Christmas 2011

It was our year to stay in Boston and celebrate the holidays with Bobby's family.  It was a busy time and if memory serves we celebrated 3 or 4 times with different sides of the family and various friends.  The kids were troopers as we dragged them from one event to the next and by the end of it all they had all 3 added the word "present" to their repertoire.  We tried to balance their new word out by teaching them a few more..."thank you."

Bundled up in their wagon as we search for the perfect tree.

Maybe they'll be more excited about it next year...

 Daddy cutting down the tree

The kids loved pointing out that there was a tree in the house.

We heard a lot about the "tree" the "lights" and the "star."

Exchanging gifts with Cousin Connor

Meeting Santa

Opening gifts Christmas morning

Christmas afternoon at PopPop and MeMe's

Playing with PopPop's trains

Mikie hanging out with the "big" boy cousins

Annie reading with Auntie Lizzie and Cousin Hayden

My camera was having some issues and I didn't get any photos taken at our final Christmas party with the extended Smith Family.  I hear there are some good ones out there and hopefully I'll be able to get my hands on some.

Let it snow!

We have had very little snow this winter but we did manage to get the kiddos out one afternoon with Cousin Connor to take advantage of some snowy play.  They had a ball and were quite disappointed to find the back yard completely bare the very next afternoon.  Boo!

Playing

I started this post back in November and never got around to finishing it.  The photos are a bit out-of-date but I decided to post it anyway (in my attempt to get caught up).  Just a bunch of random shots of the kids doing what they do best...playing.

Way overdue!

Wow, am I overdue for a post.  The past several weeks have been busier then usual with the kiddos being sick and the holidays in full swing.  I assure you I haven't abandoned this blog and I will at least get some recent photos up soon.

Just chattin' with my Nana

I couldn't resist sharing these photos of Annie 'talking' to Nana on the phone!

Professional haircuts

Until recently I've done all of the kids' hair cuts myself.  The boys are easy, their hair has so much body and curl to it that if I'm not totally straight or even it really doesn't matter too much.  Annie, on the other hand is not only a NIGHTMARE to keep still/happy/cooperative/still/quiet/calm/still but she also has the finest, most stick straight hair I've ever seen - a recipe for some pretty pathetic haircuts.  When we were in Goshen in September I broke down and paid to have the boys' haircut.  I felt like they needed a bit more shape then I knew how to accomplish.  The results were adorable!

I finally decided it was Annie's turn today.  Truth be told I had botched her hair one too many times in my attempt to "even out" some of her baby layers.  I regret not having any photos of her first salon experience because it was quite the event.  Wouldn't you know she sat perfectly still and cooperated beautifully!  Must have been the personal flat screen TV she had in front of her which was playing a colorful and cheerful cartoon.  Or maybe it was the fancy pink throne she was sitting on.  Or maybe the bubble machine?  Or perhaps the sucker she was given (her first ever)?  Wait...must have been the new purple bracelet she got.  Well, whatever it was it worked and she got her first STRAIGHT and EVEN haircut EVER!  It was a little shorter then I would have liked but then again the stylist was trying to fix what I had already done...

A table built for four

The trio recieved an early Christmas present while we were in Goshen last month.  Nana and Poppy gave them a beautiful table and chair set.  Poppy made the table himself and the chairs were made by an Amish man and match the chairs in our dining room set.  The kids enjoy sitting at it to eat their afternoon snack and are really getting into arts and crafts activities.  I often join them and sit in the 4th chair but they really love it when cousin Connor comes over and I know the four of them will enjoy this special gift for many years to come.  Thanks Nana and Poppy!!!