All you need is wrapping paper

We're slowly coming out of Christmas-NewYears-birthday mode, where I have consumed way too many desserts, but treasured the time with our family and friends.

Collin showed everyone who entered our house his gingerbread cake, slowly picking off candy until the cake was stale and we threw the majority of it away.  

Shortly before Christmas, our cousin Jonathan and Aunt Vicky came for a visit.  Collin wanted Jonathan to read him a bedtime story and then handed him the 110 page Lion King!  Jonathan was a VERY good sport!

On Christmas Eve, Cas took both kids on his first two-on-one outing, just heading to the park down the road.  I thought it was funny that Maya was almost 8 months before he took both kids together out of the house, made simpler as I handed him the loaded diaper bag and lunches for everyone!  

I wanted an empty house and Collin burning energy so I could clean and cook for get togethers on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  The park was a success, and Cas later said he was pretty sure he got all of the rocks out of Maya's mouth before she swallowed them!

T-Rex talking to poor strapped-in Maya!

That night we headed to celebrate with Cas' family, first to his mom's house.  We had Maya in a fancy dress from one of my friends, and she was passed around for pictures.  

Grandma Libia and Maya -

And Lita too - it was lucky that we all coordinated in our red and black!

The best we got out of 20 photos of this same pose!

Grandma Libia looking at her photo yearbook, with Collin narrating through the pictures

Handing out gifts -

Maya was just as happy with the wrapping paper as with the actual present, as any 7 month old should be!

We had a great night with Cas' family, enjoying an amazing meal by his aunt that we crave the rest of the year and watching Collin and his cousin Matthew run around like maniacs on past-bedtime, Christmas Eve hyperactivity.

Giggles and Gasps at Christmas

My company's outside counsel has a big family Christmas brunch and this year I somehow made the list.  So in early December, we dressed in our red and green and hit the hotel.  There were face painters, balloon artists, areas to make ornaments and wax hands, plenty of breakfast, gingerbread houses and of course, Santa.

 

Collin was fine taking pictures with Maya -

But not okay taking pictures with the whole family though some nice stranger tried valiantly - 

 The kids and me - 

We were given pre-constructed gingerbread houses, a can of icing, and then directed to the candy bar with a bag to fill with decorations.  Collin's first gingerbread house -

And big excitement over pictures with jolly old St. Nick -

I drove Collin by some homes that were well decorated for Christmas and his reaction was wonderful.  "I'm covering my mouth.  I'm gasping."  He's picked up some drama, which entertains Cas and me - especially when it's dramatic fun instead of dramatic whining!

Formal Family of 4 Pics 2013

I am the only one in my family who enjoys taking pictures.  Perhaps it was the years of training with my parents growing up, or the three years in high school as a cheerleader where taking one picture meant smiling for 5 minutes while every mother snapped the same picture, or just my love for the finished product.  But I was excited to take our annual family pictures - our first set as a family of four - with a photographer friend I knew in high school in early November. 

 

We had been talking with Collin about family pictures in the days leading up to the Friday event, but we should have been more clearly outlining rewards and consequences of picture success, because on that Friday afternoon Collin was completely uncooperative!  It is a miracle Taryn got any good photos since Collin wouldn't smile despite our feeble bribes or threats. 

 

On this rare occasion where Collin was grinning, then Maya wouldn't get her hand out of her mouth.  Our family of four -

Pretty sure this is Cas' favorite picture from our photo shoot -

And to be fair, mother & son -

We may look like a happy family, but we've got a death grip on Collin's hands while he fidgets around, trying to escape -

Our big boy - 

 Sweet Maya, who I thought would be our problem child in the pictures, was a dream -

I ordered the kids matching outfits - some of the fabric in Collin's vest matches the straps and bottom lining on Maya's dress.  But when Collin held Maya, my specialty vest-and-dress order seemed a little pointless -

I had seen this swinging picture on pinterest but we didn't quite pull it off, though it did get a genuine grin from Collin -

Our handsome little dude - 

We tried brother and sister agai,n but by then Collin was done posing. 

In the last 5 minutes of our almost hour-long photo session, my poor parents arrived.  I had asked them to come get Maya's attention so she'd look at the camera and smile.  They ended up in horrific traffic for well over an hour, but Taryn talked my mom into joining me for a quick girls picture, and then they came with us to dinner afterwards.

Up in the air.  With Collin I was getting a workout! 

And two of my favorites -

Until next year, family photos - it will be fun to see how much Maya will change in a year!

Family pictures in NB

While my brother and sister-in-law were in Texas, we took my parents' Christmas card photo with our family of eight.  It's always a challenge to tear folks away from tennis or some crazy made-up game my cousin Jake invented to take pictures, and once again our family was all ready - even the kids were dressed - while Cas was still in the shower.  So we snapped what we could without him -  

Poor Maya's first tooth arrived a few days after Thanksgiving, so she wasn't super smiley in the evenings, but she was stylish in her new outfit from Grammy.  

Finally Cas arrived and the whole family crammed in for a shot.  This was the best we could get, the kids were in no mood for pictures (though in fairness, Collin is NEVER in the mood for posed pics).

Father and son -

 



My daughter and me -

Maya was giggling with Grandma Jewel Rae's tickling finger - 

As we loaded in the car the next day, Uncle Bobby found a ribbon from one of the presents that matched sweet Maya's purple bow, so everyone posed with their purple head accessories.
Jackson and Daniel -

 Aunt Carla and Uncle Bobby - 

And the matriarch, Great Grandma Jewell Rae - 

We said good-bye to New Bransfels and appreciated the wonderful Thanksgiving/Hanukkah weekend with family from across the country!