Thursday, December 31, 2009

Day trip to the mountains

The day after Christmas, we headed up to Idyllwild for a family outing.

We ate lunch at the Red Kettle Cafe...the service was great...our waitress was joking around with us and playing with our kids. There's just something different there...life is simple...and the fresh mountain air is wonderful!

After lunch we went to the little coffee shop for some hot chocolate and chai tea.

Then Michael ran around with the kids to burn off some of their energy.


We had lots of fun!

Now we're just hoping they get snow in the near future so we can take the kids sledding up there!

I promise that I was with my family on Christmas day and on this trip to Idyllwild. I know that I am rarely in the pictures...I'm just the one always behind the camera!

Christmas

I know these are forever late...but here are pictures from our Christmas...

After going to church on Christmas eve, we headed over to Michael's parents house for dinner and a few gifts.
Here's the gang:
Audrey and Wylie were allowed to open a few gifts

Papa Hans got the kids one of those hamster things...Wylie had fun chasing it around on his hands and knees.
Auntie Heather got Audrey a life-size Barbie...we call her Bella.

After waking up on Christmas morning, we sent the kids out to the living room to rummage through their stockings...

Then Amma, Papa, Uncle Marcy, Auntie Heather, and her bf Marcus came over.
Here's my spoiled little lady
It was all a little overwhelming for Wylie
Mommy and Daddy got Audrey this disney princess set. She LOVES them!

Audrey with all her loot
Michael made egg and bacon croissant sandwiches. They were to-die-for! Here is everyone waiting so patiently for breakfast.
The boys playing a little b-ball...

This is where Bella sleeps
Oh, did I mention that Amma and Papa got Audrey a 3-story barbie house for all of her disney princesses to live in? We're gonna have to move her bed out of her bedroom soon to make room for all her toys! Why must everything be life-size?

Later that afternoon, our friends Zach and Kristi (and baby Karleigh) came over for Christmas dinner. Here are the buddies with their little ones...
notice the glazed-over look on Michael's face? Its cause he's trying please me by smiling for the picure, but all the while still watching the laker game, on the tv behind me.
Overall we had a great Christmas! Lots of great gifts, but most of all we are very thankful for our special family and friends that we got to spend it with!

And the "Wife of the Year" Award goes to...

ME!

Check out Michael's Christmas present!I painted a wall in our garage for the hubby (obviously he's a huge USC fan).

Here are the play-by-play pics:
Notice, I am not in any of the pictures.
I didn't shower, brush my teeth, or wash my face that morning. All I did was drop the kids at Miss Nancy's door, apologize for my breath, and run home to do this before Michael got home from work. That was Christmas Eve day.
I didn't let him go in the garage till Christmas morning.
He loves it!
Every time we drive out of the garage, he looks at me and says "fight on!"
I smile.

A bunch of random stuff...

There's no rhyme or reason to this post...just a bunch of random things.
Here are the kids with our neighbor, Hayden and his dirt bike."Mom, I don't want to be on this bike! I'm a sports boy, not a motocross boy!"
Its ok, Wylie.
I'm fine with that.
(we can't afford to buy you a dirt bike anyway!)

PLNU sweatshirts courtesy of Aunt Aleta. Now, thats a good gift! (so much better than that stuffed horse)

Here is Audrey at Olivia's princess party.
Snow White was there! (cue Gasp)
Can you believe it!?!
A picture of all the princesses.
Olivia (the birthday girl) is behind Audrey, shoved in the corner. sad.
Who the heck is that lady pushing Audrey's head?

My co-worker and I gave my boss an office makeover for Christmas...with practically no budget to work with. We got VERY creative with paper (but I guess thats kind of our job).
Check out that window valance...
and the pinwheels...
and our framed picture on her desk (we were really hoping for a raise...no such luck)
We made these "shoe canvases" with paper and box tops. (she loves shoes)
and handbags...(see frames on the wall)
Check out those cute tissue paper pom-poms! Watch out Martha Stewart!

