Emma's 1st Christmas

Even though Emma was too little to remember it, there was just something so special about everyone sharing her first Christmas with her. Paul and I got Emma a few little outfits and a Take-Along-Tunes music box. We also got her a froggy jumper because she keeps trying to stand up. It's her absolute favorite thing to do.

In the morning, we opened gifts at Dad's house and even though Brody is two, it honestly felt like his first Christmas, because he really got excited about Santa and all the gifts for the first time. It was awesome to see him so happy and to have all three cousins together.

Then, we opened gifts with the Pinchots at our house - Emma was truly spoiled and she doesn't even know it yet! Paul cooked a delicious Christmas dinner and everyone came to our place to enjoy it. There's something really awesome about having everyone together for the holidays.

The Hardings Come to Visit

Shawn, Lindsey, Riley & Adrian came to visit us just before Christmas, and we had a great time hanging out and playing with the kids. They got to meet Emma for the first time (and Shawn was such a big help walking her around and getting her to stop crying when she got going on one of her crying jags).

I can hardly believe how fast they are all growing! Before we know it, they'll all be going off to college or something. Honestly, we had a great time and love it when the Hardings come to visit.

Christmas Party

Well, we pulled it off! We still managed to have our annual Christmas Party while taking care of an infant at the same time. (Special thanks to Kim and Joe for helping us setup and to Granddad for watching Emma while we were getting ready!) Paul and I were both exhausted when it was all said and done, but we both had a great time. I really love having everyone come over to celebrate. This year, the vibe was a little different with three babies in the house, but I wouldn't change it for the world. It was fun having everyone see Emma, Elliott, and Brooklyne and getting a chance to play with them.

Emma fell asleep with her Grandma holding her for a good while during the party, but then she was up and raring to go again. She got to witness the end of the beer pong championship game (congrats to Wes & Ryan... AGAIN) while listening to some really loud music, which didn't bother her at all! She was all smiles for everyone until she finally passed out again around 1:00am. Good times.


See more photos here

Baby Elliott is here!

The waiting is finally over - Elliott John Ricci was born on December 12, 2010 (his exact due date!). The Pinchots were in the middle of Cookie Day on December 11th at our house, baking up a storm, when Tracy called around 3:30 in the afternoon. She usually texts me (and we were one day away from her due date) so I answered the phone even though I was in the middle of rolling out nut rolls... and greeted her with, "Are you in labor?" and she paused for a second and said, "How did you know?!" Turns out her water broke right at the end of her work shift. I cleaned up in a flurry and rushed over to the hospital to be there for her, calling everyone in the meantime to let them know Tracy was in labor.

It turns out that there was no need to rush -- Tracy was in labor for 13 hours and Elliott wasn't born until the next morning at 4:07am, weighing in at 8 lbs, 5 ounces. It was a long wait, but the waiting room was packed and everyone was excited to finally meet baby Elliott. And it was worth the wait. I have another adorable nephew! Congratulations, Tracy and Johnny!

Emma's Baptism

Today was Emma's baptism. We were really worried that she was going to scream and cry during the church service or the baptism itself, but other than a few minor exclamations when the holy water was placed on her forehead, she was pretty quiet. And she looked adorable in her little pink and white dress.

Everyone at the church was so sweet to Emma (and us).. it was really nice. We were also blessed to have our close family and friends there to be with Emma on her special day. Especially Kim and Joe (Emma's godparents). We had everyone over to the house afterward for lunch and had fun playing with the kids. Emma and Brooklyne posed for some pictures together, and Brody had a blast getting chased around the house by Uncle Paul. Oh, and we're all still anxiously awaiting our newest addition (little Elliott)!