Christmas Recap

Wow! It's been so long since my last post but between Christmas, New Year's, fighting colds, and traveling, I just haven't had time to post. So for the one reader I probably have left, here's a recap from our Christmas. :) Oh, and if you read my (private) family blog then you can skip this post b/c it's basically the same one I posted over there. Sorry!

We were busy little elves leading up to Christmas. We baked cookies, fixed reindeer food, had a visit from Santa, and a phone call from Santa. I love the holidays with the kids, they really do make it so much more fun!

For our cookies, William was in charge of unwrapping the kisses (and trying not to eat all of them), while Cate was rolling the dough into balls and then dipping them in sugar. They both love to help in the kitchen, especially when we're fixing anything sweet!

Every year Santa comes through our neighborhood on the firetruck. This year the kids were prepared. Cate spent hours writing out lists for the two of them. Then they sat anxiously on the steps waiting to hear the sirens.

And we were all happy that Daddy was off this year for the visit, as he's usually working!

Santa also usually calls us JUST to be sure to ask more questions in case he didn't get everything answered during the visit on the firetruck.

Christmas Eve we attended church and then hosted my husband's family (plus my mom/step-dad) for a casual gathering.

I love having my momma live close!

The whole "H" gang!

Once everyone left, the kids sprinkled the reindeer food outside.

And then the hubs and I enjoyed a quiet evening together. We were both so happy he was off b/c he was scheduled to work (2nd year in a row) but his awesome coworker agreed to switch with him. I was so, so thankful!

Christmas morning came quickly and we couldn't wait for the kids to see everything under the tree.

I had over 400 pics from the entire Christmas week so obviously it took me awhile to narrow things down. I just decided to include a few favorites.

Thankfully we took this family selfie Christmas morning, b/c it's the only pic we have of the four of us from the day.

After we celebrated with the four of us, both sets of grandparents came over (separately) for more gift exchanges.

It was a wonderful Christmas that came and went way too fast (as usual). The day after Christmas, I loaded the kids up and drove back to my hometown to celebrate with my dad and brother/niece. 

But before the family celebrations started, I was able to slip away for a Christmas party with my friends. It's hard to believe we've been friends for over 20 years!!

The next day we celebrated at my brother's house and ate a wonderful Christmas lunch prepared by my mom, then spent the remainder of our time at my dad's house with my 3 favorite kiddos (in their matching jammies).

I just love my sweet niece!

And I especially love their smiles!

Next up, a recap from our uneventful yet simply perfect NYE. 

NYC

We had such a wonderful time in New York. And despite missing the kids, I do think we made the right decision by leaving them at home this time. We hope to return in a few years when the trip will be easier on them and they will enjoy it more!

We started the day waking up before 5 am (planning to leave the house by 6). And Cate must have been too excited to sleep so she woke up before we left. I was thankful for some early morning snuggles with her.

We drove an hour to the next town over and hopped on Amtrak. We rode it all the way into Penn Station. Oh, and did I mention my mom and step-dad joined us. My mom and I are the ones who have wanted to see the Rockettes for so many years. I couldn't see them without her!



With quite a few stops along the way and a mishap with the engine, we FINALLY made it to our hotel around 5pm. It had been a long day and we were very thankful to have arrived!

We quickly geared up for our walk to dinner at Serendipity. But not before a few pics along the way. Our hotel (Marriott Marquis) was literally RIGHT in the middle of Times Square. We chose it wisely and it worked out perfectly!

Without planning it, we stumbled upon the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center on the way. I was so excited!!

Not the best picture, but we FINALLY tasted some frozen hot chocolate.

We actually ended our first night pretty early b/c we were so tired.

We had a fun-filled day planned for the next day (our only real full day). We went ice skating at Rockefeller Center, saw The Rockettes, took a carriage ride through Central Park, and even squeezed in a broadway show. I wanted to be sure and do as much as we could while we were there!

The Rockettes show was fantastic and I highly recommend it if you ever have the chance to see them. Even my hubs (who couldn't quite figure out what they'd do for a 90 minute show) was highly impressed.

The picture below is showing the ginormous screen on the side of our hotel. I could always locate our hotel by the lit up screen!



I also took a picture of the new year's ball set up and ready to go. If you look real close you can see it on top of the 2014 sign.

We had to take a picture of The Plaza for our daughter (who loves the movie Eloise at the Plaza).

Silly pic to send to the kids!

I loved wearing my new dress to see Wicked.

And boy was Wicked a great show too!! My hubs picked it out and we both thoroughly enjoyed it!

We left the next morning and it was bittersweet. I was sad to leave but excited to see my kids.

The next day I had to send my daughter to school, but my I enjoyed some cuddles with my son.

I do hope to return again with the kids eventually. But this was definitely a wonderful trip with wonderful memories!





Christmas PJ Link Up

Happy Monday!! Sorry I took last week off, but between New York (post coming soon), school parties, dance recital, and more, it was just too busy to blog). But today I'm linking up with some fabulous bloggers for a Christmas PJ Party. 

Darci, Natasha,  Ashley, Jenny, and Julia.

Even though I have a boy and a girl, I absolutely LOVE dressing them in matching clothes. And fortunately my daughter loves it (and my son is still clueless). Jammies are no exception and a very fun way to do it. For most holidays I try ordering them matching/coordinating jammies b/c i can't just resist how cute they look. Unfortunately this year things didn't work out as plannned. I pre-ordered my sets back in October and when they finally arrived, they only sent the set for Cate. They said they couldn't supply the boy set. I almost cried, seriously! So I frantically started looking for something else. I did manage to find a pair, but am still disappointed that the original set never arrived. That being said, here are some pics from this year and the kids in their matching jammies. (I also bought a set for my 1 year old niece and i can't wait to have all 3 kiddos in them on Cmas.)

My daughter already had the pair she has on below (bday gift from her grandparents) so I had to run out and find my son another pair. Of course he picked Mickey.

And just for fun, I thought I'd include a pic from a few years past. Here is last year (in their fashion glasses on Christmas morning..lol.)

And in 2012 - which are probably my favorite ones. I had a friend make them and i absolutely LOVE the monogram. I guess I should have had her do it for me again this year. I'll have to remember for next year.

And just for kicks, I thought I'd throw in this pic from our "Mix and Match Mama inspired" Jammie Cocoa Christmas outing. :)

I can't tell you how happy I am that my daughter is on Christmas break. I absolutely LOVE having my kiddos home with me all the time. We plan to bake goodies, watch Christmas shows, stay in our jammies all day, and just have fun! I'll probably post a recap of NY tomorrow, then take off until after Christmas. Have a great day!