Happy 2012!!

Happy New Year everyone! We hope you all had a great night and that the first few days of 2012 have been treating you well. We had an awesome NYE night and we really needed it after spending all of our recent days indoors taking care of Lucy.

Our awesome neighbors, Kim and Chris Newland, hosted a pot luck dinner for us and 3 other couples from the neighborhood. It has been a tradition for this group and we are lucky enough to now be included. The beautiful table was set with their wedding china and the kids had their own little table complete with battery operated pillar candles.

Before dinner, I had the pleasure of playing with Nate's new Nerf gun and Connor's new choo choo train. Nate told me that when the baby is born, he is going to teach him how to shoot the Nerf gun ~ such a giver. :) I also had the pleasure of making silly camera faces with Fairy Princess Ariana (I was corrected when I called her just a regular Princess).

We all pitched in on the dinner and brought all sorts of yummy stuff. Our part included an app (a Pizza Dip), a side (sautéed green beans), the salad and non-alcoholic beverages (for me and the kids). I still salivate when I think of the leg of lamb that Shawn and Laura Miller brought and the mashed potatoes that Chris put together. And don't let me leave out dessert. Michelle and Ed brought a delicious tiramisu along with their homemade brownie bites (YUM!). All in all, it was an amazing feast, but it was the company that made the night special.

Around 11:30 pm we decided it was time to head to the party room, turn on some Dick Clark and get the bubbly ready (sparkling cider for moi). It was such a nice feeling to bring in the new year surrounded by good friends.

We look forward to more evenings like this and all that 2012 has in store for us. I have a feeling, it is going to be a good one! :)

A Mangiaracina Christmas continued...

So I know it is now 2012 (Happy New Year!), but we are still going to dwell a bit on the end of 2011 ~ specifically the holiday weekend.

Christmas Eve was in New Jersey with the Basile/Petrelis family (aka Mom Q's family). We always look forward to this day not only because we get to see Grandma and all the Aunts, Uncles and Cousins, but because of the food. For as long as I can remember, we have had the traditional Christmas Eve fish dinner and I'm not talking just any old fish. I'm talking lobster, shrimp, scallops and calamari. In addition, there are stuffed shells, chicken parmesan, stuffed mushrooms, veggies and the most delicious Italian bread you can have (slim pickin's down here in VA for real Italian bread).

We cook all day and eat all night and enjoy each other's company in the mean time. And this year, everyone was treated to the Jets/Giants game. Unfortunately things did not go in our favor (major Jets family), but we still had a good time. At the end of the night, we celebrated Grandma's birthday with ice cream cake, home made 3-layer cookies (thank you Aunt Ruth!) and nut cups (thank you Aunt Linda!). Lucy enjoyed herself - especially when Aunt Suzy put the reindeer antlers on!

We spent the night in New Jersey and headed to Long Island first thing Christmas morning. We were spending the day with Mama Mangiaracina, Ed's siblings and my brother-in-law John's family at the Mangiaracina household in Wantagh. In typical style, we got a very warm welcome from Marty, Joe's black lab and spent the day prepping the food and eating the food (seems to be a holiday theme!). I'm happy to say that I cooked my very first turkey and it actually came out really good!! At the end of the night we exchanged gifts (some great loot btw!) and headed over to the Basile house in Levittown to spend the night.

On Monday morning, we once again woke up early to hit the road and headed back to Virginia. Lucy had gone home with Grandma and Grandpa Q. after Christmas Eve and we were anxious to see her...especially since her surgery was looming. We flew home, took quick showers and headed over to the Quartuccio house for dinner and gifts. Grandma B. was in town for a few days so we got to spend more time with her which is always a great thing.

Now, if you know my Mother, you know that she loves to shop so the gift bounty was plentiful. Ed was treated to some great stuff including some new shirts, Apple's Time Capsule, and another Smallville season...among other things. I totally cleaned up with some new maternity gear, Marc Jacobs Daisy perfume and comfy slippers...among other things.

Overall, everyone did great and was happy with all the great gifts. Even James was treated to a huge bounty of books and an adorable outfit from Aunt Suzy. But more importantly, we had a great dinner and got to spend some quality time together before Grandma B. and Sue Q. headed back home.

So there you have it. A Mangiaracina Christmas in a nutshell. It flew by in a snap, but we enjoyed every minute of it. So...now onto 2012 and all that the future holds. Happy New Year everyone!!

A Mangiaracina Christmas

This year, Christmas was extra special for us since it would be the last time that our little family would be a threesome. Don't get me wrong, we can't wait for the little guy to be here, but there was something special about celebrating this last Christmas season with just each other and Lucy.

Our holiday weekend began on Friday night with our traditional Christmas "morning". Since we planned to head up to NJ/NY on Saturday morning, we had to celebrate our family Christmas on Friday night. Ed and I started the evening with a wonderful dinner at Clyde's of Reston and stopped by our neighbors house for a little holiday shin dig (thanks Suzy and Glenn!). After a quick drink (for Ed of course), we headed home, put on our Christmas jamies, pumped up the holiday tunes and started opening gifts.

Lucy started with her BIG gift ~ one that Ed was SOOOO excited for. We wrapped it up with some treats so that she would tear into the paper which she did. She grabbed the treats and ran which wasn't quite the reaction Ed wanted, but she grew to love her new bed later that night. Along with some treats and toys, Lucy was a happy camper. :)

Ed and I didn't do to shabby either. I got some great stuff including new Ugg snow boots, the Cook Like a Rock Star Anne Burrell cookbook (new fav Food Network diva), some goodies for my camera (making the bloggers life easier), an iTunes gift card to upgrade my operating system and lots o' money to get prenatal massages. SCORE!!

Ed's Santa loot included a new pair of Cole Haan shoes, a manly circular saw with extra blades, a Bob Marley onesie for James, sexy message collar stays and Apple TV.

All in all, it was a great Christmas morning for our little threesome. Life is going to be very different next year, and we can't wait...but it was nice to take advantage of our time together this year. Next up...Christmas Eve in New Jersey with the Basile family. Stay tuned!