winter wonderland

 

one weekend in january, we decided to take finn to see the snow for the first time.  i had been talking about a snow trip for weeeeeeks.  lucky for us, the caldwells invited us to stay with them at a cabin. sweeeeeet.

 

by day, we fed hungry boys and dissolved tantrums over toys.  our finn has some sharing skills to learn. 

 

but by night, we bbq'ed, hot tubbed in the freezing temps, enjoyed wine (lots of wine), played games and stayed up waaaaaay too late. 

 

not gonna lie:  on this trip, the nights were my favorite. 

 

 

getting seven people ready for cold sledding is no small feat and is quite comical. 

 

 

our little california summer baby:  he struggled in the cold. and his defense, it was pretty cold.  but he loved the trip down the hills!  and when the ride was over, the crying commenced.  it was fun while it lasted!

 

 

love these bundled up faces.

 

 

ahhh...warm, wintry wonderland.

 

lately...

 

we welcomed the new year with a quiet night at home that was full of our favorite indulgences...big foot, wine, pasta and cookies. 

 

we even had a campfire with champagne!  someday we will get wild and party again on new years, but until then, this kind of night isn't bad at all.

 

we contemplated and made wishes for the new year... 

 

 

finn likes his new hat.  but not as much as me!

 

park date.

 

 

i picked up this outfit for finn at h&m after christmas.  it was crazy cheap and i am obsessed with it.  i love simple clothes that are a little old fashioned and contain a lot of stripes :)

 

 

we had a dinner party with the wedick's and finn was so happy that connor came too.  he loves connor.  not sure that the feeling is mutual but that pup is sooooo patient with our little finn the hitter.

 

and while the men folk watched jungle gold and drank a beer or two, landra and i gabbed the night away.  it got quiet and we found our misters slumbering away. we giggled and took pictures.

 

 

christy had a birthday! we partied at tracey's new pad with stir fry and cake.  its always fun with these three.

 

 

and i got to babysit this little beauty for a few hours!  in our world of boys, it's pretty fun to get girly for awhile.  her mama dropped her off in the most darling outfit (of course) and with a dolly!  oh a dolly.  and lastly, mimi and pops came one night for dinner out at pietros.  finn was so happy to have them here. 

 

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.

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...

 

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.