The Breuers: Christmas in Pittsburgh

I know I STILL haven't written a post about Thanksgiving, but I'm going to write one about Christmas now since it's fresh in my mind. I keep putting off the Thanksgiving one because I need to organize the photos from my DSLR. Luckily I took enough phone photos over Christmas for this post, and I'll upload the DSLR photos later.

We flew up to Pittsburgh last Sunday. I had been told to nurse Lola during takeoff and descent (or give her a bottle or pacifier) to help with her ears, so I did that on takeoff and it definitely worked. She fell asleep and took a little nap. She did get a but fussy during the descent because it started sooner than we expected, but I eventually got her to nurse and she calmed down. Joseph was a big help and was able to keep her happy. So that was great - I was very anxious about flying with Lola.

We arrived at my parents' house that afternoon and spent the rest of the day there. My brother Ben had gotten into town that morning on an overnight bus from NYC, so Lola was excited to see him. My friend from high school Erin and her mom (who lives next door) came over to meet Lola. They loved her, of course. Erin gave Lola a cute rabbit doll and a cute outfit. It was sweet to see them together. My dad made a delicious (and fancy) dinner of prime rib, so we had a nice family meal after Lola went to bed.

On Monday, we went to lunch with some of my family (aunts, cousins, etc.). It was lots of fun, although chaotic with everyone wanting to see Lola - and we're generally a loud group anyway :) I was glad we got to spend some extra time with them. After we got home, my friend Sarah and her two-year-old daughter Evia came to visit. I hadn't seen Evia since she was one month old, so it was great to see how much she's changed. She is adorable and so sweet. Monday was also my parents' 41st anniversary, so Ben made us a fabulous dinner of spaghetti and veal scallopine. Yum.

Tuesday was Christmas Eve, and the Yahn family (my mom, her four sisters, and their families) always gathers for a big celebration. My parents have hosted the past several years, so everyone arrived in the late afternoon. There were 24 adults and 4 children, so a big crowd! There was lots of eating, drinking, and chatting. Lola had fun being passed around to meet everyone, and she behaved for the most part. She went to bed pretty easily, allowing Joseph and I to hang out and play Celebrity with everyone. We also had a great white elephant gift exchange (I got a small blender thing and Joseph got beer).

Wednesday was Christmas, and we just spent the day with my immediate family. My mom bought Lola WAY too many presents, but it was great. She got some cute toys and lots of new outfits. Lola seemed to enjoy all the present opening even though she had no clue what was going on. We had an early dinner of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn, brussel sprouts, and cranberry sauce. It was delicious!

Thursday was our last full day in town, so we ventured to downtown Pittsburgh to the PPG buildings. They have a winter garden in one of the lobbies, and it was filled with tons of gingerbread houses. It's a contest so people from all over the city submit their houses. There was also live music and a display of Christmas statues from each culture. We walked around downtown a little and stopped for coffee. Then we headed home to play Scrabble. I had to leave the game to feed Lola, so Mom finished for me, and luckily I still beat Joseph by one point! Thursday night Joseph and I met up with Erin and her boyfriend Chris at a restaurant near our house. We had some drinks and caught up - it was great to have a night out. Although Lola was quite fussy for Mom and Ben, but they eventually got her to sleep.

Friday we flew back to Atlanta, and Lola was great on the flight. Joseph picked up Lucy, and we were all happy to be home! But we had a wonderful time in Pittsburgh and were happy to see so many family and friends.