They are officially GIANT.

Holidays and other things that happen once a year really put into perspective how quickly small children change. For example, today we attended our church's Hanging of the Greens (or as Ryan calls it "Hanging With the Greens") as a family and I was struck by how calm and happy we all felt. Last year we had a giant fight on the way there about something I don't remember, forced smiles and magical happy holiday memories the whole time we were there, bickered on the way home, and then stayed up all night with Wesley, the child who hated to be a newborn.

Here he is this year, dressed like a humanities professor, master of the quick under-the-pew escape, and happy to hang a dove ornament on the Chrismon tree:



And here he is around the same time last year:



Come to think of it, maybe I would hate to be a newborn too.

Here's still-baby Charlie last year:



And here is the giant boy who can see over a pew, who I pulled out of disappointed sobs by making a joke about Santa's pants falling down, and who threw his arms around my neck as we walked outside into the cool night and exclaimed "It's COLD, Mama! I keep you warm!" as he rubbed my back.