Christmas Wrappings

We've had a lot going on over the past week in preparation for Christmas. We were able to spread out the fun of seeing friends and family over the course of several days. I feel like the kids have been unwrapping gifts for the past month! We are taking a lot of unwrapped gifts to NC for the kids to open there as well, so the fun will continue! Here's a little "wrap-up" of what we've been doing:

Nearest and Dearest

We were very fortunate to move to a town in CT that was not only home to Mammo and Papi, but lifetime friends of Chris, the Lobans. I've gotten to know the whole clan over the years, but it wasn't until we were pregnant with Samantha and Ethan did Amanda and I really become great friends. Something about babies and blogging made us fast friends. It really hasn't hit me yet, and I don't really like to think about saying good bye to such wonderful friends. This isn't just about me and Chris; who are we kidding here; Samantha will miss her best bud Ethan the most. We had our pizza Friday on Thursday last week to celebrate Christmas and exchange gifts. As always, fun and laughs were plentiful.

Jake and Noah playing peek-a-boo from the back of the chair.

The kids tolerated a pre-unwrapping photo for a few seconds.

Noah couldn't keep his eyes off the gifts!

Ethan, Jake and Sam play in the bench

Brunch with Santa

While I stayed home to do some packing, Sammy and Jake his the country club's brunch with Santa. Papi, Mammo and Daddy tagged along. Samantha will tell you that Santa arrived in a golf cart without his reindeer (why? because he wanted to go golfing of course!) Jake was a little less afraid of Santa this time.

Christmas Eve

We had a lovely Christmas Eve. We started out by going to church, but after Chris and I both ended up in the hallway with an active, chatty child, we decided to leave early. At home we enjoyed a delicious dinner with Mammo, Papi and Sessa. We also had a visit from Chris's Uncle Bill and Aunt Martha and their pups. Jake loves dogs and gets so excited anytime dogs are near. Samantha not so much.

We left "cookies" for Santa and a carrot for the reindeer. We also left Santa a note making sure that he knew we are moving to NC, just in case he wanted to make a stop there too.

Christmas Day

Who doesn't open their Christmas presents in their bathing suits?

The kids have been enjoying getting dressed in their bathing suits and pretending to go to Mexico these days. Jake has been substituting a bathing suit for some puffy plastic training underwear. In the interest of his mental health as a teen, I've omitted a photo of this spectacle. We enjoyed a great Christmas afternoon/evening with the extended family. Here are a few photos of our fun.