Merry ThanksChristmaNewYear!

Ahh December 31st.  The last day of 2011 means we have survived the year and survived the holidays.  Starting back in November, with Thanksgiving of course.  Since Lukas was all of three weeks old we hosted the big meal this year (and I use the term "hosted" loosely).  K&K and S&E brought delish dishes, Matt manned the bird, and I supervised and made sure Lukas had his own share of the feast.  It was an awesome meal and a fun night.  And while my mom had just left after two weeks of helping us get acclimated to having two kiddos, my dad and brother were able to swing into town for a short visit the day after Thanksgiving to meet the new addition.  

meeting auntie erin

well, this is one way to spend thanksgiving...

...and this is another

i'm HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNGRY!

the fam

a visit from Pop Pop

Once December hit it was time to get the house ready for Christmas.  We went out and found the biggest tree we could fit on top of the Pilot and dragged it in for a decorating adventure (see below).  I look forward to the annual tradition of Matt getting mad as a hornet and swearing like a sailor as he tries to drag the tree inside and set it squarely in the tree stand.  Tis the season!  After decorating it seems that we are sorely short on lights for a tree that size but now we know for next year.  My little elf Genevieve really got into wrapping gifts this year and after we visited Santa she and dad went out to buy a gift just for Lukie which she was very proud of (incidentally, it was a Brewers t shirt and a Packers teddy bear.  Hmm, wonder who chose the store?).  Genevieve also had her first ballet recital in December (again, using the term loosely).  It was more like a regular class which parents were allowed to attend.  She was a VERY proud little ballerina and was excited to show little bro her moves.  Although we're pretty sure her favorite part of ballet was that we let her get McDonald's pancakes after her 9 a.m. Saturday morning class each week, she insists that she wants to keep going.  Weekly hot cakes it is, kiddo.

slightly less intimidated than last year

quick!  take the picture!

underwhelmed

hey mom, i saw santa.  he he.

still scheming on what to add to his christmas list...

ready for some dancin'

tippie toes!

"leaping"

 

 

 

 

Then of course came Christmas!  My parents and bro came into town on Christmas Eve and we immediately headed north to K&K's neck of the woods for a Martin/Maio church service & Chinese food.  Both kids were gems during the service.  We thought we'd be super clever this year and pre-order the food so it would be ready right after church.  HA!  What a complete bust.  It was meant to be ready at 6:30 so when it was 7:30 and Matt and Karl hadn't returned I started to wonder if they had actually gone to China.  They finally came back victorious and many declarations were made about never getting Chinese on Christmas Eve again.  Happy birthday, baby Jesus!

Since our house was choc full-o-guests we had both kids sleeping in our room on Christmas Eve.  Lukie did NOT give mommy the gift of Christmas sleep that night but we finally managed to pull ourselves together sometime around 8 Christmas morning.  We all tromped downstairs together and I mock-gasped when I saw the presents under the tree.  This sent Genevieve high tailing back up the stairs because she didn't want to "see Santa!!!!".  After we reassured her that the big guy was back safe at the North Pole, all was right with the world and we spent the next half-day opening gift after gift.  Matt had a big fire going and K&K came over for brunch.  The whole scene was very cozy and fun.  G got enough loot to keep an army busy and Lukas slept the entire morning (stinker).  Matt and I handed over the kids for the afternoon while we prepped dinner which turned out to be totally scrumptious: smoked turkey breast (I'm no great fan of smoked meat but my husband outdid himself!), cauliflower gratin, roasted sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts, fresh stuffing, yukon gold mashed potatoes, gravy, and for dessert a sticky toffee pudding with brandy sauce so dense and delicious it could give you a heart attack from across the room (only 4 sticks of butter!).

sous chef putting more in her mouth than in the oven

the martins

the #1 fave present

lukas, totally captivated by his gifts

awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

how many adults does it take to build one child's train tracks?

uncle grant, who is terrified of babies, and the baby.  well done.

schooling dad at candy land

Now it's New Year's Eve.  Our sixth wedding anniversary.  So far today we have taken a family trip to the hardware store, Matt has done some anniversary mudding, and I've burped a baby while wearing my wedding dress (oh hells to the yes, it still fits!  sure i can't breathe or sit down, but that is NOT the point).

breathing is overrated

 

We're treating ourselves to dinner out tonight - I'm going incognito as a woman who wears makeup - but overall we are truly looking forward to letting the dust settle and getting back into a routine.    

In summary, 2010 was a complete bust and 2011 left us overwhelmed by the wealth of good fortune.  Here's hoping for a nice, normal 2012 to balance it all out.  Happy New Year!