Happy Holidays (part 2)

Here are some photos from our various Christmas Eve and Christmas celebrations!  We didn't get a white Christmas...but we did get some snow the day after!  Can you believe that Gavin had never seen snow before?  Last winter was so mild (thank goodness), but it's looking like this year will be filled with quite a few snow days!  It's a good thing our little man loves getting all suited up to play outside.  These photos are from our Christmas celebration with the Dowd family, cookie decorating with the Berg family, Christmas morning as a family of three, and Gavin's first real experience with snow!  HAPPY HOLIDAYS to you and yours!  Here's to a fantastic 2013!

Happy Holidays!

After Thanksgiving comes Gavin's birthday, and after Gavin's birthday come CHANUKAH and CHRISTMAS!  Being an interfaith family comes with challenges, but it's pretty special to be able to share in each other's traditions this time of year.

We obviously haven't celebrated Christmas yet, but a few weeks ago we were able to celebrate Chanukah with my parents.  For our big gift, my parents watched Gavin so Stephen and I could go downtown for Sunday brunch at the Hilton Netherland.  We love having brunch there -- it reminds us of some key moments in our relationship, like the weekend we got engaged and our baby shower.  Plus, you really can't beat their eggs benedict.  :)  (Yummmm!)   Honestly, sometimes it's just nice to get dressed up and go downtown!  Later that evening, we had dinner at my parents house -- chicken, latkes, homemade applesauce -- it was really special and delicious.  After we were good and full, we lit the menorah and opened presents as we waited for the candles to die down.  Gavin loved opening presents, though he tended to like the wrapping paper and boxes more than the actual gifts.  With so many gift-giving celebrations in December, he's becoming a real pro at ripping apart packages!  We sure missed my sibs and their spouses this year, but we've been blessed to see them as often as we have lately.

 

Stephen's favorite holiday is Christmas, so we are excited to celebrate that next.  His stocking is hanging on the mantle for me and Gavin to fill, presents are wrapped, cookie recipes from Pinterest are ready to be baked!  I'm sure we'll have lots of photos to post of Gavin elbow-deep in cookie dough.  Until then...HAPPY HOLIDAYS to you and yours!

Pinch Day Cake Smash

Because we celebrate birthdays for a whole week in this family...here are some photos from Gavin's pinch day cake smash!  We had meant to do this on his actual birthday, but we got a late start coming home from the mall and didn't want to give Gavin a sugar rush right before bed.  So, we developed our theory that a cake smash is good ANY day of the week!  :)  Our little cutie certainly agreed.

After every good cake smash comes a bath...but it wasn't quite bath time yet, so Stephen put Gavin in the sink.  :)