Christmas is still magical

I absolutely adore that Santa still lives and children still believe and the jolly fellow himself manages to get big boxes into houses without chimneys! What would we do without all those hopes and beliefs and unexplainable questions? I hope I get many more years without having to find out.

I found myself wide awake before 6 AM on Christmas morning. Hoping to be quiet I checked outside to see the weather and I hear Brett chuckle. He, too, is wide awake. We are like 2 kids ourselves and can barely sleep knowing what squeals and screams will be happening soon. I'm not sure who has more fun at Christmas, the kids or the parents. I have completely enjoyed both.

The kids did as we asked and stayed in bed until 7 AM. Barely. I really have no idea why we said 7 AM but I think we were hoping they would get some sleep. With the giggles and sneezes going on, I think they were awake at 6 AM also.

Santa brought Guitar Hero World Tour this year. We are now a family of rock stars (ha ha ha) and I have been given the job that requires the least amount of learning - the microphone. I have yet to sing a song since the rest of the crowd is still learning how to play the game and make the drums and guitars work. I think by 2012 we'll be ready for an audience.

The kids were frazzled by the end of the day. Amazingly their wish lists were complete and they were stunned. I adore that they are pretty good about understanding what is necessary and what is not the whole rest of the year so Christmas can be all about getting things you have wanted "forever"!!!

I hope as we go into 2009 we continue to live as we always have....simple, frugal, beautiful. We have spent the bulk of our married years trying to stretch the mighty dollar and now our hard work is paying us back. To cut back a little, to not spend on silly things, to eat simple and fresh foods.....that is the wisdom we have lived by and it has served us well. May we all find ways to enjoy the simple beauty of life.

Here is to a wonderful New Year!

Why I adore laundry....

Saturday.....bedding day. As I sit here and read the paper online, this is what I see....


It's no wonder I love laundry....

Hope the ducky enjoyed his dizzying bath!!

It's the most wonderful time of the year.....really!!

I love the magic of Christmas. There is some amazing feeling that builds up inside me at the beauty and wonder of this holiday. I love knowing that my children still believe.....and I can still create a sense of amazement in their world.

I absolutely love my Christmas tree...it's fat and tall, it has pine cones and lights already on it and it is a pure delight to decorate. Sometimes I even get to help with decorating......sometimes.
I had a few great helpers who made sure everything was on the tree.....and some extra things like homemade snowflakes

The end result is quite gorgeous even if I did have a friend who decided hang out and eat the tree for a bit....

I love how it looks like he is sticking his tongue out at me. What a cat...reminds me of my kids for some odd reason :-)

When Chickens Fly

I think Thanksgiving gets kind of a bad rap for a whole lot of eating and not a lot of activity. I came up with an idea last year to let kids "launch" poultry for a Thanksgiving activity. This year I decided to get all my own supplies and do it with my family and at the kids school. I have proof....

Welcome to "The Great Turkey Capers of 2008"

It takes some thought, a little planning, some stamina and the ability to sit on your rear to get a good angle for flight.

A successful hit looks something like this....

and then retaliation begins.

This can be done as a solo sport although you will get some very strange looks...

It really is amazing to see what happens to completely normal people when you hand them a rubber chicken.....try it!!

Life in the fast lane....

I never really get how much time has passed until everyone starts telling me I have not updated this blog in a very long time.....the shame!! Since Marin's birthday we have had the first day of school (followed by a few more days of school but that is beside the point)...and here is proof that they were dressed and adorable on that first day:


Gabe had some alter ego moments:

Carmen (the cutest Italian exchange student we get to share our home with) came over to spend some quality time:

Marin and her friends created a great game outside during a warm bit of weather:

We all went to Sun Valley and Gabe and his best cousin Josh figured out great ways to keep themselves entertained:

And last but certainly not the least.....Gabe got a whopper of a cold (sorry little guy) and lost a tooth in the middle of it all. Wow. Thankfully he had many furry creatures to snuggle up to and keep him company.

Hopefully this next week won't be quite so busy.

Marin's Birthday

She did it!! Marin is officially 10 years old. Can we now take a nap? This kid can pack fun and parties and events into days like no one else I know. We finally had to write a list of all the things we have done for her birthday this year......it filled a page. This is the first year (since she turned one) that we have not had a huge party. Most years she creates and hands out invitations and I am left with baffled mothers calling needing more details. Thank you Marin for listening to us this one time and understanding that we could not handle another party this year.

Some of the things she did and got for her birthday:

• Vacation to California
• Surfing lessons
• Drove a Volvo (made out of legos) and got her license (to drive a lego Volvo)
• Clothes from both sets of Grandparents
• Bounce house time in the front yard for neighborhood party
• Sleepover with best friend, Noella
• Target gift card
• Camp Rock DVD
• Played with kittens at Humane Society
• Watercolor picture from Grandma
• Stay up late and get up late (before school starts)
• Took treats to school for first day so she can get 2 birthday events at school - summer birthdays are celebrated later in the year and this way she gets 2!

We do not feel old enough to have a 10 year old in the house but we are so grateful she is ours. What a priceless gift we have been given! Thank you Marin! We adore you!

Vacation!!

We finally pulled our resources together and planned a family vacation! WOO-HOO!! Gabe is very interested in Legos right now so we decided to head to Lego Land in California. 6 days was just right and by the last day Gabe was begging us to take him home.

We stayed in a very nice hotel right across the street from the beach and the historic Oceanside Pier. It was heavenly to wake up to waves and gulls in the mornings and watch the sun sink into the ocean every night. The kids had a great time going from the beach to the pool and staying waterlogged and squishy. Even Lego Land managed to get us wet a few times! All in all it was a great vacation (and Brett didn't even bring a computer!).


Gabe had 2 awesome days in Lego Land and spent a small fortune on lego sets that we have never seen here. They also sell legos by the pound in any color and shape you want. I think we came home with about 4 pounds of assorted car parts, flowers, energy crystals and odd shapes and sizes. 4 pounds is quite a few bags of legos!!

Marin got an early birthday gift.....she had an early morning private surfing lesson. Steve, her instructor, said she was the best young student he has ever had. She was strong and listened to his instructions and had great balance. The big success was that she got up on her very first wave! He was thrilled with her success and we only took 60 or so pictures and 3 video clips..... Nah....we aren't proud of her or anything!!




We also managed to run on the beach nearly every day, eat some wonderful meals, drive around a bit at Camp Pendleton (hoorah), try on silly hats at Sea Port Village, shop for books in Carlsbad, cruise the Pacific Coast Highway a couple dozen times and watch some of the Olympics. Brett was the only lucky one to get searched at the airport.....he looks so mischevious all the time....and we didn't have to stop at Dairy Queen (although it got close a couple of times). Now it's back to school and hopefully the kids have some great memories and we have some incredible pictures to remember it all with.