Here is Audrey (in the middle) doing her little preschool christmas performance. It was adorable.
MY how she has changed since last year! She screamed at last year's performance, wanting NOTHING to do with being in front of all the parents.
This year she was right at home on center-stage!
Our sweet Miss Nancy with all her kiddos.

Thanksgiving

We swap holidays each year between my parents and my in-laws. This year we were in New Mexico with my family for Thanksgiving, and home with my in-laws for Christmas.
Here are pics from our trip to NM...

Oh wait! Before I post pics from Thanksgiving, I need to post a few pictures from when my parents were out for a quick visit in the beginning of November.

Here we go, folks! Hang on to your hats!

Mom and Audrey showing of their dancing skills (or lack there of).
Sorry mom, the truth hurts sometimes.
My grandparents came up from San Diego to visit while my parents were out. They brought with them this horse. A gift from my aunt Aleta...who runs a preschool.
Now, she was either being very gracious by giving my kids a thoughtful gift, OR she was playing a cruel trick on me, and saw this as an easy way to get this gigantic thing out of her preschool.
Seriously, for those who know me, do you really think I would have this thing in my house if I really had a choice? It takes up half of my dining room (aka toy storage area). Its like his own personal corral.
Now, Aunt Aleta, I apologize if you were truly giving this out of the kindness of your heart. My kids love it.
But if I hear that you were playing a cruel joke on me, you better believe that this guy will have a one-way ticket, headed back down to your preschool in San Diego...better yet, to your house! (we'll see how you like it!)
Just for the record, I love you Aunt Aleta.

Now, on to our trip to New Mexico for Thanksgiving.

cousin Zachary
christmas card picture
moms christmas card picture
from left to right: Brad, Uncle Larry, Jeremy, Aunt Geena, Mom, Dad, Michael, Greg
Meghan, Zachary, Courtney, Schotzie, Papa, Me, Wylie, and Audrey
We celebrated Greg and Dad's b-days after our thanksgiving feast. Gregs birthday was actually on Thanksgiving (poor guy had to open his gifts and run off to work right after lunch) and Dad's was 2 days later.
The best gift was given by my cousin Courtney. She made my dad a scrapbook of pictures of Addie, from the time she was a puppy (and could fit in my purse...for like a day) till the very end. It was very sweet. Dad cried. I cried. Meghan cried. and the list goes on.
On to a lighter note. You may be wondering what the heck is going on in this picture.
Michael has Audrey and I caught in his "Sullivan Scissors" (a wonderful thing he learned from his dad as a kid). Wylie was lucky enough to escape the wrath of the sullivan scissors. Audrey and I were not so lucky.
Picture with "Papa Great"
This picture touches my heart!
Papa Great turns 98 tomorrow! Happy Birthday Papa! not that he reads my blog...or even knows what a computer is...but none the less, tell him we say Happy Birthday, mom.
Before we got to NM, my parents made all these blocks for the kids to play with...ahh, such good grandparents!
There were many castles made. This is the one I was most proud of.
And here I am trying to keep Audrey from tackling it...cause her mean daddy was telling her that it'd be funny to knock it over.
Here is Audrey with a plate that was made by my childhood best friend Amber, for my birthday in 1989...(not sure if you picked up on that). If you can't tell, we're playing tetherball...one of my favorite pastimes from elementary school. She's the one in the pink with the side-ponytail (yessss...gotta love the 80's!) and I'm the one in the red with the awful perm hair.
I love that my mom held on to this. Its the only plate Audrey will use at her house.
Papa, looking at his collection of old phones with his collection of grandkids.
At the Roswell "lake" (below)
Check out little man's windhair!
At the Roswell zoo
Audrey, making sure her bunny's still alive, with uncle Greg's stethescope. Judging by the smile on her face, I'm guessing Bunny was just fine.