2012 Christmas Card!

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.

Thanksgiving 2012

This year, we spent the actual day of Thanksgiving in Buffalo and went to cousin Bobby's house for dinner.  Aunt Shannon made lots of food and even more desserts.  It was very nice to spend the evening eating and relaxing with family.

At cousin Bobby's house!

"Happy Thanksgiving!"

"These sweet potato puffs aren't exactly what I thought
Thanksgiving dinner would be..."

Of course, we all know Thanksgiving dinner is just a way to carb-up before Black Friday shopping (which started on Thursday this year?).  We are very grateful that Grandma stayed with Eli so we could go shopping for a few hours!!



BONUS:
Fruncle is taught how to play the cello, by cousin Bobby, in just 7 minutes ...

 

Eli loved every second of Fruncle Steve playing the cello .....

A visit with Santa

You know that moment when the baby starts screaming and crying and struggling on Santa's lap at the mall?  When the baby sobs (much like Eli with the Easter bunny), but everyone that's around just smiles and says stupid things like "Oh, guess Baby's gonna get coal this year" or "These are the memories we make".  As if tormenting your young child is part of the holiday fun.  You know what I am talking about? 

I HATE that moment.  Tears come to my eyes for the child and I get super annoyed with the smiling parents.  So when we took Eli to see Santa for the very first time while we were visiting his cousins for Thanksgiving, I dreaded that moment of tears.

But, of course, all of my dread was for naught!  As I have found many times over these last 11 months, I often worry a lot about something only to watch Eli face the situation and shine!

Maybe Eli loves Santa so much because he met him last year, when Santa dropped Eli off at the hospital at 8:28pm on Christmas Eve?

A dapper Eli, waiting in line at the
"North Pole" (Palmer Mall) to
meet Santa for the first time. 

"Hi Santa, it's been a while since I saw you. 
How was your year?  Mine was pretty good."

Even Santa was impressed by Eli!

How cute are these kids?

Eli's first pre-Thanksgiving!

Most of you know that my family and Ryan's family live hours apart.  The positive side of the distance is that we often get to celebrate holidays twice! 

The weekend before Thanksgiving, Eli celebrated his first experience of Turkey Day with Nana, Pop-pop, Aunt Lori, Uncle Al, Hannah, and Sophia. 

I must say -- while he didn't eat a lot of turkey, he did enjoy every second of sitting around the table with the family and sharing a meal!

Happy 1st Birthday Scarlet!

One of Eli's favorite people turned one this month! 

Happy 1st Birthday Scarlet!

We had such fun at Scarlet's party (maybe too much fun -- see below) and I think Eli took lots of notes for his upcoming birthday (He and Miss Scarlet are just one month apart in age!). 

These two are too cute!

Someone enjoyed her birthday cake!!

Someone else had too much fun and
passed out under the table!
(Note the "weird socks" that were
a party requirement -- Eli wore
his "nemo" socks)

Happy Birthday to Eli's Daddy!

It's been a month now .... ...but Eli wants to be sure that you know he celebrated a very special day with his Daddy!

(By the way, it was a very exciting Birthday celebration. Because we were in the middle of the hurricane recovery, we ventured out only to wait in line for gas for 2 hours and then hit up the grocery store, which looked like the end of the world was quickly approaching. I promise, next year we'll do something fun!).

Happy 33rd Birthday Ryan!

"Baking Daddy a cake!"
(You just need a wooden spoon, sprinkles,
cheerios, and love, right?!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!

"Look at that great cake I made!"

Eli's first Halloween

Lots of Halloween posts below (What can I say?, it's Ryan's favorite holiday!), but here's a last one of some of the photos from actual Halloween Day (on which we sat at home being grateful that we survived the frankenstorm) as well as a summary of ALL of Eli's Halloween costumes (doesn't every almost-one-year-old need 3 Halloween costumes and multiple Halloween outfits?)!

"Happy Halloween!"

"This pumpkin is JUST the right
size for me!"

Eli's first pumpkin patch 2012

Halloween 2012
Baby's 1st BOO!

Eli the Skunk 2012

Incredible Eli Hulk 2012

Flying Monkey Eli 2012

Halloween with Eli's friends!

Just before the "frankenstorm" hit NYC, we had some friends over to celebrate Halloween.  It seems like our Halloween parties are doomed (last year, we had a Halloween Blizzard!), but everyone prepared for the hurricane first and then stopped over for some food and drinks and football before the storm hit.

Here are some photos from the day!  I am glad Eli got to hang out with the girls, as most Halloween events around here got cancelled or postponed.  Hope next Halloween is a little less eventful!

Our little Incredible Hulk!
Halloween 2012

Wynne Avengers!
Halloween 2012

"Hulk Smash!"

Madeline and Eli
(See their first photo together here!  Crazy!)

Reagan & Eli!

Reagan, Eli & Madeline!
(In case you thought it was a lady bug, hulk and little bo peep!)

Halloween Family Portrait 2012

One family tradition that Ryan's sister started 4 years ago (when Hannah arrived) was a Halloween family photo.  Weird, I know, but I love it!  Way better than all of us dressing in matching sweaters and standing in front of a fake forest background. 

I will admit -- I was all about this year's theme -- the Wizard of Oz! 

I spent quite a few nights hot gluing and taping and pining our costumes (I have no idea how to sew!).  Ryan's costume was borrowed from my sister-in-law (Aunt Kel) and made by her dad!

Here are just couple of our favorite shots!

Boo at the Zoo!

Of course we had to hit up the Bronx Zoo Boo at the Zoo!  I had been looking forward to it all year and we were very lucky to get a nice weekend to head to the zoo for some Halloween fun!

Eli had many costumes to choose from and he decided that the Skunk costume would be the best choice!  You have no idea what a big hit our little stinker was!  Everyone pointed and laughed and loved it!  Eli made an excellent choice!

Look at all the fun we had:

Halloween 2012
Our Little Stinker!

"I love Halloween!!"

"Sigh, I suppose I should get used to this with
these folks as my parents!"

"Yay, Nana and Pop-pop are here too!"

Both Daddy and Eli seem excited about something ...

Gorillas, of course!

Eli's first hay ride!

"Wait ... is this a creepy hay ride??"

"Yeah!  Goats!"

"I am so excited!!!"

A skunk, petting a sheep!

 Funniest part of the day:  Eli the skunk loose in a log!  He loved crawling through it and all the parents around us were pointing him out to their kids saying "Look -- there's a skunk in that log!"! 

"Yep, that sounds like me ..."