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!

Summer Vacation- Lake Sunapee

We spent the second week of our vacation with the Redferns in New Hampshire. It was fun to spend time with Nana and PopPop, as well as getting to visit with Grandma T (or "TEEEEE" as Kaitlyn would yell). We even overlapped for a few days with Uncle Ryan and Lauren early in the week and then Uncle Chris and Aunt Megan (and their Baby Redfern who is due in February!! we can't wait to be an aunt and uncle ourselves :).

Kaitlyn's favorite part of our NH vacation may have been testing out all of Nana's flip flops... here she is trying to make a getaway with some up the stairs.Paul III also spent a lot of time digging in the backyard- he was digging some type of a trench or drain, and it was quite amazing how quickly he could work. PopPop was a great on-site supervisor for this project, and tried to encourage him to dig one on the other side of the stone deck which would help it drain..... somehow that project got tabled to next summer!
Of course Kaitlyn had to help too (at least not in her flip flops!)
We also spent ALOT of time at the beach and in the lake. The water was wonderfully warm (for a New England lake) and the beach wasn't too crowded. The kids became really comfortable in the water this summer. Kaitlyn had a blast 'swimming' with a noodle and would cruise around on her own. Paul liked going out 'deep' with daddy and Uncle Chris with the help of swimmies and a few times just the noodles!
Paul and Uncle Chris exploring 'out really deep'Of course, there was a lot of construction... Paul was into the pipes this year and his uncles (and father) tried repeatedly to make a really neat self-contained water system. Be sure to check Kaitlyn out in the background :)

Monkey see monkey do....

We also got to be with Pop Pop to celebrate his birthday!
The Elmo hats were for the 'kids'- young and old :)
There was also a lot of fun in the driveway- including some stroller rides....

And then back to the beach... Kaitlyn and Aunt Megan had such a fun time swimming!

And of course more building... what you may not be able to see is that Chris is actually sitting in a hole they dug....
This was a silly book reading adventure.... which Kaitlyn wanted to join wearing her silly (and large!) moose pajamas.