Last Post of the Year- Christmas Recap!

OK, I know that Christmas was last week, but with the kids getting sick and us geting back from PA - I have been a little busier than usual! LOL
We had a great time seeing the extended family over the holidays! The kids handled all the new people, extra noise, new foods and schedule changes like champs! Their travel peapods worked awesome! Jess would get so excited at bed time saying "sleeping bag, sleeping bag!" But before I get into that -

A few days before we left for PA, a friend brought over the trampoline for the kids. They love it and bounce alot of energy away! Dave, myself and the little guys attened the playgroup christmas party the weekend before christmas. The kids ran around, enjoyed the time with their friends and saw Santa! He even handed out presents! Will wanted nothing to do with him, but Logan and Jess waited for their turn and enjoyed unwrapping their gifts.


Jessica was exhausted after the party!


We were also very fortunate to have visits from both the Roach's and Cornoyers before we left. The kids enjoyed the company and opening more gifts! While they may not be family by blood, they always treat us like we are! Love you guys!

We headed down to PA on the 23rd at nap time in our fully loaded van. The kids slept most of the way and we were at my Aunt and Uncle's in little over 3 hours.
We had dinner out with my dad at a pizza place I used to work at while in high school! The owner was excited to see me and my crew! The kids behaved for the most part, but Logan had a meltdown towards the end. I think he was just tired of sitting!

My sister and I made a trip to the cemetary on Christmas eve. We had a little trouble finding the right spot (the snow did not help!), but we finally found my mom's marker. It is beautiful! I wish I took a pic, but that will have to happen next time. We also uncovered my grandma and grandpa's markers right next to mom. We stayed for a while and let ourselves grieve.
Then it was back to start enjoying the festivities!

Christmas eve is always at my Grandma Guerrise's. She is 98 and full of spunk! She insists that dinner be at her house and only in the last few years have her and my great aunt accepted help with all the crazy cooking that is involved! They usually start prepping the week before!
There were more than 25 people for dinner and even more relatives came after dinner! It is always lots of fun with all the family and great food! Here are just a few pics from the event.












Christmas morning the kids were very excited to see all the gifts under the tree! We opened gifts from Santa and played with a few new toys until Aunt K and Kayla came by and they got even more! It was awesome to see them so excited! Makes me excited for next year when I think they will actually understand a little more about "Ho Ho" as Jess calls him!

While the kids had naps, we ate dinner! It was nice to sit down and eat a meal without worrying about the kids. Turns out Logan and Jess were getting sick, so they napped pretty good. After nap was a trip to my other Aunt and Uncle's and even more presents! The kids enjoyed hanging out with more relatives. We tried to get the kids to eat, but were pretty unsuccessful. I was glad that I brought a case of pedisure with us! At least we were able to keep them hydrated. Jess had a rough night of sleeping, and ended up with us, but the boys slept fine in the peapods.

Here are just a few pics of our christmas day fun!










The day after christmas both Logan and Jess were sick. They were running fevers, had nasty coughs and still not eating. We quickly packed up the van, even more loaded than when we arrived, and made a hasty retreat back to CT. Thanks to Aunt Claire and Uncle Bill for all the help with the kids and for hosting us! I hope no one gets sick!

Doesn't Jess look pathetic!



Everybody seems to be on the mend for the most part. The nurse came yesterday and Logan and Jess lost quite a bit of weight. I scheduled doctor visits for all three next week to make sure nothing else is going on because Will is starting to run a fever again!

Wow! This post is very long! I wanted to catch up before the year was over. Sorry, but I hope you enjoyed all the pics!

I want to close by wishing everone a very HAPPY NEW YEAR! Welcome to 2010!

Merry Xmas!

The Hokey Pokey!

While the Roach's were here this past weekend swapping xmas gifts and hanging out, Allison taught the trio the Hokey Pokey! They loved it and made her sing it many times!

Let it Snow! - Monday photo frenzy!

We are walking in a Winter Wonderland! Almost 14 inches of snow fell over the weekend! Logan was so excited and kept racing to the windows to look out.
We bundled everyone and headed out for some fun.

"Come on Mom! We want to go out and play in the snow! Now!"










"Mom, I'm cold and my mittens won't stay on! Can we go back inside now!"


Nothing better after playing in the snow than warm chocolate milk and cookies while watching an xmas movie with Dad!

Monday Update - 2 Years Old and 8th Grade Photos!

Monday Morning Update and Picture Preview!

Well, as the above photo shows - the trio's 2 year pictures turned out awesome! I am so excited to share them on here, but we used them for Christmas cards that are getting mailed today, so I won't post them until next week to give the cards time to arrive! However, I hope you also noticed the new family shot as the new header for the blog. I absolutely love it - Charleen did an amazing job with all the kids and the dogs.

This weekend was a busy one. We were up and out the door by 8 on Saturday to have breakfast with Santa! The weather did not cooperate on Saturday. It rained all day so the parade that Lucas was going to be in got cancelled. Dave did manage to get most of the xmas decorations up on Friday, but could not do anything on Saturday, so he still has a little bit of work to do.

Sunday was church and then I had a day out while Dave stayed with the kids! My friend Rebecca from playgroup and I headed to Newport Rhode Island to tour a few mansions! They were stunning! It was amazing to learn the history and see how the very rich lived in the early 1900's! I really had a great time and it was so nice to get to know Rebecca. She is also a Navy wife and we had a lot to talk about. I felt bad about leaving Dave with all the kids, but I figure it gives him a glimpse into what I do everyday while he is at work! LOL!

We are getting all the stuff done for our xmas travel home. Most of the shopping is done, the dogs stay at the kennel is reserved, the packing list is being made, bags starting to fill and I am getting excited and nervous about Christmas! This is the first Christmas without my Mom and I am not sure that I am ready to handle it. Thanksgiving was not too hard since we were not often together, but we were always (except 1 xmas in HI) at my Mom's for Christmas. This year we are staying at my Aunt and Uncle's and it will be very different. I know it will be fun, but I am nervous too.

I guess we just have to figure out the "new" traditions and make it work!

Photo with Santa!

As you can see, it did not go well!

Jess went right up to him and wanted to sit with him! Logan was very nervous, but got more comfortable with his sister there. Will was just a nervous wreck from the get go. We went last night to the mall in the hopes of getting the kids excited to see Santa for our actual pics on Saturday, but now I don't think we will be making the hour trip to Dayville to go to Charleen's as planned. Logan and Jess stayed on Santa's lap for quite a bit while we tried to get Will to relax enough to take a good picture. I guess we can hope for a better try next year!