Monday, December 31, 2012

a verry merry christmas

 
our christmas celebrating started on christmas eve with the kellys.  we hosted this year and it was so nice to be at home and let finn run amok.  mimi and pops always have funny holiday hats.  and its always hilarious.  the gift giving went on seemingly for hours and having finn around this year made it so fun (and so wild :).  his favorite gift was a mickey mouse laptop and a dancing bear!
 

we feasted on prime rib, potaoes au gratin, salad, carrots, and rolls....it was perfect. and mimi's homemade candy and my mom's cheesecake recipe for dessert!


and as us kellys do....we had christmas crackers to play with.

 
and finally, as i have dreamt about for years...we got to play santa before bed.  it was everything i always hoped it would be and we were so excited.  like school kids.


it came!  santa!  christmas morning!  and instead of his christmas jammies, ryan chose to wear his ugly sweater.  i love that guy.


finn's idea of eternal happiness:  sitting on a tractor reading a book about trucks.


ryan got a new glass water bottle and now we match like two peas in a pod.  finn also got a new lunchbox with robots on it...


...and a new hat...
 

...and the real hit was the harmonica santa left in finn's stocking.  and cinnamon rolls for breakfast!  finn gave me a gift too - he weaned himself!  he still asks for it occasionally, but it feels right.


we ventured to oma and papa's for a late brunch with the sisters... of course, oma had decked the halls with vintage delights.


probably the best quiche i have ever had...and mimosas!


finn was spoiled again! such a lucky boy.  books, animals (stuffed, thanfully), tractors...


a real life tee pee...(!!)


...blocks, bath toys, and his first tool set!


 
happiness and gratitude everywhere... and once it was all over, finn kept standing at the door, shouting "ow-si-yee" (outside) over and over.  and despite the downpour, my dad took him out to see the tractor, the truck, and all the animals.  it just might have been the highlight of his morning.


and last but certainly not least, we ended the afternoon at my grandparents for dinner, more gift-giving and the ever-hysterical game of white elephant.  we all nearly die from fits of laughter. oh, and my grandma's tree.  every year she spends hours decorating it and every year its a stunner.


my favorite part was watching my grandma open the homemade calendar my cousin hannah made her with pictures of our entire family.  i get choked up just thinking about it.  and those darling sugar cookies made by hannah are pretty high on my list too.
 

a very merry christmas indeed.

Friday, December 28, 2012

it's the most wonderful time of the year...

 
sister em and i threw sister rachel a surprise birthday dinner with some of her nearest and dearest.  despite em and i being total messes and practically ruining the surprise - she was truly surprised!  (or so she says :)
 

it was one of the greatest achievements of my lifetime.




probably some of my favorite pictures of this little miss ever.  glee, shyness, delight - all wrapped up together.  i love all her faces.


the mister's birthday was next!  we got a sitter (well four actually-papa, oma, and two tantes!) and headed out to pietros for dinner.  just the two of us.  it was delightful.  and ryan got pizza so you know he was happy too.  in lieu of a cake this year, i decided to give him what he really wanted:  an oreo tower.  i won't tell you how long it took for that tower to disappear.


finn enjoyed my pasta leftovers the next day.  and when i say enjoyed....i mean, he really enjoyed.
 

finn can count on each of his tantes to bring him the best of the best.  tante em took him out to jump in puddles for the first time.  what a gal.  he quite obviously had the time of his life.  proceeded by a warm bath where hysterics ensued.


the sisters bake!  about 130 cinnamon rolls.  and parker house rolls.  and cheesecakes.  it was ten hours of crazy, messy, and hilarious fun.  i think the best part was when we collapsed on the floor and ate warm rolls at ten p.m.


finn really loves story time with this one.

 
the wedick's annual ugly sweater party!  i am  pretty proud to announce that i won! 
 

we celebrated ryan's birthday with a trip to the city the weekend before christmas!  there is somethin' about the city at christmas time.  we started at pier 39 to ride the carousel and see the seals.
 



then we drove through a rainstorm and shortly after we parked, the clouds parted, allowing us to find foley's - the best irish pub, this side of the atlantic :)
 


and probably my favorite pictures of the day: my mister peering out on a busy street, a rainbow amidst skyscrapers and the original kellys with that union square christmas tree...
 

Friday, December 21, 2012

twinkle lights


every day stuff is just so charming amongst the glow of twinkle lights - wouldn't you agree?  enchanting, precious, darling, magical...i could go on and on. oh decemeber...  how i love thee.




(does anyone else have a woody doll?  does he break your heart? every time i see him thrown about, or lying on the floor-limbs stuck in unnatural positions, or stuffed in a toy box - i pause and feel sad, thinking he is real and about to come to life.  i don't know how much longer i can bear it.

Friday, December 14, 2012

december is fun

 
the weekend after thanksgiving, we headed up to apple hill with the caldwells.  it was fun and hilarious.  how hard it is to select one perfect tree among a sea of evergreen.  we hiked around for over an hour and then all gave up and selected the ones closest to us.  and then we spent two hours in traffic.  silly girls and boys.


finn is quite intrigued by the tree.  after one day of ripping  the lights off, he now prefers to lean in and smell the tree.  thank goodness.


we spend most of our mornings playing and eating.  finn is a slow eater, sometimes grazing for up to 45 minutes.  i spend most of that time cleaning up behind him and then staring at his most precious feet.  oh those feet.


the tantes came over for a craft day and em helped finn with his first gingerbread house.  she should be a gingerbread architect.


then the parentals came over for an impromptu  dinner.  we couldn't believe that everyone was free and there was  no planning involved.  lucky us.  while papa entertained finn with a piggy back ride, emily introduced finn to mr. napkinhead.


we have been discovering all the lovely, creamy window light that our new house boasts.  its dreamy. and i can't stop.


the darling expressions that greet me after nap time.  he wakes up slowly and likes to hang out in his crib, chatting and rolling around. then, when he is ready, he calls for mama.


the trampettis had a christmas party!  finn enjoyed the company of two ladies, one older and one younger and upon greeting them he decided both needed kisses.  it was pretty comical.
 

and santa came!

 
there are lots of leaves in the backyard!  thankfully, finn doesn't mind helping with the yard work.


the cozy coupe is worth it's weight in gold.


we love our neighborhood  park.  finn's favorite is the miniature picnic table and bench.  he feels right at home.


these twins came for a play date.  and blew me away with their baby beauty.  we made play dough ornaments and mostly just rolled around on the floor.  oh baby days.


seriously, could you just die?


finn is really into kissing and babies these days.  i find it really tender, naturally.


and lastly, new favorites featuring the boys of my heart.


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