Frozen on Ice

A few days after Christmas, I took Liam and Joergen on a little date to see Frozen on Ice at the Wells Fargo Center here in Philly.  Both boys loved the show, and we had such a fun day together!

My favorite part was watching Liam, and about 500 little girls dressed as Elsa, sing along at the top of their lungs and dance in the aisles to their theme song.

I don't know if or when "Frozen fever" will end, but for now, we're enjoying the ride.

2014 Portraits

One last post (maybe?) before ending 2014: school pictures and family portraits!  And of course, Liam and Joergen's visit with Santa.

Wouldn't you love to know their secret?!

Can you tell their father dressed them for this occasion?

Liam's kindergarten school picture:

Joergen's preschool pictures:

In celebration of its 60th anniversary, our parish asked everyone to get portraits done for its new directory. Our last one was in 2010!

Merry, Merry!

On Christmas morning, the boys actually slept in a little (!), but soon enough, we heard their little footsteps and excited stage whispers-- Santa really came!  Look, Joergen!  God love my Grandma-- that was quite the wake-up call I'm sure!  

Under the tree was Liam and Joergen's number one gift from Santa: bows and arrows.  Even though they discussed their wishes for a bow and arrow every day for the last 6 weeks, and even though they told everyone who asked (and even those who didn't) that this was what they really hoped Santa would bring them, I think they were pretty shocked that Santa actually did!  Now, their bows and arrows were under the tree unwrapped, and that was a pretty smart move on Santa's part-- because that meant they were free game for the kids to play with while the grownups got some coffee and had a little breakfast!  We opened our stockings over breakfast, too, which bought us a little more time to sneak in a second cup of joe.

Now I'll admit, I was pretty proud of the kids for hanging in there, because there was probably a good hour in there from the time they got up on Christmas morning until we actually started opening gifts.  And that's basically an eternity for a 3- and 5-year old!  As we were finishing up breakfast, though, Joergen was nowhere to be found-- until I looked out on the sun porch.  My heart melted at this sweet reminder of the true meaning of Christmas.

For unto us is born this day a Savior who is Christ the Lord!

Then, no sooner were we about to finally start opening those gifts, when look who came walking past the house!  The boys were so excited to show Aunt Doreen, Theresa, and Krissy their new bows.

Then, for real this time, it was time to open gifts :)  Some favorites:

Joergen's electric train set from Dad

"With my OWN REAL CONTROLLER!"

The grandparents opening their photobook gifts from us:

A picture of his 6 grandchildren (in which everyone is smiling, even!)

A Christmas-themed 6-pack in an insulated carrier from me

NINJA TURTLE COSTUMES!! (Thank you Dunlap Derrys!)

A STUFFY! (Seriously- he has been asking for one for the better part of a year, thank you Nana and Grandpa!)

A huge surprise from Santa- a LeapTV!

A special gift to Liam from Dad- his old iPad.

GG opening something pretty!

Love Grandpa's new shirt (and pretty sure he loves it too!)

Speaking of love... Dad's addition to his train set

After all the gift giving and receiving, it was time for everyone to have some fun with their new toys.  I got to work in the kitchen (having fun with some of my own new toys!), while these three protected the house from ninja attackers.  This is my favorite picture of Christmas-- and maybe ever.  My grandma is the coolest!

We also got a little FaceTime in with our French family-- Joyeux Noel!

And, this is how Joergen spent most of his day (ok, his entire Christmas break):

That evening, with much help from Nana before the meal and Grandma afterwards, we sat down to a lovely Christmas dinner of roast prime rib.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

We felt so blessed to have Grandma, Papa, Nana, Grandpa, and GG all celebrating Christmas with us at our house this year.  It meant so much to us to have this time all together as a family!

Grandma and Papa arrived a couple of days before Christmas, and on Christmas Eve morning, the boys opened their gifts from them.  Liam was thrilled to receive his first Eagles jersey! (And don't worry, IL fam-- his Bears jersey still fits too!)

Joergen was pretty excited that Grandma and Papa gave him an Eagles jersey too... but nothing compared to that 2015 Hess truck!  In a small, incredulous voice, Joergen said "Whoaaaa.  Awwwesommme!"

Which was also pretty close to Liam's expression when he opened his real Notre Dame football helmet.  I'd call that gift a touchdown!

Thank you, Grandma and Papa!

Love you!

Later that morning, Santa drove past our house on a firetruck!  I loved watching them flip up their little helmets so they could press their noses against the front door to watch.

By lunchtime on Christmas Eve, Nana, Grandpa, and GG had arrived, and it was time to decorate Christmas cookies.  This is one of my favorite holiday traditions, and it was pretty cool having 4 generations of us in the kitchen decorating cookies together.

That evening, we went as a family to Christmas Eve mass.  Fr. Cioppi had contacted us the week prior to ask if one of our boys would like to carry the baby Jesus in the procession and place him in the manger at the front of the church.  Liam and Joergen took Father's request quite seriously, and really seemed to get what an honor and responsibility this was!  I was so proud of them when, rather than argue about who would get to do it, they decided almost immediately that they would carry the baby Jesus together.

That mass was one of my most treasured memories of this Christmas.  I felt so blessed to have my in-laws, my parents, and my grandma at mass with us.  Grandpa decided to join me in singing with the choir, and from up in the loft, I felt this overwhelming sense of peace and joy as I watched Liam and Joergen process through the church, carefully sharing that baby Jesus and gently placing him in the manger to complete the Holy Family-- with Daddy, who was serving a as a Eucharistic Minister, right behind them all the way.

After mass and a lasagna feast, the boys got all snuggled up in their beds in anticipation of Santa's arrival.  I was excited for them, excited to have our families here, and I'll admit it-- excited for Santa, too!  In the middle of the night, I crept down the steps to check on GG (who was sleeping on the living room couch) and couldn't believe my eyes:

Christmas with NJ Family

A few days before Christmas, we headed over to Uncle Tim and Aunt Jackie's house for a little Christmas celebration.  I am so glad we live close by and just love these times with our families together!

A superhero, a pilot, and a knight walked into a bar...

Sister and brother :)

Love this girl!

Uncle Tim carving the ham.  Aunt Jackie made us a fabulous feast!

Joergen and Colin are the best of friends, and I love watching the two of them together.  While waiting to open presents, I found them sharing secrets and giggling together on the living room floor.

Those giggles are infectious!

Thank you to the NJ G-willies for a very fun holiday evening-- we love you!