Christmas Break

Let's be real.  None of you want to read a long 

wordy post about our Christmas Break.

  So here are some pictures to give you a little taste of our time home.

We spent our time off of school with our families in 

Spokane, Washington. 

It was so wonderful to kick back, relax, forget about school and work and just enjoy time with family.

'Did you really just put me in a stocking?'

'And you're gonna post these pictures on the internet???'

'I don't know how I feel about this guys!'

'But hey I look like a Russian bebe!'

{Read this in a Russian accent}

There were lots of snuggles!

She was kind of a big hit.

Adam proved to be (one of) the cutest little uncle(s)! 

When Madeline got fussy Adam would always try to calm her down 

before just tossing her into my arms.  

Proud big sister moment!

We made soooooo many goodies! Sugar cookies being one of them!

Some ate the cookies more than decorated 

{*cough*cough* Elizabeth and Christian}

My first Christmas I didn't use this stocking... Bitter/Sweet.

{I had every intention of making stockings for 

our family that all coordinated, but that didn't happen.

  Maybe next year! 

We ended up using $4 Target stockings instead}

She was serenaded by Uncle Peter

We celebrated New Years Eve with Italian sodas.

{Yes I am the Vanna White of Whipped Cream}

mmm....mmm.... good!

And luckily Jeremy learned how to sleep on the

 couch with Madeline without her falling off the couch

{Yes that did happen.... Yes she is fine... Yes Jeremy learned his lesson}

Sadly I didn't take more pictures... It's so hard to remember! 

I was just too busy enjoying all the festivities!  

Hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone already. 

 It always goes by way too fast. 

The very best...

...gingerbread you ever did have! 

We made gingerbread houses over at the Fullmer house the other night.

It was a lot of fun! We've never really done it in my family before. There were four groups (and therefore four houses).  This first one is the 'Wells' house.  Can you see Jeremy, Madeline and I outside? Standing next to our teeny-tiny door? haha.

My BEAUTIFUL roof! Come now, give me some props! Isn't it gorgeous?

{I'm not proud at all...}

~

Group 2: Mom, Adam, Emma, Elizabeth

Snowman chillin' in the back yard

~

Group 3: Dad, Christian, Joshua

Complete w/ fire-pit out front

Arial view

~

Group 4: Peter, Hannah, Rachel

If you've heard of the 'I'm a Mormon' campaign 

(In association with the LDS Church)

You'll get a kick out of seeing Peter's ''billboard'' leaning against the bottom of the house. It's Santa saying, 'I'm a Mormon'. haha.HA.

Hope your days are merry and bright!

{MERRY CHRISTMAS}

And fyi, "Santa is still watching! Even though it's Christmas Eve he still has camera's all over the North Pole facing in EVERY direction!" -- My six year old brother, Joshua, encouraging my four year old sister, Emma, to stop fighting with Elizabeth, our two year old sister. 

Rub-A-Dub-Dubb

A little baby in a tub

Nothin' like a Christmas Eve bath!

Merry Christmas

We didn't do a family Christmas card this year.

Probably because even if I got it together enough to make a Christmas card I wouldn't know who to send it to.  We're just not quite to that stage of life where we have a bunch of friends to send 'em to.  Maybe after we move we can send them to our old college friends.  I don't know.  

But... if we did do a Christmas card, it'd probably have a picture like this telling everyone we're enjoying the best Christmas present ever - parenthood.  

Awkward/Awesome: Airport Style

Awkward

- Trying to type while breastfeeding (i.e. one-handed) and 

subsequently spelling awkward with a 'Q'

Thank goodness for backspace. {And no I wasn't trying to 

type and breastfeed at the same time in the airport.

 I save that for the comfort of my own home}

- Getting in line to board your flight and waiting in said line for a good twenty minutes only to find out that this line is boarding a plane to Houston and not Spokane. And then soon after hearing an announcement over the intercom, obviously in connection to you, that they are now boarding to Houston and not Spokane. Thank goodness this wasn't us...

