Christmas this year was so much fun. It's amazing to feel the excitement that kids bring to the holidays! I can only imagine what next year will be like with double the fun! Here is a photo montage of our day...
Aunt Valerie graduated with her Bachelors degree from Azusa Pacific University and is now entering into the Masters program! We are so proud of her accomplishment and wish her good luck on the next chapter! We love you Val!
Before Elyse headed home we all spent the day at Disneyland and had such a good time! I haven't been in forever and Christmas time is the best time of year to go. It is so festive with all of the decorations and Christmas music playing everywhere. I hope it's not too long before we all get together again!
Growing up we spent a lot of time with family. There are only six cousins (including me), and over the years we have scattered all over the globe. It's a rare day that we all get together, and with a visit from Elyse we had all of us but one. It was great to have the family all in one place! We missed you Kian, but we hope your having fun in Germany.
Jack at two months makes me smile. He is a lot more interactive and is starting to coo. His sister smothers him in kisses and is even trying to share her food! (We are working on teaching her that brother can't eat what she can) Dad is ready to give his crazy hair a trim, but I want to hold onto it for a little longer. Were still not sure what color his eyes are going to be but it looks like they might be blue. As you can see by the stats below he is eating well =)
When Ella was a baby we used to take her to hockey games all the time, but when she hit the "can't sit still for more than 5 minutes" toddler phase those trips dwindled. We have been wanting to try again lately, but didn't want to drive all the way to LA and end up having to leave early. Last week my work gave everyone free tickets to a local minor league hockey game, Ontario Reign. Jack slept the entire time, and Ella did surprisingly well. We left before the final period because everyone was getting tired, but I look forward to taking Ella to a Kings game very soon!
I love the purple bow peaking out from under her hat!
I am a little late with this post but I wanted to make sure to add it in. Whenever Ella gets to watch TV, her show of choice is ALWAYS Yo Gabba Gabba. She sings and dances along with the characters which is entertaining for those of us not really into the show. =) When we saw the live show was coming to town we thought she would really enjoy it; and I have to say that I was excited to see her reaction. We also wanted her to have some time devoted just to her after welcoming the new baby. So with Jack hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa Thomas, Grandma Parkinson headed down with us to the show.
As first, Ella was scared. She was not a big fan of the confetti cannons and loud music. But once she realized who it was on the stage, and that she knew the songs they were singing she started getting into it. She would yell "Brobee" and "Muno" over and over while pointing at the stage. It was a great night with our little girl.
Ella ready to go see Yo Gabba Gabba.
Ella and Brobee
We tried many times to get a good picture of the three of us. This is what I have to show =) I attempted to get us all some Yo Gabba Gabba shirts, but unfortunately it didn't work out. That was a bummer!
Dustin Brown the LA Kings Captain doing a "Dancey Dance"
Guy and I in our DJ Lance glasses
Here is a video of Miss Ella enjoying her self, clapping along to the music.
These always make me laugh! There are so many dances to choose from, 80's, Disco, and even Hip Hop; but these are the ones that made us laugh the most. (We even let Carl in on the fun this year)
Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!
Finding the perfect tree this year was quite the adventure. I had envisioned us going as a family and cutting down our own perfect tree. Much to our surprise we found a "Christmas Tree Farm" right here in the desert! We called them up, made an appointment, and headed out first thing in the morning. Chris and Sweta came along for the adventure. We pulled up and found that our "Christmas Tree Farm" was in fact just some trees being grown in someones front yard. None of the tree's were quite what I had envisioned, but the couple were so friendly we felt somewhat obligated to get a tree. So we cut down the best version of a Charlie Brown tree we could find and went on our way. After some breakfast, we headed out to an old fashioned Christmas Tree Lot and brought home one of the biggest and most beautiful trees we have ever had. Guy decided to take the Charlie Brown tree under his wing and decorate it with hundred's of lights and the leftover bulbs from the big tree. So now we have two tree's and a memory that will make us laugh for years to come.
Please note: The tree's have only been up 2 days and Ella has already broken 3 ornaments. Fortunately all sentimental ornaments are up high on the tree because at that rate, were not going to have many ornaments left by Christmas!