Four Christmases: Parts Three and Four- VA & NYC

As was stated in the previous post, it was quite a busy Christmas season, spread out over four states.  And while I tried my best to keep these posts from being too picture crazy, this one has no shortage of photos from our time in VA and some fun shots from here in NYC.

We can't believe already a month has gone by since we arrived in VA - our time there went by fast, but was filled with special moments and precious memories.  One of the biggest highlights of our time there was seeing my brother, Daniel- aka Uncle Dan!  Our 4 hr bus ride pales in comparison to his double digit plane ride from Japan and after not seeing him for an entire year, we are so grateful for each day we had with him.

We also feel incredibly blessed by our time with Maelee's Nana & Pop-Pop as they continue to develop their sweet relationship. God has been gracious in our family life and we are so thankful for the holiday memories created, and for all of the time we get to spend together with all our family! 

Onto a sampling of pictures from VA:

Helping Nana in the kitchen rolling snowball cookies!

And enjoying said cookies after they were all done- yum!

Enjoying a delicious 2nd annual dinner at Old Ebbitt's Grill in DC.

Pointing out one of the trucks in her truck book- one of her favorite games!!!

Say cheese!

Outside of Old Ebbitts

2nd annual trip to see the National Tree but not interested in the tree...

Much more interested in the trains!!!

Making music with Nana

Helping to crush crackers for Daniel's birthday dinner

And after a delicious dinner, it's time for cake...

and singing!

And conducting, apparently... :)

So excited to see her Uncle Dan!!!

Pointing to baby Jesus in her "Christmas in a Manger" book on Christmas Eve before the trip to DE-

He is the reason for the season!

And listening to the Christmas story in another book on Christmas morning

Excited over her new airplane toy- they are one of her favorite things!

Excited over another new gift and another one of her favorite things- a whale!

Peering up at Uncle Dan over another fun present- her very own laptop!

Fascinated by Uncle Dan's alphabet "abacus" gift!

One of the many "special moments"

And another special moment and one of her favorite activities-

watching the airplanes go by on the roof!

After our return from NC- enjoying (!!!) some pumpkin cookies :)

And some of Nana's scrambled eggs!  

(but especially enjoying time with Nana!)

Strolling along the Potomac River pier

And more "Happy Birthday" singing during Pop-Pop's early 60th Bday treat 

while we were all still in VA

And Maelee's sweet performance from NY on his actual birthday:

(had to include that!!!)

A fun celebration, indeed!

(and ironically, there's a bit of the Cherry Blossom Riverboat in the background 

where Steve & I got married!)

Trying on Uncle Dan's hat :)

Thankful for some very dear family 

(and an ipad...)

And here's a slideshow of more pics from Christmas in VA:

We returned home to NYC on New Year's Eve and like last year, had a quiet New Year's Day morning opening gifts from each other.  Christmas in the City is always so beautiful and has so much to offer, but this year we only took advantage of a few sights, before our tour of the east coast began.  Here's a sampling of pictures from NYC before and after "the tour":

At our neighborhood park, Carl Schurz's Tree Lighting

Hamming it up to the music of the carolers

Our little, winter darling

Excited to see Santa...

But not too excited to sit on his lap without mommy's and a furry friend's presence

The carousel at Bryant Park's Christmas Market

And our own little Christmas...

Apple charm from daddy

Dancing with the ballerina in her beautiful, new jewelry box from our dear friend, Heather

And a slideshow from Christmas time in NYC:

Oh, and in case you didn't get your fill of pictures, here's a final slideshow of our official "Christmas Photo Shoot," including some fun ones that didn't make the cut:) :

Whether we were celebrating with just the three of us (uh, four- sorry, Parker!) or with ten of us, we truly had a joyous Christmas season.  We can't believe how quickly another year went by and that our little girl will be two years old in only 3 short months... We are thankful for what 2011 held and what God has in store for 2012!

Four Christmases: Part One and Two - DE & NC

It sure was a busy holiday season this year.  Yes, four Christmases in all.  Each filled with family, food, laughter, love, and fun, but very unique in their own way.  We covered a lot of ground along the east coast- over a thousand miles and over 20 hours between cabs, buses, and cars- and, of course, we have a small sampling of shots to prove it.  Taken with many of the people who made it worth it. 

We took a bus from NYC to DC to spend a few days in VA before a very special day on Christmas Eve in DE.  Then we spent Christmas morning in VA and drove down for Christmas evening in NC, staying there for a few days.  We then drove back up to VA for a few more days before taking the bus back to NYC on New Year's Eve.  Did you follow?

Thankfully, Maelee was a champ and her hardest trip was only shared with her daddy and me so we were fortunate to not have to deal with any stink eyes by other passengers.  We had wonderful visits with grandparents, great-grandparents, an aunt, an uncle, and more extended family and feel very blessed by it all. 

So let the snapshots begin of our very special, very sweet time in Delaware on Christmas Eve with Too-dad & Mary Catherine, Tom & Viv, Sam & Kim, Susan, and of course, Uncle Dan, Nana & Pop-Pop (and Gracie!) :)

Excited over the Frosty the Snowman book from Too-dad

And enjoying some quality time with the great Too-daddy...

Santa's little helper

The anticipation...

The joy!

Too-dad in one of his stylin' new hats

Tickle time with daddy!

And some flips with Too-daddy!

A favorite game- getting bonked on the head by something soft :)

Family Portraits

And amazingly, all smiles and everyone looking at the camera!!!

'Twas quite a wonderful night before Christmas!

Maelee sure loved the spotlight but missed having cousin Caleb around and will be excited for the new, little Postlethwait baby boy, Mason, to join in on the fun, too.  She did pretty well handing out the gifts, though, and loved running around and making everyone laugh.  She has definitely become quite the life of the party!

This Christmas Eve tradition is one I treasure, with precious memories that go back decades.  I'm so thankful that we have been able to continue to share this special time with family and it makes me excited for the unique holiday traditions we will create for Maelee and our family. 

For even more pictures of our Christmas Eve fun, check out this slideshow:

Onto the second half of "Part One!"

After a lovely Christmas morning of sweet cinnamon buns, a ridiculous amount of gifts, and a delicious brunch (more on that time in "Part Two" of the Christmas Posts!), we packed up the car, thanks to Nana & Pop-Pop, for a beautiful and fairly peaceful drive down to North Carolina to see Steve's family.  What a treat it was to see Mee-Maw & Grandpa, and Aunt Kim!  We enjoyed a delicious Christmas dinner, complete with the famous and oh-so scrumptious Black Bottom Pie, and had a wonderful, relaxing evening where Maelee excitedly tore into more offerings...

Including one of the favorites of the year- the Leap Frog Dinosaur from Aunt Kim!

Enjoying some of the whipped topping from the amazing afore-mentioned pie

All smiles for her Aunt Kim!

Admiring a little hand-made gift from Mee-Maw

Walking through the neighborhood

To a local park...

Watching an airplane go by... one of her favorite things to do

Reading with Mee-Maw

And nose-touching with Grandpa!

 The whole fam enjoying a lovely dinner at Olive Garden

And finally, here's a slideshow from the NC visit:

We had a great visit in NC and were thankful to be able to make the trip before travel becomes even crazier as the years pass.  It really was a blessing to have such priceless moments with over a dozen of our dearest family members within just two days! God has continued to pour out His blessings over our Christmas season, in addition to His greatest gift of His Son.  We are so thankful for SO many things during this time of year.