December...in a Single Post

It's so late to be posting this. I told myself to just forget it and move on to 2012...but I can't. December was crazy. It was fast. But it was fun. And I don't want to forget all the fun things we did. Here are some highlights:

I created an activity advent for the boys this year. And one of our first activities was to write letters to Santa.

Then there was the decorating. We almost didn't put up the Christmas tree since we were leaving for the holidays. But I'm so glad we did. I wish we had Christmas lights up all year long. They're so magical.

We also decorated a gingerbread house...made of real homemade gingerbread! This was so much fun that I think we'll make a haunted one for Halloween as well.

On the last day of school Owen had a Polar Express Party. We watched the class sing and dance and share their highlights of 2011. Owen's favorites were his "best friend Luke" and his "crazy brother Gavin". The whole party was so much fun.

Owen's teacher is seriously amazing. She had read the Polar Express book to the class earlier in December, and they knew the story well. They all wore their pajamas and had hot chocolate with marshmallows. But the best part of all was watching the kids get a special delivery from the North Pole. They were SO excited to receive their very own Polar Express ticket. They were to place the ticket under their pillow on Christmas Eve and if the train came to their house that night, they would use their ticket to ride. So fun! This picture almost captures the joyous moment perfectly.

And the fun continued as we traveled to Utah to spend the holiday with family. We took the boys to see the lights on Temple Square and made it extra fun by riding the light rail there and back. Truly a highlight for the boys, who kept asking if we could ride it again.

Then on Christmas Eve we had a special family dinner. Mark's mom prepared a wonderful Christmas message using lights to tell the story of Christ. And we ended it by lighting Sky Lanterns and sending them off into the night sky. I think we should do this every year!

Owen made the final Christmas Eve preparations and then we were off to bed.

Here are the boys on Christmas day...in their Sunday best.

We had such a good time staying at Grandma's and Grandpa's house and visiting with our cousins. We also squeezed in a visit with our good friends...and made our kids take a picture together. Because, after all, they will be lifelong friends too.

There were a lot of highlights in December. But my very favorite happened one Sunday afternoon, a couple weeks before Christmas. Owen was in the next room looking through a holiday book about the nativity story. On the last page you press a button to turn on bright lights around the baby Jesus and play the tune Silent Night. After looking through this book Owen came into the room crying. Mark asked him what was wrong. And he replied that the book made him cry. He said he just had a good feeling while reading it, and they were happy tears.

I know he felt the Christmas Spirit--the true meaning of Christmas. I hope he always remembers that feeling. And I hope I can too as I step into 2012.

Thanksgiving

Mark's parents were kind enough to fly out and join us for our turkey feast. Yes, I prepared a turkey! Although it was only the turkey breast (I don't do bones or dark meat), it was slow-cooked and really delicious! Everything was delicious. We were happy to have the company to share it.

The boys dressed the part in their indian attire. Owen in his pow wow shirt and headband, complete with drum and beads...courtesy of his kindergarten pow wow held at school last week. He even had a Native American name--woodpecker.

And Gavin sported this awesome jacket that Mark used to wear as a child. True vintage embroidery and fringe. It's probably more "cowboys and indians", but it worked for him quite nicely all Thanksgiving day.

We had beautiful weather throughout the weekend. We managed to visit a local park and zoo. And we spent a day at the beach. Yes, the beach! The weather couldn't have been better with sunshine and 70s.

We went to see the monarch butterflies that migrate here and rest in a grove of eucalyptus trees on the coast. They were amazing. Some clung to the trees in clusters and while others fluttered freely through the air. It reminded me of THIS group of monarchs:

Owen's kindergarten class studied the life cycle of the butterfly about a month ago and then held a butterly parade at school where they released their monarchs into the wild. So it was fitting that we pay the butterflies a visit and see them in their natural environment.

Back at the beach, we played near the water's edge. We drew with sticks in the sand and built castles and motes. The water was at low tide, even lower tide than normal because of the season or moon or whatever combination. So we were able to enjoy the exposed rocky cliffs and extra seaweed.

