We went to Christmas Eve mass after the Pear's nap and then headed straight to my dad's house for dinner. Gotta' give props to Pops - he single-handedly prepared a ham and turkey breast (to accommodate his high-maintenance princess who doesn't eat ham), as well as side dishes. I don't like most meat on the bone (just typing that makes me shudder), but the turkey was delicious! After dinner, exchanging of presents and visiting with my parents, brother and his family, we were off to prepare for Santa.
My nephew, Jacob, and my mom. He's only 12 and taller than G-ma now!
G-ma with the Worm and the Pear.
Four of the cousins. The oldest (Jacob) and youngest (Michael) were off doing other things.
Pops, posing with the crew in his favorite flowered chair.
All looking at the camera and smiling. Whoo-hoo!
My Christmas cuties.
An excited Christmas Pear.
My annual no-makeup, pose with the Worm, Christmas morning self portrait.
Michael digs the Elmo tent!
Yes, even Champy was spoiled.
She was so wound up!
Daddy assisting the Pear.
Like I mentioned above, the Pear was not ready to wake up!
Next, we cleaned up, packed up and were off to Pittsburgh. We headed straight for Aunt Linda's house for the annual Christmas dinner/gathering. Mike's dad's family is huge and I'm serious when I say that I adore every one of them. Such fun, nice people! The house is huge and the countless kids have fun running around and exploring. Michael spent most of his time playing basketball with his awesome cousin Matt (I swear, my kid has a radar that allows him to immediately seek out any teenage/pre-teen male in the room) and Taylor buddied up with her aunts and Benny, Linda's dog.
Some of the cousins (and Benny, too).
Stan and Suthie
Aunt Linda and Michael. All of the kids love their Aunt Linny!
Matt and Michael. We needed Matt the next night when the Pear was a little crabby.
Aunt Amy, Mike, Lauren, Cassidy and Steve
Our family hanging out in the house where G-pa N grew up. Pretty cool!
Always smiling.
Pretty Kayla and the Worm.
Taylor has always had a special bond with her Aunt Katy.
Once we got back home, it was like Christmas all over again! The kids didn't have a chance to tear into everything before we left, so we spent all night Sunday and all day Monday playing!
Taylor's marble race track is really cool!
The Pear, modeling new snow boots.
I walked in the living room and had to get a picture of this. Check out what they're playing with!
G-ma with the Worm and the Pear.
Four of the cousins. The oldest (Jacob) and youngest (Michael) were off doing other things.
Pops, posing with the crew in his favorite flowered chair.
All looking at the camera and smiling. Whoo-hoo!
My Christmas cuties.The kids were pretty pooped from Christmas Eve (little did they know how much we were going to drag them around over the next few days) and I actually got a workout in before waking them up Christmas morning. Once they saw the loads of presents, the excitement set in. I think Santa did well this year, without going overboard.
An excited Christmas Pear.
My annual no-makeup, pose with the Worm, Christmas morning self portrait.
Michael digs the Elmo tent!
Yes, even Champy was spoiled.
She was so wound up!
Daddy assisting the Pear. Like I mentioned above, the Pear was not ready to wake up!
Next, we cleaned up, packed up and were off to Pittsburgh. We headed straight for Aunt Linda's house for the annual Christmas dinner/gathering. Mike's dad's family is huge and I'm serious when I say that I adore every one of them. Such fun, nice people! The house is huge and the countless kids have fun running around and exploring. Michael spent most of his time playing basketball with his awesome cousin Matt (I swear, my kid has a radar that allows him to immediately seek out any teenage/pre-teen male in the room) and Taylor buddied up with her aunts and Benny, Linda's dog.
Aunt Diane and Emily.
Some of the cousins (and Benny, too).
Aunt Diane and Ryan.
Aunt Linda, Aunt Ginny, Frank, Aunt Nancy and Taylor
Rich, Pat, Taylor and G-ma Marilyn
G-Pa, Michael and Suthie
Michael playing "shootball" with Matt (Ray is looking on). They were buddies.
Noreen and Ellie wrapping and rapping.
Uncle Jeff and Brittany
Mike
Stan and Suthie 
Aunt Linda and Michael. All of the kids love their Aunt Linny!
Matt and Michael. We needed Matt the next night when the Pear was a little crabby.
Aunt Amy, Mike, Lauren, Cassidy and Steve
Our family hanging out in the house where G-pa N grew up. Pretty cool!
We spent the next at G-ma N's house, which was beautifully decorated for the holidays. My mother-in-law is an artist and always comes up with unique and breathtaking displays. I wish I'd gotten a picture of the Christmas forest she created in her living room. It was enormous and the kids loved it!
Michael checking out his Tickle Me Elmo hands.
After breakfast Saturday morning, we checked into our hotel for a little rest and relaxation. We stayed at the Embassy Suites and I highly recommend it. We had a separate bedroom area in our room (such a key when you have young kids) and very much enjoyed the heated indoor pool. The kids could have stayed in there for hours! No pictures because I was playing, too. :) We headed back to Marilyn's for a delish roast beef/chicken dinner and to visit with our niece Kayla and Mike's siblings. We were all pretty tired by this point, but still had so much fun.
Pretty Kayla and the Worm.
Taylor has always had a special bond with her Aunt Katy.Once we got back home, it was like Christmas all over again! The kids didn't have a chance to tear into everything before we left, so we spent all night Sunday and all day Monday playing!
Taylor's marble race track is really cool!
The Pear, modeling new snow boots.
I walked in the living room and had to get a picture of this. Check out what they're playing with!
Until next time,
Mommy Kel
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