Frances Anne's Baptism

Frances was baptized on St. Nicholas day, December 6th, at Holy Spirit Catholic Church. She wore a beautiful gown and bonnet from her Nanna and Pa, a pearl bracelet from her Grandma and Papou, and an embroidered handkerchief from her Mimi and Papa. Her brothers looked quite dapper in their church clothes, and they happily posed for photos with their little sister in her "princess dress", as they called it.

Frances Anne's Godparents are her Grandma, Jan Makris, and her Papa, Dan Longo. Our parents guided our faith, so what wonderful, Godly examples for Frances to have supporting her faith.

During the baptism, Frances snoozed and smiled. Her brothers tried to be on their best behavior, but it was a challenge. John had Deacon Bill and the rest of the audience laughing when Deacon Bill said, "…And John the Baptist", and John shouted out, "Hey! That's me!" Deacon Bill has baptized all 4 of our babies, so he knew to expect some entertainment.

After the baptism, we invited everyone to our house for lunch. We enjoyed some Makris family party favorites: a taco bar from Willy's, Makris Punch, a candy buffet, and Costco cake. The boys also snacked on Aunt Elaine's beautiful, monogrammed cookies. And by the end of the party, Frances Anne was fast asleep on Aunt Mary's shoulder - a tradition for every Makris baby at their baptism party.

A Very Makris Christmas

We celebrated Christmas with Grandma and Papou while they were in town for Frances Anne's baptism. The boys were giddy when they saw our tree full of presents in early December. Everyone got something that they asked for - Henry got Star Wars legos, John got Superhero Legos, Peter got Playdough, and Frances got Sophie the Giraffe. And everyone got a new book. Peter made sure everyone knew that the Playdough set was his. He carried it around all day and night.

Strike a Pose

Frances had her first professional photo shoot at six days old. We expected diva-like behavior, but not from her. She was a natural in front of the camera. It was her brothers who were tough to work with. Some cooperated, some did not, but I won't name names. I love these photos because this is life with four kids under six.

Fa-La-La-La-La!

We decked the halls at our traditional trim the tree party. The boys couldn't concentrate on decorating with "fancy" cookies and hot cocoa sitting out, so we snacked first. No one really likes hot cocoa. It's more of a vehicle for the marshmallows. All three boys devoured the cookies. Then it was time to get to business. Henry and John remembered the drill. Peter caught on quickly, but rather than hanging the ornaments on the tree, he just kinda threw them in there. This was the first year the boys enjoyed hearing the stories that went along with our special ornaments. This was not the first year that they fought over the puppet Santa ornament. Frances woke up from a nap in time for some decorating too. Except we decorated her instead. She did not appreciate the Santa hat.

You better watch out, you better not cry!

Our Santa visit went as expected with 4 children under the age of 6. I think we are still several years away from a Santa photo with no crying children. But Peter took it to another level this year with his escape. After Peter fled the scene, Henry and John made sure to tell Santa that Peter likes Elmo and McQueen. John asked for pirate legos, a Hot Wheels loop-di-loop race track, and a Darth Vader Mr. Potato Head. Henry asked for Star Wars legos, Pokemon Cards, and Skylanders. When Santa asked what Frances would like, the boys were stumped. Yours truly knows what every girl wants for Christmas - I told Santa, "She wants more clothes and shoes!"