Christmas and New Year's Wrap Up

Phew!! It's the middle of January and I'm just getting around now to posting a wrap up of our Christmas and New Year's festivities. With the time off and site redesign, my blogging time was limited. Nonetheless, we had a fantastic holiday and I can't wait to share! Warning - lots of photos ahead! These are all not edited/cropped (they never are), but here we go! :)

First up, Nina's annual Montessori school Christmas concert. This year, she was so excited to have her cousin (and our godson) Evan join her school so they BOTH participated! These two equal total shenanigans, but we are SO excited to have his family in the area (they recently moved to our town... yay!!!)!!!

Next up, our Christmas weekend at my in-laws. It is always a blast to be together for good food, games, totally fabulous prizes, and more! We were also so happy that Uncle Nick and Aunt Beth could join us all the way from Grand Teton National Park (where Nick is a park ranger) and by way of El Camino de Santiago (which they just completed... 500 miles!... in Spain... wow). :)

Baby #2 is on the way for my sister-in-law Katie!! :)

#Twinsies :)

Next up... a few days later we celebrated Christmas Eve by my parents. We always get dressed up, eat a special dinner, go to church and sleepover.

Had to throw these in there too... :)

My mom's new tradition is to make a Santa pancake (Nina LOVES the whipped cream hat and beard)!

After opening presents Christmas morning, we go for brunch, presents and dinner by my Aunt and Uncle's house. Lots of cousins, presents, a white elephant exchange and a few Italian liquor shots later... we're in business! I barely took any photos - guess I was having too much fun!

Dana made Mae this cute little bow.!

That hair... it's a love/hate relationship!!

A week later we celebrated New Year's Eve. Per the usual, we stay in and celebrate with an early YouTube countdown and juice toast (and streamers & hats & balloons)! My parents (as a joke) got us a selfie stick so we enjoyed playing around with it!

After the kiddos were in bed I whipped up a few new recipes from the latest Ina cookbook - Winter Slaw (a kale and radicchio salad with a lemony dressing and parmesan shavings) and Beef Tenderloin with Bearnaise Mayonnaise. 

Did you make it? Ok good. :) Happy 2015!!!