In the meantime, here is a brief overview of our holiday. Christmas Eve is a big night for our extended family and we all gather at my mom's for food, festivities and a visit from Santa. The boys were terrified of Santa this year and only Tommy was brave enough to get within 3 feet of him to get his gift. I don't have any photos of this as I was trying to soothe Cole who was watching from the safety of the stairs, but I'm sure someone will have a few to share with me in the days ahead (hint! hint!) Of course, AFTER Santa left they got very brave and even cried that he was gone. But they had a blast with their cousins and were really excited to go to bed and wait for Santa's arrival.
We did Christmas morning at my parents house (Nana and Papa's) which the boys love. Santa brings all their big presents there and stops by our house to leave them their stockings. It's twice the work for Santa, but we made him LOTS of cookies so he can't complain. :) We had a great morning opening gifts and relaxing. The first thing they noticed...out of the WHOLE pile of gifts...was the Starbursts. lol Pretty funny! Here are some photos...
I woke up pretty early and found a camera from Santa under the tree for me! Here is my first shot off the deck. Sun rising...christmas tree still lit on the dock down the way. Beautiful.
Santa Claus must have thought these two were REALLY nice this year!
Here come my sleepy heads. Still weren't fully awake.
We got these awesome PJ's with the button up bum flaps with their names on them. Made identifying them a lot easier when they were head down playing. :)
On the porch we found eaten carrots and a bell that must have fallen off Santa's sleigh! Cole was so excited. Tommy was impressed for a minute...then was too cold to care. Back to the toys!
Cole was a little overwhelmed when Tommy attempted to swipe his doctor's outfit.
No worries! Here he is moments later fully suited up. My future surgeon.
In the afternoon we returned home to our stockings and to prepare for our annual theme dinner with friends. This year was "Feliz Navidad" and everyone brought a spanish inspired dish to the dinner. We had so much fun and the boys kept us all entertained with their new toys. A successful holiday filled with blessings beyond compare. The love of family and friends paired with incredible food and lots of laughter made this our best Christmas holiday yet!!
This years commemorative ornament.
Home again! Look...stockings!
Our beautiful table complete with Peruvian table cloth courtesy of Beth's world travels.
Joe - ole!
Beth and Ash posing in front of Beth's insanely yummy homemade guacamole and shrimp empanadas.
Peter prepping the salad.
Beth enjoying Joe and Peter's incredible avocado salad with mango salsa vinaigrette.
Mmmm....paella with chicken, shrimp, clams and lobster tail!
Ashley's incredible Flan
It was a blast from start to finish. Thank you to everyone for making our holiday so special. From Christmas Eve...to our special morning and incredible dinner...to our gifts and notes from friends and family all over. The boys feel the love from everyone and as parents we couldn't be happier to see it shine in their sweet little faces.
Next stop...Blizzard 2010 and New Years! (Oh...and how on earth are we going to keep these boys in line without the threat of Santa Claus watching their every move? Any and all ideas welcome. :)
Hope everyone had an amazing holiday with their families!
