Parties Galore...

One thing we try our best to do each holiday season is see as many of our friends and family as we can. Even though we see most of them quite a bit throughout the year, there's something special about gathering a midst the twinkling lights with gifts to share and even some stolen kisses under the mistletoe. 

First up - Kristine, Kathleen, Reid & Ava. We just love getting these kids together. Reid and Adam went Lego crazy, building sets Adam still hadn't opened since his birthday. Ava had fun coloring and playing with Liddy, while the adults planned our 2nd annual ski trip to Wintergreen. Can't wait for February! 

Round two - Brunch with Greg, Erica, Blake & Parker. We've always made an effort to get together with this crew during the holidays - heck, one year we even flew all the way to Budapest to make it happen! ;) There's something special about seeing Blake and Adam together and as Parker gets a bit older it will be fun to see her really get in the mix. Our tradition of swapping games with each other was another success - Adam is loving his new "Head Bandz" game - fun for mom and dad too! 

Third times the Charm - John, Denise, Ami, Byron, Rachel, Laura, Adam, Abby, Robbie, Mallory, and sweet baby Taylor. This is one party we always look forward to - getting our two families all together is like a trip back in time. The memories we've all made and continue to make together will always be cherished and I hope this gathering continues each year and that the next generation keeps it up. 

Four the Win - (see what I did there) - Amy, John, Drew, Nick, Sam, Bebe, Mark, Heidi, Shawn, Garrett & Isabella. While we were shy two nephews (we missed you Dave & Kurt) we still considered it a victory to have all of Andy's siblings (& significant others) together during the holidays. Seeing Drew home from his first semester of college was an added bonus. 

Our calendar might have been full this December but it was well worth it! 

Gingerbread House...

We never got around to making a house last year, but Adam still remembered how fun it was the year before (remember this) so was super excited when I told him we were going to do one this year. The kit I got was from Target and so much easier to use than the one from before. I know it's not very "Martha" of me to use a kit - but I'll give myself a pass on this one. :) 

The house turned out great and Adam and I had fun doing it. As a surprise the morning after we finished decorating it, Adam's elf Al built a snowman in the front yard! Adam thought that was just too cool - pun intended. 

A fun holiday tradition, even if it doesn't happen every year. :)

NYC with Kathleen...

Andy had so much going on to wrap up the end of the year that he wasn't able to accompany me to NY for my office holiday party, but not to worry, I found an ideal replacement - my sister! 

We had a great drive up there with a truck load of goodies for my colleagues and the final three episodes of the "Serial" podcast to listen to. Sunny skies and mild temps meant we didn't have to worry about any yucky weather. 

Even though I had to work a bit while we were up there we still managed to squeeze in a lot of fun. On Thursday night we headed downtown with my boss and a colleague and his wife without much of a plan, just a desire to get into the city during the holidays. We were able to get to Times Square in time to buy some last minute tickets and wound up at an off-Broadway show called "Newsical the Musical." It was fantastic - think "The Daily Show" or "SNL" set to music. Bonus was that the theater was small and not sold out so we got to pick whatever seats we wanted - front row was the winning vote! 

After laughing our heads off for about 90 minutes we found a place for dinner and enjoyed walking around and seeing some of the festive sites. 

The next day was my office party which was held at this gorgeous old mansion in Tarrytown with views of the Hudson. The food was delicious and as always the gifts were plentiful - even Kathleen walked away with a little something. My company sure knows how to celebrate the holidays and their loyal employees! 

After that it was time for the after-party fun - drinks and pizza at the hotel. It wasn't a late night (we wanted to hit the road by 7:30) but it was a lot of fun and I think Kathleen enjoyed meeting my colleagues and seeing what my world is all about.

Who knows, next year we might have to have a contest to see who gets to come to the party - Andy or Kathleen!? Maybe both! 

9 years...

We celebrated our 9th anniversary on the 17th. Though our wedding day is getting farther and farther away in the rear view mirror, our memories of that day are still so vivid and of course the memories filling the days in between just keep getting better! 

We celebrated with a lovely dinner out at Passion Fish. Definitely a great place to dine at on a special occasion. They personalized the menu for us with special "Happy 9th Anniversary" wishes and greeted us with champagne! We had a great meal that started with oysters on the half shell followed by some of the best sushi rolls I've ever had. 

9 years later and there's still no one I'd rather have a night on the town with than my sweet bubs! Happy anniversary Andy!! 

B&O Railroad Museum

I've been wanting to take Adam to the train museum in Baltimore for awhile now and figured what better time than during the holidays when it's all decked out for Christmas? Adam was so excited and jumped from one exhibit to the next - he couldn't get enough of all the fun model trains and the real train cars we were able to go in and out of. There was even an "Adams Express Wagon!" How perfect. We didn't get to see all of the museum, as I guess a lot of it is outdoors and boy was it cold, but Adam seemed to have his fill of trains just the same!

"Santa!! I know him!!"

I know he won't always want to go see Santa, so these annual visits are always something I cherish. We love having Kathleen's office children's party to attend each year. Always so festive and full of yummy treats and craft projects. This year they had a Polar Express theme and each child was given a golden ticket from the conductor before going to see Santa - so clever! 

Adam was very excited about seeing Santa this year. He worked out ahead of time what he was going to ask for and after posing for a great photo he managed to engage in quite the conversation with Jolly Old Saint Nick! If it weren't for a line of other children eager to take their turn I'm sure they might have chatted the day away.

Now to wait and see what he brings...