This is a long one...

Being home for the holidays was fabulous. I spent TONS of time with my family. I had several delays flying in because of bad weather in Milwaukee. I finally got home on the 23rd. Anabelle and Madelyn picked me up with mom and dad. They made a sign saying, "welcome home stephanie. Anabelle and Madelyn love you!" It was the sweetest thing!

Christmas Eve was at Mom and Dad's house this year. We ate the usual snacks: chxn wings, crackers and sausage, meatballs, chips and dip, and more. We exchanged gifts. I got some great Victoria's Secret perfume that was on my list. Here's a pic of mom and dad's tree.


Christmas morning was just as tradition has it. Nicky, Dad, Mom, and I exchanged gifts after waking up. I got some great things...a scrapbooking tote from Pottery Barn Teen, a shell cover for Maggie my laptop, a dress form, and more! LOVE IT ALL!


At 2pm on Christmas day, Aunt Chaya hosted dinner at her house. Chaya's house the the most beautiful place on during Christmas. Her home looks like a magazine! I LOVE IT! It's so inspiring and cheerful. Here are some bits and pieces of her Holiday Home.
Wreaths hanging from every door and every window.



This one is my favorite photo. Its the living room. To the right is the huge tree that fills up the room with the smell of pine. The fire was going all evening, we roasted chesnuts like we always do.

hot cider...



Here's a shot of the beautiful dinner table:

at 6pm we sat down to the smell of nana's pasta sauce, stuffed shells, green beans, and red wine. There's nothing like having an Italian family. The dinner was delicious.
Here are some photos of the fam.


and the cutest little guy I've ever seen! Carson is just over 1 year old and is full of tricks! He'll show you his muscles, tell you how old he is, show you how baby Lila cries, blow you kisses and more! He's the cutest! I wanted to bring him home with me!

and here's the pricesless photo of him and nano playing together. It seems that whenever there is a little kid in the family, someone captures a photo like this of nano playing with him/her. He's the best grandfather ANY of us could ever wish for.



On Thursday I visited The Scrapbook Store. One of my favorite places. Here is the crew! We stayed up scrapbooking until 4 am! It was awesome! Just like old times!


On Friday the 28th, there was a huge blizzard! It was just as I wished for during my trip home. 7" of snow fell from 8am-4pm. The city turned into a winter wonderland, just like I always know Christmas should be. It was beautiful.

It was my first trip home for the Holidays. Santa sure did give me everything I asked for! I must have been good this year!