Liam's 1st Christmas

This is long overdue, but Merry Christmas, everyone! Between the craziness of the holidays and a busy time at work, I am obviously behind on my blogging. I have lots of fun pictures and updates from our holiday adventures, so I'll get to them a little at a time.

On the Monday before Christmas, Aunt Erin, Uncle Thomas, Sarah, and Pierre arrived and we all met at Nana and Grandpa's house in York. Daddy had to work until Christmas Eve, so he joined us later in the week.

While we were all preparing for Christmas, Liam had a great time playing with his cousins... and especially with his compain Pierre. Those two were an absolute riot. There are about a million pictures of them playing together throughout the week, but I'll spare you the slideshow and offer a couple of my favorites. Here they are in Liam's Pack-and-Play together, watching Elmo and playing with some toys:



Liam and Pierre comprised the Booster Seat Brigade and shared many fun meals together. Pierre was even so kind as to share his food several times with Liam, whether it was something he was able to eat or not! They both got quite a kick out of this little snowman toy that plays music:



We spent Christmas Eve with Aunt Jackie and Uncle Tim, who was able to get leave for the holiday. It was so great to see them!



Liam with Daddy, Mommy, Nana, Grandpa, and GG on Christmas Eve:



Christmas morning... Santa came! Nana and Grandpa's tree (we must have all been good little boys and girls this year):



Because there were so many of us, we had to hang a few stockings on each hook to make room for everyone!

Mommy, Liam, and Daddy on Christmas morning. Liam's hat was from Uncle Tim and Aunt Jackie-- it said "Baby's 1st Christmas" and had a shamrock on it!

After scoping out the tree, Liam went looking for other evidence that Santa had been there...

... and he found it in the living room, where Santa had left a tent with a crawling tunnel for Sarah, Pierre, and Liam! Believe me when I say this provided hours of fun for everyone. After watching his older cousins' example...

... Liam finally figured out how to get through the tunnel!

And look-- even Nana had a go!

Time to open presents! Uncle Thomas and Aunt Erin amidst the kids (with Mommy and Daddy cheesing it up in the background):

Liam figured out how to get through wrapping paper pretty quickly:

Hurricane Christmas hit the family room:

All the excitement wore Liam out early, so he caught a little nap while Daddy checked out his gift:

When he woke up, though, he was ready to play. Forget all those new toys... Liam and Pierre wanted to play with Nana's piano:

It was a beautiful day, and we can't thank our family enough for making it so fun and special!

The next morning, when things were a little quieter, I caught this sweet moment on camera:

That night, we were sad to say goodbye to Uncle Tim and Aunt Jackie, but we were also excited to say hello to Grandma, Papa, Antonia, and Aidan, who drove all the way from Illinois to join in the festivities! We all met up at Damon's for drinks, and it was so wonderful to have both of our families together again.

I'm not sure, but I think Liam was happy to have everyone there...

Nana and Grandma catching up back at the house:

This visit marked the first time all of Liam's cousins met, and we couldn't believe how well they really hit it off. Within minutes, it was like they'd been buddies forever! Here's Aidan, Sarah, and Toni hamming it up:

December 27 marked Mommy and Daddy's 6th Anniversary, and we started the celebration with a big brunch at GG's. Here are Liam's favorite foursome:

We left the next morning with Grandma, Papa, Toni, and Aidan to head back to KoP, where the adventures continued. Stay tuned!

Snowed In

We had planned to go to Atlantic City with Nana and Grandpa for the weekend before Christmas, but Mother Nature had other plans! With a major snowstorm in the forecast, we decided to forgo the trip and be snowed in together in KoP instead. And although we were all disappointed our trip was cancelled, we ended up having a great time baking Christmas cookies and playing in the snow.

As the snow got started, Liam loved to stand at the back door and watch:



He also had some fun pulling on Grandpa's hair.



Before the weather got too bad on Saturday, we went out shopping for a little while. It turned out to be a great time to shop-- the mall was a total ghost town, which is unheard of for the Saturday before Christmas. Here's Liam ready to brave the elements:



By Saturday night, it was really coming down!



Once we were snowed in, we got busy with baking. Nana and Daddy hard at work:



On Sunday the snow finally stopped, so we got to work shoveling and digging out cars:



Afterwards, it was time to play. Liam LOVED being in the snow! I think he ate as much as he played with :)



Grandpa left that afternoon, but Nana stayed until Monday to pick up Aunt Erin, Uncle Thomas, Sarah, and Pierre from the airport for Christmas. More pics to follow!

Christmas in Chicago

We got back on Monday from a long weekend in Chicago, where we got to spend time with Grandma, Papa, and the rest of Daddy's family. Liam also got to meet Daddy's aunts, uncles, and cousins for the first time!

The trip started with a second meeting with Santa Claus, this time in the Philadelphia Airport! Someone snapped this Polaroid and gave it to Liam. He is really not sure what to make of the big guy in red...

