"T & D + 3": January 2012

So I know it's been a while, but do I really need to reiterate how busy we've been? Probably not, but this post has been 2 months in the making. Long story short, we had a fantastic holiday-the kids got a whole new caboodle of toys and fun things. I've officially given up on ever reclaiming my dining room, and have almost fully converted it to a playroom. That's in addition to the half of our living room that is also devoted to a "play area". Let's face it, when you have three 18 month olds, the whole house is their play area. It's been so much fun watching them learn and play with all their new things!

Our holiday began with our trip to the Christmas tree farm the second week in December. We found a great farm just over the RI border...the trees are beautiful and it's a local guy who cuts it down right there for you. We started off looking for a "small" tree, maybe 5 or 6 feet, since we weren't sure how curious the kids were going to be, and how hard it was going to be keeping them safe around it. But somehow, when we got there and saw the small trees, they just looked, well, small. After some "estimation" on how tall our ceilings are, we picked out the perfect tree-no bald spots, robust and full-gorgeous! Well, I guess things look smaller in the wild, because when we got home we quickly realized it was HUGE! Ever see National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation? Remember that scene where Chevy Chase cuts open the tree and it kicks out a window? We were pretty close. But after a little (understatement) creative lighting rearrangement, we had a phenomenal display.

Cameron and Evan counting down to Chrismas

Mommy pulls the train through the tree farm

Evan in "the emerald forest"

"I want this one mommy!"
Cameron's Charlie Brown Christmas tree

Our final product

Cameron
Ohhh...pretty lights...wonder how they taste?

Evan puts on his ornament

Cameron's turn

Sophia, last but not least

Our next event was our "Christmas" celebration at Grammy and Grandpa Moran's house-on December 18th . See, Auntie Amy was due to have our new cousin Emma on December 22, so we celebrated a few weeks early. We had a great time, and got all sorts of new treasures! It was really fun to see them actually care about opening presents, and getting engrossed in their new toys!

Sophia helps mommy open a gift

Evan's turn-he loves his trucks!

Evan
This ones MINE!!!!!

Grammy Moran plays Santa

Next stop was my Aunt Anne's house for the annual Christmas Eve celebration. The babies had a blast playing with all their second cousins, and even had a visit from Santa Clause!

Sophia opens a present from Uncle Scott

Uncle Scott got us the best presents this year!

Evan loved the fire truck that Santa arrived in, but wasn't about to sit in his lap.

This is close enough, thank you!

Sophia was brave enough to get her present from Santa, as long as Poppo was close by.

Cameron wasn't quite sure what to make of Santa. He sure liked chewing on his candy cane, though!

Cameron loves his top! Thanks Uncle Scott!

Sophia and Evan

Sophia..."Hmmm...I wonder which one is for me?"

I put these antlers on Cameron for a photo op, and he actually liked them and left them on for a while!

Cameron

Evan and his trucks. A match made in heaven.

Yummy! The only thing Evan loves more than his trucks is food.

Hey, Cameron...check out this train!

Grammy hangs out with Evan and Sophia.

Evan and Sophia hanging out with second cousin Brandon. And stealing his food.

Ahhh...the cherry on top was Christmas morning. With the big family celebrations out of the way, we were free to lounge around and enjoy being a family. Grammy Laurie and Grampa Mark came over with Uncle Jon and Joe for breakfast, and then Grammy and Poppo joined us later. Part 2 will have more pictures of the colossal present opening project, but here's a sneak peek!

Sophia
Good morning! Merry Christmas!

Evan
Come on mom, I want to open more presents!

Cameron
Bring on the gifts!

The rest of the vacation was spent just enjoying time with the babies. Dave had a few days off, and we had a blast. The babies decided it was the perfect time to transition from two naps to one (still working on that) so it was pretty exciting for mommy. Unfortunately, they aren't napping any longer than before (about an hour or two), just doing it once a day.