Annual Family New Years Picture!

We usually do this on New Year's Day, but the whole Sunday/no Bowl Games thing threw us for a loop! So, anyway, here is our annual New Year's Day Family Photo taken on January 2nd! I like this tradition and hope to continue for as long as possible!

Gillian was positioned behind us because she refused to put on PANTS. Very representative of current life, I suppose, but I thought inappropriate for an actual portrait!

See previous years here:
2009
2010
2011

I always swear to people that my kids were very, very tough between 15 and 18 months. Now I have the pictures to prove it!

Colin Documents New Years

So Colin is a button man. Anything with a button is interesting to him. Especially if it runs something electronic. Like a camera. Lately he's been getting his little hands on our smaller camera whenever he could and taking his own pictures. When we got back from our Christmas travels, Daddy found our ANCIENT digital camera, put some batteries in it, and gave Colin some lessons. And you know what? He picked it up really well. He knows how to take a picture and then go look at it. Unfortunately he erases most of what he takes!

However, on New Years Day he documented pretty much the whole day and we got the pictures off the camera before he erased them! So, here is Colin's view of the day! Oh yeah, he doesn't take flattering pictures. Ever. It's a talent.





Momo is a favorite subject too!



Oh, and Daddy gets in on the unflattering action too!


We invited Matt, Rachel, Uncle Willis, Leah, Uncle D, and Aunt Cedes over to enjoy pork and sauerkraut with us for dinner (and the late Steeler game). Colin documented our guests too! Unflatteringly.



Uncle Willis with the bilibos on his head. The bilibos were universally enjoyed by our guests. They ARE anything you want them to be!



I think Uncle Willis took this one....


This one is my favorite one Colin took though...


Oh, and he got one more in on January 2nd when we attempted our annual family picture. He set the timer and left the camera on the tripod!

Very nice except for the finger print on the lens!

Can't wait to see what he photographs next!

One Last Stop for Christmas

Ok, I was wrong, that wasn't the last Christmas post! The Monday after Christmas we took it easy all morning; we played with lots of new toys, sorted through packages, and (Mommy) did some laundry while relaxing with GraGra and Papa Greg. After a much needed nap we took one last trip over to Grammy and Papa Frank's house for our annual Christmas with the Keisters (Kristmas with the Keisters????).

Of course, Colin was ECSTATIC to be finally be playing with his best buddy JOE! As soon as we walked in the door he said, "Is Joe here???" And, he soon was! Gillian was quite taken with Joe this time too! They played so nicely (and quietly) back in the bedrooms and gave Mommy and Daddy a chance to visit with Mommy's friend Holly, her husband Deepak, and their gorgeous little girl, Anushka. Due to all this visiting, not many pictures were taken though!

After some hoagies and pizza and 14 desserts, we opened our LAST round of presents (I think this takes us to 6, maybe?).

Those mini-Pillow Pets from Mr. and Mrs. Clark were (and still are) a huge hit!

Jessie Bean enjoying her ginger animal and tea. Mmmmm.


Umm, Papa was drinking something that wasn't tea....


A nice, mostly calm evening with some of our favorite people. Thanks so much Mrs. Kathy, Tim, Jessie Bean, and Joe for loving us so much! The feelings are mutual!


A very nice ending to our holiday! It was straight home after breakfast in the morning and back into some sort of routine! Only with a lot of new toys!

Finishing Up Christmas!

So after our Santa fun and yummy breakfast, we headed down over the hill to Great-Grandma's house for lunch. Everyone was still at church (with the donkey) so the kids had fun in the empty house running the big loop from room to room. Finally everyone gathered for some delicious lasagna and general craziness. After lunch we all piled in the living room with a pile of presents!





C&G had a wonderful time running and playing with all of their family, especially Sarah and Ben. They love their big "first cousins once removed." Such fun they have together! Apparently Sarah has been teaching G some ballet!

By 2:30 or so, the kids looked pretty wiped out, so Daddy took them back to GraGra's for a quick hour nap. I think they were out before their heads hit the pillows! Good thing they recharged because we were headed to Dickiedoo and Noonie's house when they got up! And, you know, more presents.....