The random airport fun continued when we got to Chicago Midway, where Liam spent some time rocking out with a live band singing Christmas carols in baggage claim.



Then it was off to our hotel, the beautiful Seneca downtown, where Liam enjoyed the Christmas decorations in the lobby with Papa.



On Friday evening, Liam got to meet Aunt Lyn and Uncle David, who invited us over for cocktails and hors d'oevures. Here's Aunt Lyn showing Liam their Christmas tree:



Cuddling up on the couch with Antonia and Grandma (can you tell he was tired?!)



On Saturday morning, we headed out to Butch McGuire's for their awesome brunch. It was pretty cold out, but Liam was snuggly warm and ready to roll!



Grandma, Aidan, Toni, and Papa (and Liam too) at Butch's:



The ceiling decorations are pretty sweet. Unless you're Bill G., it's hard to not be in the Christmas spirit!



Grandma showing Liam all the ceiling flair:



Liam and Uncle David getting to know each other:



Fun with Grandma and Papa:



My favorite pic of the weekend-- just as the waitress was snapping this photo, Liam grabbed Papa's glass and tried to take a swig! Sneaky little guy!



After brunch, Mommy and Liam went to visit our friends Becky and Pat and their adorable daughter Elisa-- who is turning 1 this week! Liam hadn't seen Elisa since he was 2 months old when both munchkins slept through most of the visit. This time was a little different! These two covered some ground together and had a great time playing.



On Saturday night, Liam stayed at the hotel with Grandma while Mommy and Daddy went out to celebrate Bill's big 3-0. Here we are with the birthday boy/parents to be (due in January- Liam can't wait for his new BFF!):



On Sunday, we went out to Wilmette to cousin Jacie's house for the Rasmussen Family Christmas. It was so, so great to see everyone! Here's Liam meeting his little cousin Joseph for the first time. How cute are these two?



Why we don't let Uncle Jake babysit...



Liam was in a bit of a funk at Jacie's, but managed to snap out of it with the help of Grace (and her hair). Grace, Jacie, and Liam in action:



One of our favorite traditions with the Ras Fam is the annual White Elephant gift exchange. This year certainly did not disappoint! We had a blast.

Thanks to everyone for a wonderful weekend!! We're now back in Philly, getting slowly buried by the snow...

Christmas Tree Shopping and First Snow!

Last Saturday, we went Christmas tree shopping with our friends Marc and Cathleen. This was the first Christmas trees for both Liam and Marc, so it was definitely a special occasion! M & C found their perfect tree (which Marc cut down like a pro):

Liam ogling their find:

But we, on the other hand, didn't find our winning tree until back in KoP at the same old lot we always go to. So much for trying something new! Here's Daddy getting it indoors to dry out from the rain:

Before we knew it, though, the rain turned to snow. Our first snowfall of the season, and Liam's first snow ever! (Ok, so we had a snowstorm like a week after he was born, but we hid indoors until it melted, so that doesn't count.) I took him outside to check it out, and he was in awe. The snowfall didn't amount to much, but it was really pretty for the next day or so!

Later that night, we lit and decorated our tree. Drum roll please...

Knock on wood, but so far Liam hasn't terrorized it much! We made sure to put the non-breakable ornaments towards the bottom, though, just in case :)

Off to Chicago in the morning for a long weekend with Daddy's family and some of our closest friends. It's supposed to be crazy cold, but we're excited anyway!

Liam Meets Santa Claus

Liam had his picture taken with Santa Claus last Sunday. The good news is that he didn't cry... but he didn't exactly smile either:



Definitely an "Are you kidding me?!" expression. Oh well, he was a great sport- and we appreciated him humoring us!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! This year more than ever, we have much to be thankful for, and we feel so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends.

To celebrate Liam's first Thanksgiving, we enjoyed a long, quiet, turkey-filled weekend at Nana and Grandpa's house. Liam also got to enjoy some time with GG, who brought him a stuffed giraffe. Check out this face-- I think he liked it!



Nana and Grandpa worked hard on our special dinner. Here they are with one good-looking bird:



"Yay for Thanksgiving!!"



Liam had a great time "exploring" his Thanksgiving dinner.



Note for the future: remove baby's shirt before giving him cranberry.



After a wonderful and messy meal, we stripped Liam down to his diaper and express-delivered those clothes to the washing machine. Here's Liam working off those post-Thanksgiving calories:



Liam playing with Grandpa, who may or may not have a trashcan on his head:



Who knew a trashcan could be so much fun?



On Saturday morning, Liam helped Nana make eggs for breakfast. He got a real kick out whisking those eggs!



Later on Saturday, we took Liam to the park where he got to go down the sliding board for the first time. At the top with Grandpa...



And at the bottom with Daddy! So fun!



Once he mastered the little slide, Grandpa and Daddy thought he should try the big twisty slide. Here goes nothing...



"Ok, not sure about that one..."



I think he liked cuddling at the bottom better!