merry christmas and a happy 2010!!

twas a lovely and i must say rather exhausting Christmas this year! we started celebrating on the Eve with the McHale family over. it was fabulous night...having everyone together, staying up late, catching up and just being together....if only we could get Mike and Kelly in town it would be even more fabulous! Anyhow, I do just love how Christmas is a reason for us all to hang out, a reason to eat too many mint chocolate cookies, a reason to stay up waaay too late and be deleriously tired but full of glee all the same, and so many other reasons i could go on and on.

Then on to New Years; a very quiet one this year indeed. We went to mass (where Ruby was having some real difficulty with her quiet voice), ordered italian food, and went home to watch 'Miracle on 34th St' as a fam...listening to Ruby say Ho Hoooo (her code word for Santa). I lamely fell asleep with Ruby while Ed stayed up for Harry Potter and woke me to say Happy New Year.
A great year indeed. Many thanks and so many blessings. Here's to making 2010 even better!

old man turns 30

he may kill me for posting these rediculously early morning pics but i just thought i'd make note of Ed's 30th, finally....he can stop giving me a hard time for being so old (we are only 8months apart). older and wiser i always say.
it was a great day that started out right with donuts, and ended shopping at the willows for mens night out. what more could you ask for?

Thanks to all who were able to celebrate with us at the party...it was a blast!!

buddies

Ruby woke up from her nap yesterday, not to give me a hug and be held as usual but to go straight to Declan, cozy up next to him and give him kisses. They are soon to be great buddies. And she calls him Dec ('deck').

more of declan

Our little heavy weight has gotten up to 8lbs 13 ou. already! Go little guy! And for the record the general concensus is that he has Al's
mouth, and rather resembles little Luke and George. Lucky
guy to be looking like those handsome guys!

decorating the tree

oh i do love this time of year! I thought Ed was the one with shaky hands, but
apparently his good looks were making me nervous
b/c i sure couldnt get a nice clear pic that night.

Just look at that concentration.

a fantastic advent calendar made with love by
the one and only GiGi!
Ruby cant get enough of opening them each
day, and I cant wait to decorate them!

There were possibly some attempts
at eating a few small ornaments.

crafting with my girl

there are just some things...moments...i dont want to forget. like how ruby can thoroughly enjoy fiddling with buttons, spools of thread, paper, pens, and who knows what else on the crafting table while i attempt to sew. its short lived, so i try to work fast. i just love the serious concentrating face she puts on. too much.

talking

so i thought it would be fun to remember the words ruby is starting to say. she is definitely talking a lot these days. her favorite words of choice currently:
*juice (sounds more like juzzsh)
*mama
*dada
*gigi (a top favorite)
*em (who also apparently looks like a girl on a H&M ad)
*al (she saw him brieftly at thanksgiving and really likes to ask for him to come over)
*pete (who is usually proceeded by a big smile or giggle)
*blue (everything is blue...even though she can distinguish, she would rather everything be blue)
*car
*lights
*book book book ( she likes to say it severarl times, as to emphasize her love i guess)
*du du du (the sound of elephants marching....learned from the 'jungle book')
*snack!