Our family had a great Christmas. Parker was awake but we had to wake up Brady Christmas morning. The boys emptied their stockings and opened all their toys. This year Brady got a ski helmet (from Mom and Dad) and goggles (from Parker) while Parker got a Thomas the train set (from Mom and Dad) and talking Blaze monster machine (from Brady). They also got new sneakers, action figures, and an RC digger from Santa. The boys were spoiled by Keira getting PJ masks and capes. Parker is currently Catboy and Brady is Geko but it switches every once in a while. Later in the day the boys got to see Grandpa Bob and Grammie Terry, and Uncle Paul with Darcie, Courtney, and Lewis. The boys had lots of fun opening gifts and spending time with the family. This was also the first day Parker went without a nap. All the visitors and activity and the boys were exhausted, they slept well that night!
Our Christmas Hams
Later in the week we made a trip north to see great Grandma. We also got to see Uncle Skip and Aunt Rose, all their grandkids, Aunt Diane, and cousin Natalie. Gram is now 93 and still looks great. Her memory is fading but she gets around with her walker and a lot of help from Aunt Diane and Natalie. We had a great day visiting with the family and the boys got to do some sledding with their cousins. Brady tried the saucer and sled, he even tried going down the hill surfing on the sled. Parker loved the saucer and kept asking for "more time". Both boys loved the snow and the little jump their cousins built. After some sledding Daddy rolled up a snowman, it was huge!
Snowman with the big cousins
After a day in the snow, we went to visit one of Mommy's high school friends (and maid of honor) Erin. Was great to see her, have the kiddos play together, and catch up with her family. Funny how no one seems to age and we can talk stories for hours like things happened just yesterday. Berta came over too and Mommy had her favorite pitcher-catcher combo to talk about the good old days of high school softball playoffs.
The next couple of days we visited with Daddy's family in New Jersey. The first night we ate dinner with all Daddy's uncles and their families. Was great to see everyone and amazing how much the kids (ie Dana) have grown. We also got to toast George and Melissa since we missed their wedding. The next day the boys got to spend some quality time with Grandma and Grandpa Seminara. Parker helped Grandpa make pancakes. The boys opened their gifts and spent a good couple of hours playing with their new race tracks. Mom and Dad also got a quick escape to see a movie. We also got to spend some time with Jennie and Andy who are now a few shorts months away from their wedding. No trip to NJ is complete without a visit to the skating rink where Parker and Brady got to show Grandma and Grandpa their skating skills. Grandpa even got some time on the ice. Parker did great taking steps on his own, and Brady used a walker to get even faster cruising around the ice, even saying "I want to skate every day".
Christmas with the Seminaras
Skating in New Jersey
Back in Mass we got ready for New Years. Grandpa Bob and Grammie Terry came down to ring in the new year. The boys got to spend more quality time with their grandparents and caught some of the new years scenes from around the world. The boys didn't make it to midnight, but the grandparents did! Daddy was little under the weather but woke just after midnight to see the replay from Boston. The next day the Grandparents babysat so Mom and Dad could get a few runs at the local ski mountain. We weren't even sore the next day! And we spent today, the last day of our holiday vacation, on the same slopes but this time with the boys. Parker did amazing. After a bit of a struggle getting his ski boots on, he played in the snow bank, then he was ready to hit the slopes. He enjoyed chasing Mommy and Daddy down the run. Brady had a good day too, he did great on the magic carpet and rode his first chair lift with little assistance from Mom. Of course Brady likes to go fast so he preferred skiing with Mom and Dad's assistance instead of going on his own. After several runs the boys were exhausted and it was time to head home.
Skiing at Wachusett Mountain (MA)
We are looking forward to a great 2017!!!
