Christmas 2011: Pictorial retrospective

Full throttle parenting over Christmas with 2 toddler boys, neither of whom are capable of moderating tantrums or their urinary/bowel systems, has taken away all my ability to construct sentences with both subjects and predicates in any meaningful way, so please enjoy a smattering of poorly framed and composed pictures over the past week. Of all times to get my photojournalism on...I failed miserably! (In part I blame my father-in-law; when anyone with a much nicer camera and mad photo skills is around, I tend to keep our own camera hibernating.)

My propensity for verbal gymnastics and hysterics will resume in 2012, which is bound to be an awesome year...I've already signed a contract with the universe on that one.

The boys waiting for Santa to give them their presents at school

Our Christmas Company! Grandma and Opa!

Christmas 2011: working the local park circuit

Even Opa gets in on the fun...

Christmas eve--putting out the reindeer food (and I HAD to steal a kiss from the cutest almost 2 year old reindeer)

Did Mom just hear Rudolph in the sky? Quick! Get in bed!

Mom, you're silly...that was just a plane from PDK airport.

And, the food: starting with the yummiest bruschetta that will make an encore on New Year's.

Crusted tilapia, pasta in garlic sauce, and baked broccoli with garlic, olive oil and lemon.

For dessert below, I would have taken a picture of the Boston cream pie cupcakes...but they found a new home too fast.

Leaving Santa our homemade almond thumbprint cookies

Guess who had to taste test them first?

CHRISTMAS MORNING! Toy overload

Medieval kings and queens had Thomas trains, right??

And what better way to end the holiday break than with $1 cones from IKEA. Rumor had it that these 2 hoodlums were going to move in with each other and share a bunk bed set from IKEA, but Felix's continued night wakings (even after the surgery), resulted in us walking out with cheap dairy treats and organizing bins.

A brief Christmas gift breakdown to follow...stay tuned.