- Waiting to board with a crying baby and feeling the

 annoyance radiating from the other passengers that a 

fussy baby is going to be on their two hour flight.

- Boarding said flight with now sleeping baby but 

having to walk the aisle past business select glaring

 at you for having the audacity to fly with a baby.

Awesome

- Madeline slept the whole flight! Boo-yah business select!

- Walking into the airport in SLC and seeing a massive security line.  We had plenty of time, but still, who likes waiting in those never ending lines?  We'd been in line probably less than a minute when a kind, angelic TSA guy escorted us to the small child line! Oh the sweet rewards of carrying around a baby {they are few but sweet} 

- Getting our picture taking with Santa {for FREE} during our three hour layover - saWEET!

- My awesome Mother-in-law who came down to help us through finals week and did wonders for my nerves flying home. It felt so good to know she was there incase Madeline fell apart because I think Jeremy and I would have too. Luckily nobody fell apart and we made it safely to Spokane.

We are so happy to be home for Christmas and we're glad we 

don't have to be in Utah for almost three weeks!

 No offense Utah-ans, we just like the Northwest. 

kluvyoubye

**A big thanks to Husband for taking over the typing after the title**

Happy Halloween

I've decided that holidays are a whole lot 

more exciting when you are either 

(A) A little kid or

(B) The parent of a little kid.

Being newly married is great.  But right now I'm wishing that I had a house full of little kids, imagining a life as a princess, a pirate,  an exotic animal, or just the always classic ghost.  I can feel their energy as they patiently wait all afternoon to put on their costumes.  And I can see them running to the door as daddy walks in from work, begging him to take them around the neighborhood.  I wish I could have whipped together some awesome homemade costumes, and decorated them with face paint.  I can't wait for that day.  But I guess being this close to welcoming our first little princess into the world is great too :)

I wish I could say we did something awesome for Halloween - but the truth is we didn't.  We got a bunch of candy, ate way too much of it ourselves, and carved a pumpkin.  No parties. No dressing up. I'm spending my night alone on the couch doing homework that was procrastinated all weekend.  

Jeremy's at work, so its just me and the babe.  

{Speaking of 'the babe' that's what Jeremy often refers to Madeline as.  It's h.i.l.a.r.i.o.u.s.  He does it sub-consciencely too which is even funnier.  She has also been called 'the child' and 'the young one'.  

What a funny dad}

Just to document that Halloween really did happen we took a few pictures:

So we aren't actually aloud to have flames in our apartment... But you can't just carve a jack-o-lantern and not marvel at how amazing it looks lit up! So we hurried into the bathroom {The community 'watch guard' lives across from us, so we had to be sneaky} lit a candle and took a picture on the toilet haha. Only we forgot to close the door... I thought it was a funny picture.

Jack-o-lantern take II

Pretty awesome, right? I gutted it and drew the face on, but Jeremy did the actual carving - go Jer!

And just for kicks, we put our jack-o-lantern in Jeremy's shirt to compare bellies.  

Can't believe that I still won biggest belly contest! It's like a 13 lb pumpkin! Alas...

Well Happy Halloween! Hope yours was more eventful than ours!

kluvyoubye

Its {one of the} most wonderful times of the year!

It's FALL!!!

{officially last Friday... but its okay}

And of course now Utah decided to throw some 80 degree weather at us - come on!

I'm so ready for beautiful crunching leaves beneath my feet

For apple cider in the cool, crisp air

I want to put on a ridiculous costume

And eat a pumpkin spice donuts from up on Green Bluff

 Carve a pumpkin

Have a baby {not your typical fall activity, but its on the list this year}

Celebrate Thanksgiving

Have even more pies than last year

Kiss my husband in the first snow fall

Set up Christmas Decorations

See the lights at Temple Square

And be home {Spokane} in time for Christmas

Last night Jeremy and I made cookies and listened to Christmas music.  How is it that Christmas is so magical and so wonderful? I can't wait to celebrate it with our little family this year! Less than three months til December 25th!

But for now lets just enjoy Fall - 

{One of the} most wonderful times of the year!