We had to take full advantage of our beach day because the weather was just so pleasant. So we also visited a small marine discovery center on the UC Santa Cruz campus. The boys got to touch sharks and sea stars, compare furcoats of seals and otters, and watch all sorts of sea life swim through their tanks.

The entire weekend was really great. And I feel especially thankful to live in such a great place and to have wonderful family with which to share it.

Fall Soccer

There's something about fall soccer. It feels familiar. Like running into an old friend. A turning of events from the ease of summer to the routine of fall. We began the season back in August, showing up to practices and games in our shorts and flip flops; guzzling down lots of water to keep cool. And week by week, the season progressed just as summer turned to fall. Slowly but surely, as the days grew cooler and the leaves changed color, we began layering up for practices and games. Until finally at our end-of-season tournament we watched from the sidelines in our jackets and warm boots. Cheering on our team, The Little Rascals.

Owen had a wonderful experience with soccer this time around. He showed so much improvement from last year. I think it was a combination of great coaching and being more grown up. He was so excited to go to practices and games. His teammates and his coaches really boosted his confidence. He went in not knowing a single kid on the team, and he walked away with a new batch of friends and a desire to play with the same coaches in the spring.

I didn't get many photos of the games this year because I was too busy watching and enjoying them. But here are a few shots I took for the grandparents.

Owen's team did really well. They took first place in the tournament and got an additional trophy to show for it. Two trophies and one happy soccer player. What more could you ask for?

A Happy Halloween

The boys went for a reptilian theme this year. They chose to be a turtle and a dragon for Halloween. The turtle was easy because Owen wore the same costume when he was younger. And though Mark would rather he went as something "cooler", Gavin insisted on being a turtle. And a very cute turtle he was.

O's costume was a little harder. I looked around for dragon costumes, but I didn't like anything I saw. They all looked cheesy, or toddler-ish, or too much like a dinosaur. I wanted him to have a more grownup dragon look...without being gross. I think we achieved it. Sure the costume could have been more comprehensive, but the overall look was great.

You can catch a glimpse of our pumpkin carving in the photos above. But you can't see all the work that went into Owen's pumpkin. He first drew out a plan on paper, then he drew it on the pumpkin. And he carved it mostly by himself. I thought the finished project looked amazingly like his plan...and amazingly good. But he didn't think it was as creepy as Gavin's (Mark's) jack-o-lantern face. So he had Mark help him carve a creepier one on the back. Double the face, double the creepy I guess.

And I'll leave you with this photo we call "Halloween turtle of joy". Hope you had a Happy Halloween!

A Picking We Will Go

I took the boys to a favorite pumpkin patch last week afterschool where we picked out pumpkins for carving. Nothing says fall like a hot day at the patch (around 86 degrees), followed by a cool dip in the pool (around 68 degrees).

We rode the train, fed the farm animals, ran around the hay bales, sweated through our clothes, and grabbed a milkshake for the ride home.

With pumpkins ready for carving and costumes set to go, the countdown is on for Halloween!

It's Electric

Owen's school picture came home in his book bag today. I took one look at the photo and laughed out loud.

Seriously? That hair is shocking.

Generally we don't even spike it. But for the occasional photo we try to dress it up a bit. And on this particular picture day I had Mark do Owen's hair.

You see, Mark and I disagree on how to "do" Owen's hair. He thinks that I make it look too nerdy; too done. He prefers a messy look and likes to rough it up a bit. So Owen's hair either doesn't get styled at all, or we take turns styling it. Silly, I know. But those are the kinds of compromises you have to make in a marriage.

And, believe it or not, Owen seems to be just as particular about how his hair should look. On picture morning he insisted on having it stick up in the front. And this photo reflects the sort of decisions that occur in the early morning when you're just trying to get your kid out the door for school.

Really it's not that bad. Pretty cute in fact. But on first glance it just struck me as funny. It's like his finger was just pulled out of a socket...and click.

Rainy Day Fun

I looked at the weather forecast for the week and noticed tomorrow is the first day of predicted rain since...well, since the beginning of summer.
We did encounter cloudy drops once during the summer while visiting Grandma and Grandpa's a couple months ago. It was a warm downpour with weighty drops and high humidity. I love those kind of rainstorms!

Here's to warmer weather and fun at Grandma's house: