Christmas 2011 in Pictures

New York City!!

I got to take a short trip to visit my sister in Albany, New York the week before Christmas. It was so nice to see her and her adorable family. I miss having my sister nearby. I would have loved to take both of my kids with me, but it would have been really hard to navigate the airplane and airports with 2 kids by myself. So, I was treated to a trip by myself!!

Jodi and I decided to go to NYC while I was up visiting. We drove in to the city and stayed overnight. It was so neat to be there for Christmas. I have been the NYC a few times, once including when Jodi marched in the Macy's Parade at Thanksgiving 20 years ago. It's so pretty in the city at Christmastime. I really enjoyed seeing all of the lights and trees and PEOPLE! It is so crowded!

We went by the World Trade Center Memorial while we were there. It was really touching. I felt a little strange going to see the site as a "tourist" where so many people probably go visit to mourn their loved ones. They have done a remarkable job, it is a great memorial. Everyone should go see it if in the city.

The trip was great. I enjoyed seeing my sister and brother-in-law and my niece and nephew. We really miss them and wish they lived closer. Their new house is gorgeous and I really like their new town. I was ready to come home to see my family. A nice break was very much needed, but I was really happy to get back home and get everything ready for Christmas!

Christmas Activities

The kids have been busy with various Christmas activities. We went to the Paris Christmas Parade a couple of weeks ago. Brody and Raegan both enjoyed it. My niece Aerial was there, as well as Brody's friend Asher.

Brody and Daddy made a gingerbread house one night while I had Raegan at dance class. They were both very proud of their creation!

Today was the last day of school for both Raegan and Brody. I went to Raegan's party first in the morning. Santa Claus was there! She wasn't at all interested in sitting with him. But, she could be in the same room as him, so that's improvement! Her class had pizza and fruits and veggies for lunch, and a yummy sugar cookie with frosting for dessert. She has a great class with a wonderful teacher and lots of nice kids in her room. I couldn't be more pleased with her little preschool.

Brody's Kindergarten Class had their school party this afternoon. My dad came over to our house to stay here while Raegan napped and I went to the party. The kids had a great time! They had pizza and LOTS of candy and cookies. They had a book exchange, which the kids enjoyed. It was like musical chairs, when the music stopped, whoever had the book in their hands got to keep it. They loved it! We left with 5 goodie bags, a new clipboard and pencil with Brody's name on it from Ms. Hampton, coloring books and crayons, and all of his crafts from this week. His backpack was full!

So, we are ready for our Christmas Break. Tomorrow night is Ryan's office party. We are having it here at our house. I am pretty ready, I have my pies baked and a few dishes in the freezer. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law are making things as well, and we are picking up a Honey Baked Ham. So, it should be a great night! I am so fortunate to get to go visit my sister in New York on Sunday-Wednesday! We are going to NYC for a full day, and I'm so excited about that! I have always wanted to see the big city at Christmastime! Ryan will have the kids Sunday, and my parents are going to watch them on Monday and Tuesday. I'm so ready for a nice break. But, once I get back, I will be super busy getting ready for Christmas!

Santa Claus!

Yesterday, we visited Lexington Green in hopes of seeing Santa Claus. Brody was excited, but we decided not to tell Raegan our reason for the outing. She is not fond of Santa, or any character for that matter. So we thought we'd surprise her!

Brody loved it, he walked right up and sat on his lap and told him what he wanted for Christmas. Ryan had Raegan out in the hallway waiting until the exact time when we would need her for a picture. Santa agreed to do the "Secret Santa" pose. Raegan was ok with that, so the picture turned out as well as I thought it would. She shaked Santa's hand and told him bye bye as we left! Progress! Maybe next year she will be brave enough to sit on his lap!

It was a nice day. After the picture, we went down to Joseph Beth and let the kids play and look around. My parents met us there and we went to eat lunch at Tony Roma's. Nice early birthday lunch for me!

Love capturing these memories. The kids will enjoy seeing the pictures as they get older as well. Enjoy the Season!

New Pictures

Our family had a photo session last month at a historic home/park here in Paris. I mainly wanted to get pictures of the kids, since our last official picture session had been at least a year ago. But, I also wanted to get family ones as well. Of course, it's so hard to get all 4 of us looking at the camera, smiling, hands and feet in their proper places, no picking noses or turning heads. Raegan had a mind of her own that day. She was running around, thinking it was a game to run from the photographer. Brody did really well, but when it came time to do family pictures, he had had enough. Raegan refused to let Brody put his arm around her.Our photographer was so sweet. She definitely was familiar with how kids behave, and was so patient with us. She just let them be and tried to snap shots of them while they weren't looking. By the end of the session, I was so ready to just leave and call it a day! I wasn't sure if we would get any decent ones. Boy was I wrong!

We got some wonderful pictures of the kids, both together and separate. We managed to get a couple of good family shots. So, I feel like it was a success! I love having pictures made of my children and family. Photos are so important for everyone to be able to look back on and remember the time and place and feelings. We are beyond blessed and so fortunate that our family is a loving, happy, and healthy one.