The Christmas Spirit

It's been a marathon week of Christmas-related activities. In addition to eating entire plates of cookies for breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner, we've been out and about. Our first adventure was completely unplanned. I was running an errand with my mom and the girls and we spotted snow on the hills between us and the ocean. We took a 20 minute detour and found ourselves building snowmen and throwing snowballs. Pretty rare for where we live.







Next, we went up to the city with my parents for lunch in Union Square. My dad took Lilly home on the train and my mom and I took Ava to see the Nutcracker ballet. She enjoyed it even more than I expected, although she was ready to go home near the end of the 2-hour show when it got into more serious ballet. She especially liked how they gave her a free toy when we got there and gave out free juice and cookies at intermission. I buckled at the end and bought her a nutcracker snow globe that she just had to have.






We went to Gilroy Gardens this weekend. It was fun and beautiful - and COLD! It was all decorated for Christmas and they had some rides open, Santa, and a Snoopy show. The girls were in heaven, but we just didn't last that long, due to fear of frostbite and pneumonia. If the weather is normal next year, we will definitely go back.


My sisters braved the mall with us on Monday. Our primary goal was to see Santa, which turned into an ordeal. Just getting off the freeway next to the mall was an ordeal, so you can only imagine. It was totally worth it, because Santa was super cool. He took lots of time with the kids, asking them what they want, snapping lots of pictures, giving them coloring books, pointing out his reindeer on the roof, and asking them to draw pictures to put under the tree for him. Here is a picture I took on my phone:


One of my family's Christmas traditions is to go up to the temple at Christmas time to see the lights. My mom made chili and we had a little tailgate when we got there. They also had a live nativity. I was a little disappointed because Mary was chewing gum and trying not to laugh. Ava was a little disappointed because there were no sheep. The best part of the evening was seeing a beautiful sculpture exhibit they have in the visitors center. The girls, Ava especially, loved seeing the sculptures of Christ and hearing the stories they depicted.




Ok, so maybe the best part of the evening was getting ice cream at Fenton's when we were done. I think Ty has a little dab of chocolate fudge on his shirt in this picture.

The Hills Are Alive...

...with the cries of freezing children.

Tyler's tennis was canceled this morning, due to last night's rain. Instead, we stayed in bed most of the morning. Around noon, we decided to venture from our house and get some fresh air and exercise by hiking "the dish".

We were so prepared. Tyler put air in the strollers' tires. I packed snacks and warm clothing for the kids. In my mind, I pictured our little family happily hiking the hills, enjoying nature - our own little version of the last scene in The Sound of Music.

It started out well. I even had the luxury of pushing an empty stroller up the first segment of hill, watching Ava run alongside Tyler and Lilly. Before I knew it, she was tired and both children were crying about how cold they were. We took off our sweatshirts to blanket over the girls, but they still cried. By the time we got to the highest point, I wanted to cry too. It was C-O-L-D! We turned around and quickly jogged back to the warmth of the car.

Was the excursion anything like I envisioned? No. It was a funny adventure, nonetheless. I don't know why I let myself get caught-up in visions of perfect family moments, like something from the movies...something I know is not real. Real families have to deal with things like weather, fussy kids, potty breaks, puke, and all things unexpected. Occasionally, we have moments that feel better than the movies, when we're doing something as a family and I'm caught off-guard by the beauty of life. These moments cannot be planned, and their unexpectedness is what adds to their beauty. I live for these moments.

'Tis the Season...

...for stress. I don't know why, but from the moment I stepped off the plane from our Thanksgiving trip, I've felt this enormous push to finish all the Christmas chores. So here I am with a half-decorated house, a tree in my living room (undecorated for 3 days and counting), a stack of cards (unaddressed) on the counter, cookie dough in the fridge, and unwrapped gifts in the closet.

You might say, "Wow! You're almost done." Instead, I'm surveying my home wondering why I don't finish one thing before I start on the next. And more importantly, why am I referring to these things as chores?

Little Miss 3-Year Old and Hawaiian Adventures

Yes, folks. Lilly had another birthday - in Hawaii! She's spent the time since letting me know all the things she can and can't do now that she's 3. For example, she threw her booster seat on the floor and proclaimed that she no longer needs it, because she's three. She also needs to buckle herself in the car, sleep in panties, go to primary...you get the idea. Her greatest disappointment was learning that she can't go into Ava's pre-k class at preschool. When I dropped them off, she stood outside Ava's door, crying over the misunderstanding, saying "but I'm free (3) now."

Lilly has spent all 3 birthdays in Hawaii and I'm running out of ocean-themed parties. For her first birthday she had a flip flop cake, the second was Finding Nemo, and this third birthday was all about the Little Mermaid. Here she is blowing out her candles:


And if you didn't get a good enough look at the cut-up cake, here is another picture. I'm pretty proud of myself for this one:

Of course, Lilly's birthday was just one of the highlights of the trip. The first was having the entire family there. The girls wore themselves out each day playing on the beach and swimming in the pool with their cousins.


We cooked a full turkey dinner for Thanksgiving and ate it by the pool. Here is Ty testing the turkey to make sure it was done:


We tried to get a nice family picture, but Lilly just wanted to make funny faces, she's such a ham. This picture is the best we could get:

L*A*M*E

The Twilight movie. Not the super fun girl time. I need a nap.

That Friend

Do you remember the first time you had one of those friends? The kind of friend you have when you are young and there is something extra special about that person, who happens to be of the opposite sex? An adult might call it a crush, but beauty of the friendship is that children don't understand romance.

