Christmas '11

This was a different Christmas for us, being our first in Maryland! Usually, the kids and I head to CA around Dec. 15th to avoid crazy airfare costs. Eric comes right before we celebrate 3 Christmas' with all the separate sets of parents and pack in seeing friends whenever we can. My trip usually lasts 3 weeks with Eric's lasting 2 weeks. Although, we really missed seeing our California family and friends it was nice to just be home and start some new traditions.

We started our Christmas celebration Dec. 22nd. Eric got off half day to go to the anatomy ultrasound with me while Cedulie watched Audrey and Elliott. Thanks to my great mother-in-law for the help!

We got the great news that we are having another baby girl!

Audrey was SUPER excited! She had been praying for a baby sister since we told her that we were pregnant. Even before we were pregnant, she offered during our summer family vacation to trade Elliott for the baby girl my sister was expecting. I guess we don't have to trade in her brother after all. Eric and I were just excited to have a healthy baby in there.

On Friday, December 23rd we went to Luis and Cedulie's house (Eric's Mom and Step Dad) for our Christmas celebration. Cedulie made an amazing prime rib dinner.

The next morning, Audrey started to feel sick, threw up and

had a little fever.... but hung in there for some Christmas fun.

Elliott was excited about the Christmas tree...

Audrey still excited about her new baby sister to come.

George, Stef and family joined us for a Christmas brunch

Happy grandparents with their grandkids

After a delicious brunch we got to open presents

Elliott in his train sweater got some trains and tracks

The girls got princess pop up houses and dressed up like princesses

They princesses tried to include Elliott, but he wasn't interested in being a prince.

The Lapointe family

We spent Christmas Eve at our house, ready to spend our first Christmas morning at home.

We filled the tree with presents ready for the kids to wake up.

A belly shot in Audrey's Christmas mirror. She really wanted a full length mirror in her room (yes, she is only 4 years old!) Eric and I gave in with the hopes that she would stop sneaking into our room to admire herself during rest time.

We started the morning with breakfast. Audrey was really not feeling good.

She even passed up her waffle breakfast.

She decided to sit in front of the tree with the presents while we finished breakfast. Moments later, she puked all over her new Pillow Pet from the Hopkins family.

That didn't stop her from being excited about her presents...

She helped Elliott open his presents despite our assurances that he could manage on his own

Both admiring the contents of this bag (I forgot what it even was though)

Audrey with a new baby doll

Elliott with a beloved trash truck

Audrey losing it again

We watched the Nativity Story and cuddled

We ended up canceling our dinner plans and having a mellow pajama day

It was a complete opposite Christmas from what we were used to, but given the circumstance of Audrey being sick, it was perfect to be at home without much to do. Audrey ended up with 5 days of the stomach flu. We (mostly Eric due to my nausea) have never cleaned up so much throw up (mostly in the middle of the night of course). Poor Audrey's ribs were showing by the end of this ordeal. Luckily, Eric had the week off to help out with the extra work of a sick kiddo.

That was our Merry Christmas!