New lineup in the stairwell

Every three months I have to update the photos in the stairwell. I try to capture their current spunkishness in the process.  This is Drew wondering how to get out of the tight spot he just got himself into -



This was Ada on Christmas Eve.  She was all dressed up in a pink velvet dress and I said, oh Ada, you look so beautiful, do you think I should take your picture?  She instantly ran over, sat down and struck the perfect pose -



This is a wonderful picture of Brady which I stole from their current family photo. 



And this is Jude.  I stole this shot from Ben's blog.  Jude was sitting on THE REAL Santa's lap and I love this tentative not-so-sure-about-this-whole-Santa-thing-but-he-gave-me-a-candycane-so-maybe-he's-not-so-bad look on his face.  Very expressive.  The photo in the stairwell is full size, but for some techy reason, he came up feeling rather tiny here:



So that's the lineup for January 2012.  They will all probably appear in a real lineup someday, but for now, I've got them contained, safe and sound, in the stairwell:)

Christmas weekend

The obligatory Christmas picture in front of the tree.  Wait a minute, where's Ada?  (See that little blur to the left?) 



Oh, there she is. 



Ok, now Brady, hang on to Drew while we get Ada's hair out of her face......



And there you have it.  Nice work, team, G'Ma is happy.  Now you can go play:)



But look who showed up -                                



Jude swears he was a good boy ALL YEAR:)



Coincidentally, Brady was a good boy all year:)                                



Ada wants none of this Santa business.  She'll take the present, but only because he's forcing it on her....



Drew is not sure he trusts what's in this package.  He's heard those stories about sticks and lumps of coal......



It was a Christmas Eve day at the ranch, filled with family and food;  a few bloody mary's, a few oyster shooters, a few people in the sauna, and in keeping with the reverence of the day, a couple of rocket launchings in the field.....



Christmas Day at Andy & Jen's house turns up a couple of new scooters



So who needs all those presents??  Bring on the bubbles:)



A nice little group around the snacks in Andy & Jen's kitchen.......



And then, the reason for the season: 
Happy Birthday to you....happy birthday TOOO you, happy BIRTHday, Baby Jesus, happy birthday tooo YOU...........


Christmas, 2011.  It's a wrap.  At my house, the tree, the lights and all the decorations are still up and operational.  I like the way they light up these long dark evenings.  I would leave them up all year, but there's a point where they become SO not cool.  I try to go the full 12 days of Christmas so I'm hoping the tree doesn't burst into flames in the next 4 days.  I also hope we can somehow manage to keep the magic alive for these four little wide-eyed believers.  Today is January 1, 2012.  Wow.  A brand new year; the last one gone like a bunch of dry leaves on a windy day.  I know I will remember 2011 because the growth and changes have been so amazing and so constant.  Ahead is a blank canvas and I have four paintbrushes ready to go.  God willing, we can keep the children well and healthy so they can create a 2012 masterpiece.  Happy New Day:)