Ava's special friend is named Ezekiel. They met last year in preschool and he's the first person she's ever said she wants to marry who isn't a relative. Sadly, they are in different classes this year and they haven't seen each other for a while. Last weekend, we saw Ezekiel with his grandparents at Costco. After the long separation, their interaction was limited to shy smiles. When he left, Ava cried because she wished she had said goodbye.

A letter came in the mail today for Ava. It was from Ezekiel. He decorated a card for her with pictures of them together at the park and his birthday party. He even wrote a note, which says:

AVA I MISS YOU AND I LOVE YOU AND YOU CAN COME PLAY TODAY. PLEASE CALL ME

LOVE
EZEKIEL

How cute is that?

An overheard conversation...

Lilly: Pinocchio?
Ava: No. Duhnocchio. Duh. Duh.
Lilly: Oh. Duhnocchio.

Letter From School

Sitting in Ava's school cubby today was something I've been dreading as a parent. It was the letter that says your child may have been exposed to head lice. Gross!

After a careful inspection this evening, Ava celebrated by jumping up and down all over my bed, chanting, "Yeah! I don't have head lice!"

Yes he can!

Rain Drops

The girls went out in the pouring rain this afternoon to properly splash in the puddles they wished they had on Thursday, when I shot these pictures.

Super Duper Halloween Post

Before I show the pictures from tonight's grand finale (trick-or-treating), I need to take a moment to show of Ava's mad crafting skills leading up to Halloween. Is there any better holiday for crafts? Actually, is there any better holiday at all? I don't think so. It's the first of the holiday season, generally low pressure and oh so much fun. But I digress. Back to the crafts.

#1 Haunted House

I picked up this kit at Michael's, and Ava was able to construct the whole thing pretty much by herself. She patiently glued and placed the pieces for 2 days to create her first Halloween masterpiece.

#2 Spooky Ghosts

We made these last year, and they were so easy and fun to make I decided to throw them out instead of store them. We made new ghosts this year. I basically cut squares out of garbage bags and wrapped them around other garbage bags. We tied them up with string and Ava drew the faces. Voila!

#3 Ghost Pumpkins

I got this from Family Fun magazine. We painted pumpkins black and stuck on foam wings, ears and eyes attached to skewers. If we had more time I would have carved the pumpkins with eyes and fangs before painting and attaching wings and ears. Maybe next year.

#4 Jack-O-Lanterns

We didn't get around to carving pumpkins until last night, because we've been having 80 degree weather and I figured the pumpkins would rot if we carved them any earlier. The weather changed yesterday and we finally got some nice fall weather, rain-storm included. Ava drew the faces on Tyler's (right) and her own pumpkin (center). She also enjoyed pulling the seeds out. Lilly thought the seeds were gross, and insisted on using a spoon to scoop the innards out.





The girls got the cutest costumes from their Grammy. Ava was a butterfly and Lilly a flower princess. They trick-or-treated our street, then went to my sister's house to trick-or-treat with their cousins. Lilly had a hard time keeping up with the older kids, especially as her bag got heavier with her spoils. We finished just in time to go through a spooky haunted house someone built in their front yard. It was scary enough that the girls shook and whimpered, but not so scary that they were happy to leave without going through a second time.





Overall, they came home exhausted and with enough candy to put themselves into a diabetic coma. After they had their fill, we sent them to bed so I could edit the candy situation. Basically, I dumped everything out into a big pile. I put all the toys back in their bags, along with one or two pieces of everything that isn't especially horrible for their teeth. Hopefully I put enough back in that they don't freak out tomorrow morning. The rest filled a gallon-sized baggie which is hiding in the back of the highest cabinet in the kitchen. The stash should last until next Halloween.

Inspecting the Spoils

My Girls

Today I took some great pictures of my 3 girls. They have got to be the 3 most beautiful girls in the world. Each of them have their own personalities, which I think I captured here in these pictures. Ava is a sweet girl who loves all things beautiful, Lilly loves to get excited about everything and dance, and Mindy is my beautiful girl who keeps our family happy and excited about life. I'm a lucky dude.

Pumpkin Hunt

Think Easter egg hunting in October. That's what the kids and their cousins did today with the pumpkins they grew with Grandma.

Clean House

Well, the outside at least. Mindy and I power washed the outside of the the house and cleaned the windows inside and out. I must admit, Mindy did most of the work. She cleaned all of the window screens, and the insides of all the windows. I just climbed on a ladder, constantly yelling at her to "hold the ladder." She is wonderful.

Come over and take a look.

Murder - 80's Style

We went to a murder mystery party this weekend where we got our 80's on. Guess who was the murderer?

Our Hero

After almost a week of countless tears, sleepless nights, and purchasing Target knock-offs, Tyler found the silkas! Hip-hip -HOORAY!


Lilly will be ecstatic when she wakes up in the morning to see the gift her daddy left for her.

New Lens

My friend Jane got me completely fixated on this new lens for my camera. Every time I took a picture, I wished I had the lens. Somehow, I got it in my mind that I would become a master photographer if only I had that lens. Well, it turns out it's pretty cheap, so I ordered it and waited impatiently for the lens to arrive on my doorstep. I was like Ralphie checking the mail each day for his secret decoder ring from Little Orphan Annie.

And...it came today! Here is the very first picture taken on the lens. I've got some practicing to do, but so far I'm in heaven.


We took this picture on our Canon 20D. The lens is the f/1.8 from Canon. This lens should work on all DSLR's from Canon.

Pumpkin Harvest

We spent a beautiful day at the pumpkin patches in Half Moon Bay last weekend. I say patches because we hopped between three different locations, feeding goats, jumping and sliding, and finding the perfect pumpkins to take home.