Thanksgiving Madness!!

This past year has been such a blessing for our family and what a year it was to be thankful!!  Steve got his new job, and promotion with Volvo Trucks; we moved into our fabulous house in Greensboro; my brother married the love of his life, Rebekah, who is an amazing addition to our family; I had an amazingly easy pregnancy and labor resulting in our healthy and beautiful baby girl, Ryleigh; and this year we had the pleasure of having Thanksgiving at our house!

The Richardson/Ellis clan (Mamaw, Papaw, Mike, Vicki, Dave, Cristin, Tyler, Kylie, Aunt Sheri, and Heidi) joined us in Greensboro for a wonderful holiday weekend.  Some might think that 12 people, plus a baby, plus a dog would be stressful and crazy...and you'd be right.  But nothing beats the noise and warmth of a house full of loved ones!!

Steve's brother, Dave, his wife, Cristin and their kids, Tyler and Kylie arrived late Tuesday night.  We spent Wednesday preparing what we could for Thanksgiving dinner and Aunt Cristin got in all the hugs and cuddling she could with Ryleigh before everyone else arrived.  It was awesome to see Tyler and Kylie meet their little cousin and interact with her throughout the weekend.  Such cuties!

Everyone else arrived late Wednesday night and Thursday was spent laughing, hanging out, and of course, eating!  Steve smoked some wonderful turkey breasts and grilled one that was stuffed with stuffing and wrapped in bacon.  Can I just say, YUM?!?!  Cristin also made some delicious cranberry sauce with real cranberries spiced with nutmeg, allspice and cinnamon.  It smelled just like a Yankee Candle, and tasted just as good as it smelled.  

Friday was my 25th birthday.  Half a century.  UGH!  I can't believe how fast time flies...and now that I have my little angel, I'm sure it will fly by twice as fast!  Next thing I know, she'll be 25!!  It was a great birthday; relaxing with my loving hubby, cuddling with my baby and kisses from my puppy.  Couldn't ask for anything better!........Maybe a Lexus?  Just a thought ; )

The rest of the weekend was filled with laughs with the family and lots of relaxing!  I'm so happy that everyone was able to come down, share the holiday, meet Ryleigh and see our home.  It's hard being away from everyone and we understand how difficult it is to travel these days.  But we so appreciate everyone making their way down to us so that we can have a holiday in our own home with the people we love the most : )

Now.  It's time for Christmas!!!

 The brining process

 Heidi, Aunt Sheri and Mamaw

The guys, probably watching football

 Steve, maning the grill with some help from Cristin

 Steve's precious turkey breasts

 The "I'm so good, I should be illegal" bacon wrapped turkey

The chef and his masterpiece.  Just call him Bobby Flay!

 My first Thanksgiving feast!  With the help of my sister-in-law, Cristin : )

 My dessert, Gingerbread-Pumpkin Trifle

and of course, baby Ryleigh enjoying her first Thanksgiving

Ryleigh is famous...well, sorta.

Ryleigh is the new face (and naked body) of Jody Gall Photography.  Check her out at www.jodygall.com and at Jody's Blog http://www.jodygall.blogspot.com/  She is the baby at the top of each of these webpages!!!

We're so proud of our little girl.  She really didn't do anything other than be adorable, but hey, when you've only been in the world 30 days, that's work!! : )

Ryleigh is One Month!

So it's been one month since we welcomed our little girl into the world.  I can't believe how fast it has gone by!  The good news is that we are finally starting to get into a little routine and the stress of having a newborn is starting to subside.  I can't wait to see what the next month brings!!

Ryleigh at One Month : )

We also had baby dedication at church last week...but since I was still setting up the blog, I missed it.  So here are a few pictures of her special day:

All the new babies and their families

Mommy, Daddy & Ryleigh

Hopefully our family and friends will add our blog to their favorites and check back in with us every so often.  I plan on updating every week with the things we've been up to and any new things Ryleigh has discovered she can do!!

Thanks for checking in!