Christmas 2011: The Aftermath

Whew.  That was exhausting!  But oh so, so much fun.  From a ride on the Polar Express on Friday evening to a top ten brother-sister dinner at Miyake on Monday night, we jam-packed the weekend with holiday celebration.  And there were even a few moments of relaxation thrown in here and there to boot.  This tired mama is too, well, tired (this here brain is all done thinking for the year) to give a full play-by-play of all the fun that was had, but the pictures will give you a good idea of what Christmas 2011 was all about.      

We awoke to snow on December 23rd - just in time!

My little cookie helpers hard at work.  Boy does this activity get easier and more fun with each passing year!
I can't believe I even attempted it with a 1- and not yet 3-year old a couple years back. 

So proud of his very meticulous and deliberate decorating.
He doesn't take after his dad or anything... 

Again with the close attention to detail.
This time with a touch of his mom's bossiness thrown in for good measure. 

The boys' first solo attempt at building a snowman.  It was almost entirely successful.  Almost.

A ride on the Polar Express Friday night.
What a fun crowd with whom to share a caboose to the North Pole!
My two favorite stories from the night: The Stockwells making the train with only minutes (seconds?) to spare and an unnamed 2-year old pulling the fire alarm at the restaurant afterwards.

More work for my little elves.  Saturday morning's task:
building and decorating a gingerbread house with Uncle Pauly.
Or, if you're Adam, binging on frosting and a candy smorgasbord.

Sugar-induced hysteria.

Sprinkling reindeer dust with Papi...

and reading our new Christmas story with Noni before bed on Christmas Eve. 

Treasures left for Santa - the usual milk and cookies, a carrot for Rudolph,
and proof that Ethan can write his name and numbers (albeit backwards).
On the other side of his "note" is a picture of a snowman, which is, oddly enough,
the same as last year.  I guess Santa likes snowmen.

He came!  And we were up at 5:15 AM to check!  Oy.

Fuzzy picture, but just have to note for posterity that all Adam wanted for Christmas was a banana.
And here he is showing everyone that Santa did indeed grant his wish!  Thank goodness that Papi was on the ball Christmas morning and sneakily stuffed Adam's stocking
because the actual St. Nick had forgotten a banana for our little monkey! 

Enjoying a quiet moment with his very own crayons and coloring book.

This about sums up some of the favorite gifts from 2011- a garbage truck for Ethan and puzzles, puzzles, and more puzzles for Adam.

Both boys got sleeping bags, pillow pets, and rolling suitcases from Noni and Papi.
We have been "camping out" ever since.

After all the presents had been opened, we found a ribbon leading down to the basement where Santa had left a rocketship! 

3...2...1...blast off!
Let's just say it will be a Christmas miracle if this thing makes it through the winter.
We don't have the gentlest of astronauts.

After naps (which happened for both boys on Christmas Day, thank god),
Grandma and Grandpa came over with sleds for the boys!  Little did Grandpa know (or perhaps he did) that this gift would mean near endless trips up and down the hill out back.  The boys were beyond thrilled to make Grandpa work for his Christmas feast.

Learning about dinosaurs over Christmas dinner.

The morning after - lots of R&R required.  Particularly for those who stayed up until 2 AM
playing foosball and poker.

Followed by lots of playtime with all our new toys.  Apparently it takes two grandfathers and
a wizard to put together the new Legos Uncle Pauly gave Ethan...

Mom and I (and Adam) had fun playing with, as Ben called it, "a toy for moms who have only boys".  Santa must have known that this was just what I needed, as he brought a set of boy dress-up figures (e.g. police, firemen, soccer players, knights, etc.) for Ethan and Adam, who, much to my delight, also enjoy dressing and redressing dolls.

Our wizard-in-training performing magic from his new kit.

So that's a wrap on Christmas 2011...almost.  The festivities continue tomorrow, as we head over to Grandma and Grandpa's for the night to open gifts with them, play hockey (Ben), and enjoy someone else's cooking (me).  Then it's up to Rockport for New Year's Eve with the Doyles, and back to harsh reality next week.  In the meantime, may all your holidays be as blessed with joy and wonder as ours are this year.  While I don't often use this blog for current event commentary, I can't help but mention the horrific fatal housefire that occurred just blocks from my parents' house in Stamford on Christmas morning.  It certainly is a reminder of all that we have to be thankful for.  

Happy New Year!