By this point all four of us were stuffed (well, ok, the kids weren't, they don't eat much on holidays) and very tired. So, back to GraGra's for a quick bath and very happily all of us were OUT.

Good day. Very fun. Lots of laughs with family and yummy, yummy food. Best Christmas yet.

Partial Christmas Wrap-Up

Ok, so behind. We had such a wonderful Christmas. We spent lots of time with family and Daddy had ELEVEN days off, so we really enjoyed that! And didn't do any blogging. HA.

Anyway, on Christmas Eve we were out the door and on the road right after breakfast! We went straight to Grammy and Papa Frank's house for lunch with Uncle D and Aunt Cedes. The kiddos were super excited. And even more so when they figured out some of the presents under the tree were for them!

Gillian dressed for the occasion. As always.


And then there were presents. Didn't take C&G long to figure the whole thing out. Gillian ended up walking around the room holding out presents saying, "Does this say Gillian?"


LIGHT UP SPARKLE SHOES! YAY!


C got his awesome draw bridge from Uncle D and Aunt Cedes. BIG hit.



G really enjoyed her Cinderella carriage set from Grammy and Papa too!



Colin says, "I'm a present. Unwrap me!"


So, he needed a snuggle for all that cute.


After lunch we went to GraGra and Papa Greg's to settle in for the weekend. The kiddos grabbed a little nap and we got the rest of our odds and ends taken care off. Uncle Willis fulfilled his traditional role of Christmas Eve chef and made pork carnitas for us, and we also had tacos (the kids were pretty darn happy). Then we took the kiddos to candle light church service (where Gillian was enthralled with Sarah and Colin just wanted church to be over). Then it was straight to bed after the cookies were left out!

Colin was sharing our room with us and he was at my bedside around 7:00. Which is pretty good for Colin! Before he came in our bed, I had heard bells in the living room. I couldn't quite figure out what it was, but I guessed it was Santa! So I told Colin that I had heard Santa in the living room earlier. Just then Uncle Willis' lab came into the room and shook his head (and belled collar) at us. Colin laughed and said, "That wasn't Santa! That was MILO!" He thought it was hilarious. We decided that Milo was being a helper puppy to Santa!

So we met Sissy in the living room and set to it!

Santa's stocking squishy balls were a bit hit!





Oh yeah, baby! It's the train shed Colin asked Santa for! YAY!

Oh and Annie and Clarabelle!


Gillian unwrapping her Bitty Baby from Mommy and Daddy. We finally decided on naming her Louise.



Colin opening some cool magnet cars with Papa Greg.


And then G opened a package from GraGra and Papa. It was her very own NUTCRACKER! Just see that look on her face! Now, that's pure Christmas joy. I love it!


Grammy and Papa Frank joined us for a tasty breakfast and they helped the kiddos try out a lot of their new goodies. Then we got cleaned up and ready to go to Great-Grandma's for lunch....more on that later!

Tree Time!

Well, since it was a week until Christmas, it was probably time for us to get a tree! So, into the car we all went!

Over the hill and to our favorite local farm, same one where we got our pumpkins! And into their greenhouse, shed -type building. And, well, since it WAS only a week until Christmas, the picking were slightly thinned! But, we knew what we were looking for......and we found it!


While Daddy paid for our lovely tree, the kids and I checked out some of the other Christmas stuff! Colin had his eye on this tractor the whole time we were looking for a tree!


Bean got in on the tractor action too!


She also had some fun with the "tree scene"!

(I have no idea why, but this picture cracks me up)

By then we were ready to load up the tree! Always fun to watch!

(Oh, and check out the accommodating snow flurries! Just special for our tree picking day!)

So, we got home, the kids played in our 1/2" of snow and Daddy got the tree in the stand and put up in the dining room. Then we ate lunch and put the kiddos down for nap. While they were sleeping Daddy put up the lights and tinsel (YAY!!!) and I made some cookies. After nap, the kids helped us put the ornaments on!




This train was a big hit. Surprise, right?


All in all, not a bad little tree, huh?