Christmas 2011- a bit late

Yes, Christmas was nearly a month ago.... but somehow the time has flown by and I thought it would be better to post some fun memories and pictures later than not do so! We had a wonderful and magical holiday season and were so lucky to have spent it with our families and two little 'elves'.

First, of course, we had to get our tree. We have to travel less than a mile to a huge tree farm. This year they even had a hayride (with Santa, although the kids were a bit cautious) to see the "reindeer." Yes, they were in another field!

Getting ready to decorate the tree- antlers were required, of course!We headed to a Breakfast with Santa event one Saturday morning with some friends- Kaitlyn got to hang out with her buddy Audrey (and we braved a 30+ minute wait in line...whew....)

Yes, mommy had to be in the picture- but at least they're both smiling.

Then it was time to make some Christmas cookies. The cookie press was alot of fun, and both kids had a great time helping (and someone enjoyed the bowl too..). Paul III also got his glasses in mid-December so you'll see him sporting his new 'look'- which has been really helpful for him.

Do you think Kaitlyn used enough sprinkles?

Our first Christmas celebration began Christmas Eve at Gram and BB's.

This really was a gift for BB... but the kids wanted to use it too!

LEGO's!!! The gift of the season for Paul III.

 And Kaitlyn got some dress up outfits (this one is for Cinderella). The only way we got her to take it off for dinner was out of fear of spilling her favorite cranberry sauce on it!

 I got SHOES too!! oh my!!

 After a good night's sleep (Paul III informed us that we needed to go to bed early so that Santa could start his journey, and was actually a bit scared of how Santa may come into our house overnight).
But, there was tons of fun to be had once they woke up!
Paul III somehow knew to open one of his favorites first- a full Giants outfit... helmet, pants, jersey with pads... wow, Santa is smart!

 Kaitlyn seems to want to wear any gift- back in her Cinderella dress from the night before! This is a set of PJ's which matches a doll, but the doll wasn't allowed to wear the PJ's for long!

See, I'm even wearing mommy's new coat and my new sneakers while testing out a new stroller from my brother.

And a football goal post to go with my Eli Manning outfit!!! WOW!!
 Time to go outside and test everything out (be sure to check out that Kate is still in Santa PJ's).

 That night we hosted Gram, BB, Aunt Char and Uncle Charles for Christmas dinner. Kaitlyn opened an umbrella and had to test it out.

 BB, can I take off your tie?

 Merry Christmas everyone!

 Wait, a family picture that actually looks good?! The best Christmas present :)

 Then the silliness began.... Paul III kept trying to hold me up (how kind, but it tickled!).

 Lego-land.... check out the bins against the wall... we had to reorganize them later in the week.

 Then we headed to NJ for a few days and got to enjoy another holiday celebration. Paul and Paul III had talked about a Lego castle that he used to have with Uncle Chris, so they dug out the brothers' Lego collection and spent HOURS making creations!

 Kaitlyn and Grandma T spent a leisurely (and adorable) breakfast together on New Year's Day. Kaitlyn ate 3 bowls of Cheerios and they chatted up a storm for about 20 minutes.

 Presents, presents and tons of fun! We spent a good part of new year's day opening gifts with Nana, PopPop, Uncle Chris, Aunt Megan, Uncle Ryan and Lauren.
First the kids opened new fuzzy robes and slippers...mmm... cozy!

And sleeping bags to get even cozier (naps that day were taken with the new cozy sleeping bags, of course.

 Paul LOVED a woodworking set with foam "wood" that you can cut, drill, nail, etc. We put the corresponding bench together too and he's made some neat creations.

 Why not use my new saw to open gifts?

 And some fun mustaches from Uncle Ry!

 Kaitlyn opened a whole box of fun doll clothes, thanks to Uncle Ry and Lauren (no, the hat won't fit you!).

And then it was time to cook with Kaitlyn's new cooking appliances.

 Another great family picture! Unfortunately for Uncle Ry, the Cowboys jersey didn't have a good night... ;)

Watching some of the Giants vs. Cowboys game before bed.

Merry Christmas 2011!

Christmas 2010

It was a wonderful Christmas! Back to work tomorrow, so here are some long overdue pictures...
"Daddy, can't I please try to sit next to the fire?"
Not sure who is more engaged- if you look closely, you can see little Paul crunched up investigating something in Kaitlyn's new play house!The gang on Christmas Eve....At least for now I can play with it by myself....Paul opening up the introduction to his new bike- a new helmet!How nice of Gram and BB to have a huge basement for me to test out my bike in the winter!Kaitlyn wasn't far behind!Gram and BB opening up their "Moose Lodge" moose glasses... lots of fun.Paul and I opening our gifts from the kids which they picked out at the Gettysburg craft fair.Kaitlyn and Uncle Ryan playing with one of her favorite gifts- a teapot from Uncle Ry! There ha been lots of coffee and tea made, and served, in our house this week.Paul and Uncle Ry playing Candy Land. We're still not sure if they really followed the rules....Bring on Play Doh! Making ice cream cones with Uncle Chris.Opening Kaitlyn's first Cabage Patch baby from Aunt Megan and Uncle Chris (which she is constantly checking to see if it has a 'poopy diaper' so it's often naked!)
Another of Kaitlyn's favorite toys- a shopping cart! She filled it up for several days (especially on Christmas day) with anything she could find... somehow it was empty at this moment.Please note a few things in the following picture... Paul is in his 2nd set of PJ's on Christmas morning (Spider Man PJ's- which he put on in the living room immediately after opening them... yes, he got naked at 11am and changed without a blink of an eye in front of all of us!) as well as the scarf to their snowman decorating kit ... Kaitlyn is wearing a pair of plaid pants and a polka-dot jacket which were also gifts (from Uncle Ryan and Santa)- most gifts had to be put on immediately!Paul's newest Eli Manning Jersey from his Uncles!
Uncle Ryan and Daddy need to go to Lego school- it took a LONG time to put together the Toy Story car!

This is on Christmas Eve- Paul set out cookies for Santa and some carrots for the reindeer. He told us that Rudolph was allowed into our house to keep Santa safe.
We also had a fun visit with Aunt Kerry- which resulted in a long game of Toy Story Memory (thanks, Aunt Katherine) and the building (and playing with) an awesome Lego fire truck.