We got back from our whirlwind tour of NJ on Saturday and I'm just getting around to uploading our pictures and writing this post. Let's see...Before we left, we got a big box of gifts for all of us from Nana and Papa in Georgia--it was a great way to start the Christmas week! Thanks for the fun presents for all of us, particularly the Ergo carrier and the adorable stuffed crocodile!
Simon turned out to be a pretty good little traveler, although with our 3 suitcases and 6 carry-ons for 6 days I don't think I can say the same for me and Matt. Anyway, we spent the first few days at Grandpa's, visited GG, welcomed Aunt Karyn and helped decorate the tree.
Then it was off to Grandma and Papa's for a few days. We got to introduce Simon to lots of family and friends while we were there----Natasha Jones and her beautiful daughters Molly and Sadie came to visit, as did Cathy Anzuini and Sam, Dave and David Bunting. It was great to see David again--we met him when he was only about 5 weeks old, and now he's a crawling, sitting, solids-eating little boy!
We also got to go to Celeste and Pete Gray's house for dinner with the whole Gray, Ruggiero, Gilpin, Horowitz, Renehan and Winstanley crew. That was great--Liam, Nora and Henry are all such sweet kids and we got to show off little Simon some more.
Then of course came Christmas eve...as is tradition, we had Karen and Mark Welland and Sarah Horowitz join us for a great dinner, and Karyn's boyfriend Neville was able to be there too. After dinner we opened a bunch of presents, got some sleep and jumped right back in on Christmas morning. Santa was good to us: some of our favorites included a growth chart and rocking chair for Simon that Grandma had painted to match his nursery and a milestones calendar from Aunt Karyn that matches Simon's baby book.
After we got our million bags together, we headed back to Grandpa's for the big Secret Santa event. Making it extra special this year was the fact that it was the first Christmas for both Simon and Emerson, Amy and Nick's almost 3-month old daughter. Everyone passed the babies around all day and they were remarkably well-behaved considering the chaos of 20 adults cooing over them. We got so many great gifts from the family--new toys, clothes and some special ornaments for next year's tree. And the best part was introducing Simon to so many aunts, uncles and cousins.
That evening we exchanged gifts with Grandpa and Laura, and Simon continued to make out very well. In addition to his next car seat that Grandpa is buying for him, we continued to add to his wardrobe and I even got very a special gift--a charm bracelet with his birthstone that was a combined gift from my dad and Matt.
After all the excitement, we headed back to the airport on Saturday and flew home. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling great, but Simon was a champ and slept for almost the entire flight.
So, thanks to everyone who made this a very special first Christmas. We love you and it was a great holiday!
Check out our Shutterfly site for lots of pictures of the trip!
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