I'm pretty sure that I promised a bazillion photos from all of our Christmas break, but I think I came up just a tad short. When I say a "tad," I'm not kidding. There's probably about 80 pictures here. The last 10 days have been truly great. We had several get togethers at our house and several at other people's homes. We traveled to Pittsburgh twice and spent lots and lots and lots of good, quality time with those we love. I feel like it's been whirl-wind busy, and in many ways, I am eager to get back to a routine, but for now, I am going to bask in the contentment of my blessings and reflect on a week and half of good times.
Let's start off with the best (well close to the best anyway) thing about Christmas - we get an 11 month reprieve from the stupid elf!
Even Sam was sick of him. He tried to chew the elf's leg off and then attempted to smother him.
Yep. Looks pretty close to dead to me. Bye-bye, W.T. Heal well. See you next year!
Brynn isn't a big fan of the traditional family Christmas photo... or maybe it was the fact that she was wearing two left shoes. Seriously, you should always double-check when buying on clearance that you're getting what you actually need. No one likes to wear two left shoes!
Partial family photo
"Uh...Mom, I could use a little help here!"
"Cheers!"
Pap thinks the food needs a touch more seasoning.
"Now, Jacob. If you don't eat your vegetables, Santa won't come."
One of about 15 packs of tape. Can you sense an obsession?
She may not like two left shoes, but a cookie can bring out a smile!
Meghan: "And then we walked 6 miles uphill only to find that the fountain was dry!"
Greg: "Uh huh. Yeah. Good story, Meg."
I sure hope the reindeer can see the Panko in the dry grass!
Cookies, reindeer food, carrots and milk to butter up the jolly fat guy and his crew.
All ready!
"Something smells fishy here!"
"Smells fishy over here too!"
"I'm going to hang out here tonight. You know. Just in case."
Jake's 11th year as the first one up on Christmas morning.
"OMG! A snowboard! Just what I always wanted!"
"Calm down, Sam. The snowboard is for me."
Andrew was 2nd up
The boys and their stockings
My boys
Pap is amused by Mimi's turkey baster...yeah, long story.
The big gift was for Andrew - a desk for our budding artist!
Ninja Jake surveys the scene.
Family gift - a Wii. The money should have been put towards new shirts for Dad, but clearly Santa has skewed priorities.
80's movies - fun for the whole family!
Jake and Brynn battled it out for a while. Brynn won.
Nothing says "Christmas" quite like playing near a pile of trash!
Whew! That was exhausting!
Making breakfast with Pap and Aunt Meghan
After a morning with my family at our house, we headed over to my sister-in-law's for the afternoon/evening with the Williams side of the family.
More art stuff! Yay!
The cutest little Spidey in Hollidaysburg!
More guns...All I can say is, if you come to visit, you better have good reflexes!
Boys of all ages love boxes!
On Friday, I went to Pittsburgh to visit some friends, and then on Saturday we had the annual Sheehan Family Christmas party at my house. We had a packed place, lots of alcohol and lots of laughter - just like it should be!
Kathy is a bit surprised that we all have two drinks so early in the evening.
Carmen and Ted
Lindsay and Caroline
Brayden tried to steal Kathy's drink. We train 'em up right in this family!
"And then he pooped 5 times - 5 times - on the way home!" Willie is unamused by Larry's baby stories.
Megan and me with our favorite Great Aunt
"Oh good. Ted's having a martini. Now the fun will really get started!"
Joe and Kyle may not be having fun, but Martha is!
Lucie - a.ka. "Santa's Seat Warmer"
OK...since we have an "in" with the big guy up North, we always have a visitor to our party. For the kids, that's great. It's also great for the adults who are usually pretty looped by the time Santa arrives. For you all, it means that it's now it's time for 25 pictures of people sitting on Santa's lap.
Let's start with Jake.
These boys bear a striking resemblance to the man in the red suit.
I think Mimi enjoyed sitting on Santa's lap just a little too much.
"Oh, Santa! You are so right! Her butt is WAY bigger than mine! I knew I loved you!"
No, Santa. The wine is not for you. Hand it over to its rightful owners.
Kathy's plan to use last night's video to prove to Santa that she deserved to be on the "nice" list backfired.
I think this was little more than Santa bargained for! That's what happens when Uncle Ted gets into the martinis!
Brayden didn't care about Santa. His pap was the apple of his eye.
Aerial shot of the Tonk players
I come from a large Catholic family. Wine and gambling are a part of nearly every gathering.
Kirk, keeper of the kitty.
We ended the night with Aunt Kathy wearing a Chuck E Cheese inflatable crown, singing "The Wind Beneath My Wings." I'd say that's an indicator of a good party!
On Monday we went to PPG Place for some outdoor skating.
"Look, Ella! I can do it with no hands!"
Jake and Matt share a laugh while Andrew skates ahead.
Mimi was a show-off that day!
Jake's hot-chocolate break.
The prettiest skater at the rink!
And that, my friends is all for now. We actually didn't do anything for New Year's Eve. I was asleep well before the ball dropped, so poor Greg watched it alone. I was more than a little pooped from all the partying in the previous week! We have one more family gathering at my in-law's today, and then it's back to the grind. I personally feel blessed and fulfilled, and I am looking forward to starting a new year. I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday season, and I wish you all happiness, contentment and prosperity in 2014.
Happy New Year!
