The rest of our Easter awesome-ness

Instead of having a bunch of posts all week about our Easter Vacation (because we really did so much) I'm going to give you one monster blog with a bunch of pics of everything we did. The egg hunt in historic Berlin, MD is serious business. Just ask Jack.

Henry wanted in on the fun too.

Henry was a snuggle-monster the whole vacation. Stealing a snuggle from anyone or anything who'd stay still long enough.

On Sunday morning we hunted for eggs inside

and out.

Then we wandered down a country lane.

We took a family pic. (We missed you, Daddy!)

We marveled at our Easter egg creations (crayon shavings sprinkled over just hard boiled, and thus hot eggs).

Jack's egg close up. So cool!

Then we went to the beach.

Beach on Easter Sunday? Awesome!

It was warm enough for a sundress!

Vote of No Confidence?

I think the boys don't trust my driving. When we got in the car to leave they insisted on wearing their helmets.

Oh, ye of little faith.

We are having a BLAST! (Which is good because now the husband will not be joining us because he's siiiiiick.) Yesterday we climbed up a cliff, today we went on a walrus adventure, tomorrow we're going to a Easter Festival, and Sunday we're celebrating Easter. Score!

Christmas- Foolishness

Mommy, modeling new wellies. This is how everyone models their new shoes, right?


Small Chairs, Large Boys.

The obligatory post-present-in front-of-the-tree picture.

Jack, going to outer space... or bed, you know, whatever.

Henry. Crawled over and pulled himself to standing. Then he started cruising around the crib.... aaahhh trouble....



Christmas was great this year. We had lots of fun with family and enjoyed watching the boys tear up their gifts (and watched Jack read the packages and deliver gifts to the proper recipient... some of the time). First we celebrated on Christmas Eve at my in-laws house, then we had Christmas morning just us and the kiddos, and then my parents and brother showed up and we had Christmas Round 3!

Christmas- Food Edition

We had some good food this year, like really, really, really good food!! I will now share the dishes with you. I don't have the recipes right here, but if you see anything and think to yourself "I absolutely must know how to make that dish!" just shoot me an e-mail and I'll get it for you.

Christmas Lunch: Cranberry Spinach Waldorf Salad

Salmon Fontina Frittata

Christmas Dinner: Spanish Potato Salad, New Orleans Shrimp and Crab Stuffed Bell Pepper, Squid and Shrimp Ceviche

Day-After-Christmas Breakfast: Sticky Buns

Sunday Dinner: Red Curry Mac n' Cheese

Merry Christmas!

We're very busy here enjoying families and good food and a few gifts. I swear I'll update at some point!

Par-tay!

Every year we have some family friends over to decorate cookies and enjoy some delicious food. This year we didn't get snowed out (like last year). I was very excited to see some friends and enjoy some tasty treats.
Brie & Date Crostini

Havarti & Roasted Red Pepper Crostini

The Main Event: Sugar Cookies!

Jack was VERY excited to decorate some cookies this year. About 80% of the decorations went right into his mouth, what can ya do?

Henry enjoyed some pita and some undecorated cookie.

We had a pretty big group of kids who all enjoyed some snacking and some decorating before they went to run around in the basement like crazy people. Hopefully they burned off enough energy so their parents aren't cursing my name tonight!

Santa

Jack wrote a letter to Santa and dropped it in the mail (so cute that mailbox that spits snow at you!).

Henry sat on Santa's lap. Jack was having no part of it and we didn't coerce him. He did talk to "Santa" on the metro last month. A large man with a bushy white beard sat next to him on the subway and he said "Look, Daddy, it's Santa." And my poor husband turned red and looked a little embarrassed and the man, thankfully, said "Yes, I am. I'm making my list and checking it twice. Have you been good this year?" To which Jack said "Yeah..."

He must get that all the time. Large man, white beard... I'm just sayin'.

GiGi snapped a good picture of us in Santa's village. (Note Santa at minimum safe distance.)

Then we rode the carousel.

And after that we went to lunch.

It's our third year doing this particular set of activities with my mom a week or two before Christmas. Clearly it has become a tradition.

The Halls are Decked

With the house decorated The Polar Express on the DVR and some Bing Crosby on the iTunes we're feeling quite festive.

Christmas Cards

When the Husband and I first got married we sent Christmas cards to everyone invited to the wedding. It had only been 2 months since the big day and so we sent Christmas cards with pics taken by the wedding photographer. It was fun to do and incredibly easy. Things have changed. Oh, how things have changed.

1. The photographic subjects in our cards are not two well-behaved love-drunk adults. They're two small, short-attention-spanned children.

2. I love Christmas cards a million times more now than I did then.

Every single card I send is sent with love. I know the people in our lives (and the friends & family we don't get to see often) want to see what the kids look like and I want them to know we're thinking of them during the holidays and I'm also secretly hoping to get cards with their kids or cats or dogs sent back to me.

Despite the challenge of getting our two little guys to smile, look at the camera and get their hands out of their eye, ear, nose... whatever we do it. We usually get pictures good enough to print and frame for the house, so it's a double score. We send our little picture in hand-addressed envelopes (not cause I'm old-school, because we don't have a printer.) I hope with inappropriate levels of anxiety that they will all reach the proper recipients still intact and they will convey my unwritten "We're thinking of you." message. And I (now not-so-secretly) hope for cards to come in return so I can see my friends and their kids smiling at me saying "We're thinking of you, too."

Best Pics

Photos courtesy of Robert Singh.