finn's first christmas day

we woke up bright and early and in accordance with tradition, traveled to napa in our jam jam's. this year we had one more participant in our christmas morning pajama rama - hello finn!

when we got to casa de awesome, we quickly saw that santa had been there! spoiled. completely. yet again. and i nearly fainted when i saw those stockings - stuffed and hung with care - such an eclectic, darling collection

brand new little family in front of my parent's beautiful tree - it's a stunner every year, and this one was no exception.

big christmas breakfast - abernethy style.

and with mimosas! ooh-la-la!

after breakfast we gathered for a christmas morning walk. my favorite part. and this might be my new favorite picture of my mama.

finn is so loved by his tantes. it melts my heart.

in the afternoon, we went to grandma and grandpa great's house. sadly, i have no pictures - something about having too much fun. too much good food and egg nog. i did catch a picture of finn in his new polar bear outfit...


and one at the end of the night - baby finn asleep on uncle joe's shoulder. isn't that tender.

what a holly, jolly day finn's first christmas was.

finn's first christmas eve

it all started with a trip to the mailbox to find a letter from santa!!


and then...a little look under the tree to see that santa had left this little gem!

all dressed in our christmas best....

and off to mimi and pops for holiday fun. mimi never disapoints with silly hats and accessories...this year it was light-up rudolph noses!

finn visited with great grandma, and uncle richard, found his his look-a-like (a.k.a. daddy as a baby) on an ornament and admired his stocking-made by mimi.

he was introduced to mrs. claus...

and then he was pretty tired, so he relaxed.

santa came! and we were all completely spoiled.

and then we feasted...on prime rib and potatoes and green beans - it was all amaaaazing.

we left mimi and pops' feeling very merry and very bright. and we decided that on the way home we should drive through the fab 40's to see the light display...finn may have been sleeping but the mister and i were giddy for him. his first christmas eve. it doesn't get much better than that.

merry and bright.

bake day

the day before christmas eve eve, finn and i ventured to casa de awesome for my mom's annual bake day... that was one busy kitchen! and these women churned out some real delectables. my favorite is the cranberry orange cookie. it's crunchy and chewy at the same time. who knew that was possible?

oma took a couple cuddle breaks.

while the cookies cooled, we took a walk up the hill...it was a beautiful (and hard!) little hike.

later, papa came home! finn was delighted.

and have you ever seen such a picturesque clothesline?

from our little elf...

to yours...

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas...

and the halls are decked.

finn has been wearing his festive hat all week and tante em and oma visited.

we have been enjoying chilly afternoon walks with scarves. giggling at the neighbor's weird holiday decorations. did a little baking. and pops made lemon drops!

each morning i wake up, note the date and find that i am more excited than the day before.

finn may not know what is going on but it's so true what they say: baby's first christmas is nothing short of pure magic.

finn's first christmas tree

we took our boy to a parking lot to get his first little christmas tree. i was worried it wouldn't be the picturesque outing i had imagined...you know, driving to a tree farm, all decked out in flannel and plaid, picking out a tree, cutting it down and leaving with a candy cane and sap on our hands....but actually it was pretty fun.

finn also met santa. it was so darling. this was the holiday activity i was most exited for. as we waited in line, i felt so giddy. i kept giggling and bouncing around. i realized that my baby had brought back the magic of christmas. how wonderful it is to have the chance to re-live it all...

p.s. please note that i did not shave the sides of my baby's head. he is losing hair like crazy! but just on the sides and the back. the mohawk just keeps growing longer. its pretty funny. after this picture, we gave finn his first hair cut. at the ripe old age of four months.

christmas

christmas eve was spent with the kelly family. it is always a fun night and this year was no exception. like a little girl, i always run to the tree to look for mr. and mrs. claus who smile and sway to their own little beat. really! they move!

before our christmas supper and gift giving extravaganza, mama marsha brings us fun hats and headbands. festive!

and there is always a beautiful table set. this year, prime rib graced our plates. delectable.

my favorite kelly tradition: christmas crackers. we play with the little toys and read the jokes to one another. and i think the kelly parentals should wear these glasses every year. i couldn't stop laughing.


bright and early christmas morning we threw on our christmas pajamas and headed down to the abernethy's to wake up my sleeping sisters and discover that santa had come!

i was gifted with another another ina masterpiece...you know what that means.

my parent's christmas tree was a really beauty this year....i could hardly take my eyes off of it. and of course, this jolly old st. nick makes everyone feel the holiday spirit.

in between gift giving we enjoyed rachel's HOMEMADE cinnamon bread (which was the best we had ever had) and we admired my dear dad's wrapping and bow tieing (sp?) skills. and of course, what's not to love about ryan's ribbon suspenders?

christmas afternoon found the entire family at my grandparent's house where ANOTHER grand tree greeted us. this tree is a masterpiece every year: hundreds of vintage ornaments delicately placed by my devoted, christmas-loving grandma.

prime rib again! lucky us!

the dish washing crew...all wearing grandma's aprons. well, except alex. and emily showed us her bubble trick.

one of my favorite christmas traditions is exchanging names with my sisters and cousin and filling wooden shoes with little treats, honoring our dutch blood. the objective is for all the treats to fit in the shoe and as you can see someone cheated this year. but the best part was when hannah stuck a piece of coal in emily's shoe. we laughed and laughed...

and all were merry.

golden goose

last night, i came home to a specific mister of mine in the kitchen with oven gloves on both hands. let's be real: my mister and i have a lovely division of labor worked out and he is a very capable man, but cooking usually falls on my side of the chore list.

mister had roasted a beautiful chicken and made garlic mashed potatoes. He proudly opened the oven and said in his irish brogue, "a golden goose for my golden lady." I beamed.

we ate in between smiles. and i felt warm inside.

we bundled up and began a loooooong walk and he held my mittened hand the whole time. we admired and critiqued christmas light jobs and stopped at rite aid for candy. i got andes chocolate mints. i adore those little rectangle mints that you find tucked in with your check at a restaurant, i always wish i had ten more just like it. but then when you have a whole box at your disposal, somehow they lose their lustre. isn't that funny?

we trekked home and hopped right in the car to find our christmas tree. i love a big tree, but for some reason, this year, i wanted a little tree for our little house. so after much deliberation, we found our little 2010 tree. a humble little four foot noble fir. and i couldn't love it anymore.

tonight, we will decorate that tree. and all will feel right with the world.