This year we spent Christmas in Georgia with my sister and her family. Since Sam and I had no obligations, we decided to flee town on the Monday before Christmas. Unfortunately Ben had to stay in DC and work a few extra days, so we flew on our own. I was more than a little nervous about this 2 hour journey but it went well. Sam was a great little traveler.

We did all of the requisite Christmas activities: baked cookies, made gingerbread houses, played in the snow (it snowed on Christmas!), and visited Santa.

Ok, so that last one didn’t go so well. I blame Sam’s newly discovered stranger anxiety and the fact that he was tired and hungry after searching all morning for a Santa that didn’t have a 2 hour line! Ah well, I’m sure it will be fun to compare this early Santa pic with those to come.

Once again Sam had a fantastic time with his cousins. Asa (7) had fun reading Sam his favorite book, Me Hungry, And Sam and Ella (2 1/2) just had fun palling around together and “sharing” their toys. We did a shameful job of taking pictures while we were there. But here are some that we did manage to get. I can’t believe I didn’t get a single one with Asa (bad auntie!!).

Me, Nikki, and Rozy (Nikki’s other half-sister)

Yummy food on Christmas Eve:

Sam hanging with Daddy:

Having fun with my sister:

Trying to pose and looking drunk:

Family photo:

Princess Ella wearing/carrying literally every Christmas gift she received:

Blurry but cute pic of Sam and Ella playing with their toys on Christmas morning:

Happy 2011! And happy birthday, Dad!

I hope you all had an exciting night. At the Miller house, our night was pretty tame and full of food. We started out the evening with a delicious family dinner of cheese ravioli with Auntie Nikki’s butternut squash sauce. Sam loved it and signed “more” to get seconds!

But apparently that wasn’t enough food because after dinner Sam discovered the box of oranges sent by (great) Grandma Katie and (great) Grandpa Gene. We cut him off after downing two of them!

Then after Sam went to bed I got busy baking. I just was planning on making gingerbread cookies. I got a good recipe from my friend Nicole, and I figured this was the last night I could get away with baking gingerbread for a while. But then I talked to my mom who was busily making a flourless chocolate cake and that sounded pretty good too. So I made both.

And so, Ben and I rang in the new year at home, with champagne (or cheap prosecco from Trader Joe’s), gingerbread, and chocolate cake. Not the liveliest of new years, but enjoyable nonetheless! Happy 2011 everybody!