Christmas 2011

Christmas Eve in our house started early, since we were headed down South to spend the holiday with our families. Before we ran out the door, we managed to snap a few pictures of the boys in their Christmas best. Franklin's first attempt at "holding" his little brother went better than expected:

Then we hopped in the car for what we hoped would be an enjoyable ride... And it was! Around 2.5 seconds after we pulled out of the driveway, both little ones were fast asleep...

Christmas Eve at Frank's parents house was filled with lots of preparation for Santa's arrival and very little sleep, unfortunately. The holidays with 2 children, neither of whom wanted to sleep at all, as a challenge. I spent most of the night in a twin bed with a two year old, hoping that my three month old would stay asleep. He complied - sort of. Then, before we knew it (but not before our two year old threw a hissy fit because he wanted to start his day at 5:30 A.M. and mama and dad were.not.having.it.) it was time to wake up for Christmas morning!

Santa had arrived! Despite very loud rips of wrapping paper and exclamations of excitement from three children two and under (not including my three month old), Crosby decided he'd had enough:

And that was that. Christmas Day afternoon we traveled to my hometown to spend the evening with my extended family, where Franklin was showered with even MORE presents and thought he was in heaven. We hit the sack that night around 10:30 PM, and I don't remember being that tired in a long, long time. After a brief stay, we returned home to spend the last week of 2011 together in our tiny, but rather charming (you want to buy it from us, right?) home. The week went by quickly, full of hugs and kisses and hilarious shenanigans from our resident comedian, Franklin.

Franklin still seems to adore his baby brother, and Crosby adores him right back. Franklin gets the best giggles out of his brother, who watches his every move. And Crosby seems to have forgiven Franklin for biting him on the foot Christmas Day. It is a rather juicy little foot, after all.

And then we wound down 2011 at home, preparing for a New Year's Day feast and celebrating Frank's father's birthday. 2011, I must admit: I'm not sad to see you go. We started 2011 with a febrile seizure, a trip to the ER, and a national championship. The end of January brought amazing news that Crosby was on the way, but February held tubes/adenoids surgery for Franklin and lots of worry. By March I already felt very pregnant, and the year seemed to go from there. Crosby arrived in September, and the next twelve weeks are a total blur of kisses, sleep deprivation, diaper changes, baby grins, tiny toes, vomit and crying. We seem to be entering a new phase of less vomit and more contentment, at least I'm hoping. 2012, I know you have lots of fun in store. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!