We went to Grandma and Grandpa Andersen's house the week before Christmas to celebrate with them. The kids really loved the first gift opening of the season and playing with their new presents with their grandparents. Afterward we did our traditional trek to Rancho Cucamonga to a neighborhood all decked out in lights...always a fun time...but you'll have to take my word for it, because i didn't take any pictures.
can't beat a del mar sunset. and we have watched some pretty good ones in our 2 years at this house...
We got together with a few of Miles' friends to put together gingerbread houses. It was mostly a mom project, but the kids had fun decorating once the moms figured out how to keep the houses together...
It's tradition at Amelia's elementary school to have a Winterfest celebration the day before school gets out for Christmas vacation. The kindergartners performed a rendition of Frosty the Snowman. And then the parents and kids had a potluck in each classroom. Miles loved eating lunch with Amelia, and Amelia loved having us at school with her.
Chris' coworker and our good friend DeForest and his wife Susan just had their second baby. Baby Andy. And my kids just adore him, and fight over him when we see him. Even Henry fights to hold the baby. He is a very darling baby, so I can see why they fight over him. I had no idea that my kids would even care about another baby. So cute.
This year was Amelia's second time seeing The Nutcracker ballet at the Balboa Theater. The production is quick...only 2 hours, perfect for the kids. Miles got to go this year with us, which he loved. He was gave quite the commentary throughout the performance and had the women in front of us laughing. One such conversation went like this:
Herr Drosselmeyer had just entered the stage...
Miles: "Is that Darth Vader?"
Chris: No
Miles: "Oh, is he a pirate?"
his humor makes up for the fact that he refuses to smile normally in photographs...just like his father.
the kids got to have their own christmas tree in their room again this year. it is an exercise in letting go for their mother. they quickly figured out that they had to put all their ornaments on the top half of the tree or henry would remove them. you can see they were a bit excited about the tree.