1st Trip to Snips for Pips

Grace and Andrew received their 1st haircuts this afternoon at Rita's Snips for Pips in Ridgewood. I LOVE their curls, and I've been afraid to have their hair trimmed because I didn't want them to lose them. However, Rita did a fabulous job, and their curls look even better:-) Grace's hair was getting a little straggly at the end and Andrew's was quite unruly. Now, they are going to ring in the New Year with stylish new hair cuts! I've included before, during, and after shots for each child, and they each have video of the very first snip of baby hair.

They each received an award and a snippet of hair for their baby books.

Christmas with the Klein's

The best Christmas gifts are memories, and we certainly made a lot of memories this year! We had such a fun day celebrating with the Klein Klan. We always get the entire family together the day after Christmas. We start out with breakfast, and then it's time for all the cousins to exchange gifts! Grace and Andrew loved all of their presents and had such a great time playing with their cousins.

Shannon, Andrew, and Wally

LuLu/Gram and all of her granddaughters

The boys... minus the Denis Klein family (Jameson and Denis arrived after a hockey game, and poor Shane was sick)

Grace LOVES her new Rapunzel gown. I think she's going to wear it to Disney Princesses on Ice!

Pop and Andrew

The kiddies... we missed you Shane!

Merry Christmas

This was such a magical Christmas! Grace and Andrew's eyes were filled with wonder from the moment they saw all of their presents under the tree until they closed their eyes tonight after listening to The Polar Express. Santa Claus certainly spoiled our sweethearts this year. He left tons of presents under our Christmas tree, and we had so much fun opening them all first thing this morning. Grace was overjoyed with all of her Disney princess gifts, and Andrew loved his Yankees baseball bat, assortment of Toy Story items, and his 1st Jets jersey! Dan spoiled me this year with a gorgeous pair of pearl/diamond earrings from Tiffanys:-) At 10:00 LuLu, Pop, Nana, Grandpa, and Aunt Dana arrived for brunch. As we sat around the table, I felt truly blessed to be surrounded by the best gifts I've ever received... my family! We had a memorable morning together.

After the children played with their new toys for a little while, we headed to Mom and Dad Colonna's to continue the celebration. Once we got there, we had fun opening even more presents from Nana, Grandpa, and Aunt Dana. Uncle Frank, Anthony, Rachel, James, and Jenna joined us for a delicious prime rib dinner. We had a wonderful time together, and were happy that Nanny, Poppy, and Vito were able to join us for dessert. Dana and Mom C. made a delicious assortment of Christmas cookies. We had such a Merry Christmas, and we look forward to more festivities tomorrow!

Santa came!

Andrew loves his new Yankees sweatshirt, baseball bat, and ball.

Grace and her favorite Christmas gift... "ALL OF THE PRINCESSES!"

Grandpa, Nana, and Aunt Dana wearing their "Christmas Cracker" crowns at brunch.

Dan bought Grace a Links of London Sweetie bracelet to match mine, and he bought us each a "B" charm to add to our bracelets.

The Verdicchio boys... James, Uncle Frank, and Anthony

Nanny and Poppy loved their 2011 calendar! I've enjoyed making these for the last 3 years.

Christmas Eve

After Mass, Grace was so happy to see that Baby Jesus was finally in the manger. She has been admiring the Nativity at Presentation all month!

Andrew had fun playing with Nana's new snowman. He kept pulling his hat "up" and "down."

He's so excited for Santa to arrive!

Grace is Grandpa's girl!

Poor Grace had a little fever tonight. It came upon her very quickly after Mass. She wound up taking a nap in the new crib at Nana and Grandpa's. Hopefully, she will feel all better tomorrow morning.

Mom and Dad Colonna cooked up a delicious seafood feast!

When the children were nestled all snug in their beds, Santa enjoyed his chocolate chip and butter cookies. I'm guessing the reindeer enjoyed their carrots, because they were gone, too.

Our Christmas Caroler

There is non-stop Christmas music in our home. We're either listening to 106.7 or Grace's renditions of her favorite Christmas songs. Frosty the Snowman and Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer happen to be two of her favorites!

Christmas Cookies

Today was my Mom's last day before Christmas break, and we celebrated by making Christmas cookies! Grace and I have been looking forward to baking with" LuLu." We were a great team, and Grace did a wonderful job decorating the sugar cookies. I'm certain that more M&M's landed in her mouth then on top of the cookies, but I think that made it even more fun:-) Andrew supervised, and he is an expert cookie taster (just like his Daddy).

If you look closely, you can see our Elf on the Shelf (Buddy) hiding in the chandelier. He's quite magical, and Grace loves searching for him every morning.

Grace's Holiday Sing-a-Long

Grace and some of her classmates in the midst of singing We Wish You a Merry Christmas.

Santa even came for a visit!

Grace, Madelyn, and Julianna... The Three Amigas:-)

Grace and her teacher, Miss Nicole

After the show, we were welcomed back to the classroom for a "special treat." Andrew was so excited to sit with Grace and all of her friends. Who doesn't love having ice cream with sprinkles before noon?

Christmas in New York

All the ladies... Mary, Genny, Mom, Grace, and me:-)

Grace loved this part. She announced in a very loud voice, "Oh no, they're going to fall down!"

LuLu and her girls:-)

The tree at Rockefeller Center

Our patented shot...

Look at that smile! American Girl Place is one of Grace's favorite places in the world!

The Nativity at St. Patrick's Cathedral

My silly girl... she clearly enjoyed the whipped cream at dessert in Rosie O'Grady's.