last time you have to wear a dress, buddy".
My friend and I were baptized together last year, so we thought it was extra cool that our baby brothers got baptized together today!
Ryan was a little overwhelmed with all of the attention, but he looked and acted like an angel for the whole morning. They all think he's an angel... nobody believes me when I say he constantly tries to pull my hair.
My favorite part of the big event was being able to spend time with family. And get their gum.
Mom and Dad's favorite part was being able to share this special occasion with people they love.

Santa

My Nana, Papa, Aunt Joy Joy, and Uncle Big Mike came all the way from Boston to see Santa with Ryan and me! It was wicked fun to hang out with them and catch up on memories from their wedding in May. Bonus when they visit- ice cream every night!

Murmel Returns

Our elf came back! Santa sent him from the North Pole to keep an eye on me until Christmas. He even sent a card that said I was on the Nice list for being a good big sister.Dad read the card and it said I should give Ryan a big hug. So I did.
It's been great having Murmel back in the house again. At night (after he flies back to the North Pole to check in with Santa) he gets into all sorts of trouble. One morning I told my parents "I needed to sleep more, but Murmel kept me up all night". We call him Murmel the Mess Maker,
Murmel the Baker,Murmel the Hair Genius,Murmel the Hef,and Murmel the Big Boy Who Goes Potty.

Ryan at 5 Months

Our favorite boy is getting more fun by the minute! To describe him at this age we need a series of action verbs: Smiling... at everyone, everywhere. Ryan definitely got Dad's extrovert gene, while Mom and I are the shy ones in the family. Wiggling... those legs never stop moving. He uses them to jump in his bouncy chair and roll around his play mat. He even bangs them onto his crib mattress at night like a drum when he's falling asleep. Growing... out of his 6 month clothes already. It probably has something to do with the fact that he is devouring every pureed fruit and vegetable we offer. Mom says he's a natural foodie. We gave him bites of chocolate frozen yogurt yesterday. No surprise that he loved it, it's the one thing Mom craved while pregnant with him. Grabbing... anything within reach. Taking him to the grocery store in the baby carrier is no longer an easy task. If he can see it, he wants to chew it. He has been studying Moxie very carefully, knowing it is just a matter of time until he will be able to get those ears and tail. We love this crazy baby and look forward to the next month!

Giggly Boy

Reason #101 that we love Ryan: he thinks I'm hilarious!

Giggly Boy

Yellow Friday

Calling the day after Thanksgiving "Black Friday" seems too dark and scary to me, so I renamed it Yellow Friday. My parents' favorite part of Yellow Friday was finishing off Dad's annual apple pie, but my favorite was pulling all the Christmas bins out of storage and picking up a Christmas tree... right after calling AAA to bring us a new car battery. We spent the afternoon running through mangrove trails in a nature preserve, and pointing out every single pile of raccoon scat along the way.Even Ryan thought it was a perfectly peaceful day!
Since Ryan goes to bed at 6:30 now, he missed the fun of decorating our tree that night. It was a good time with my Mom and Dad, we talked about Rudolph and my new boyfriend, Gavin With The Yellow Hair. He's an older boy, in the pre-K class across the hall. We play in the sandbox outside together. Dad tolerates my talking about Gavin, but inside is thinking "she's too young for this!".

Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving! This year I am thankful for my loving Mom, Dad, Baby Ryan, Georgia family, and Boston family (via Skype).
We started the day with the Turkey Trot, or what I like to think is an extended game of Red Light, Green Light. My support vehicle was called in to help on the last mile.
Next was careful scrutiny of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade while Mom cooked yummy stuff.
Ryan was so excited by the activities that he refused to nap all day... until literally 15 minutes before the Big Meal.Even Maggie and Moxie were happy to have the windows open, kids laughing, and a kitchen full of new smells (plus, Mom promised to save the National Dog Show for them on the DVR). It was a perfect day, and perfect chance to count our blessings!