Christmas Eve and Day 2013

Connor and Maddie really enjoyed having the Christmas tree up. Madeline often asked us to come look at the tree with her and would point out her favorite ornaments. 

 The musical Christmas tree was again a big hit! Here's a picture of CJ and Madeline having a dance party to the music!

 Connor and CJ visiting with Santa on Christmas Eve.

 Our blessed family posing for a picture with Santa.

 Mrs. Clause with Santa and the grandbabies!

 One of Connor's favorite parts of Christmas is giving gifts. He went to Target and purchased small gifts for each family member and wrapped each one up nicely. He had such joy on his face as he gave out the gifts.

 After the kids were snug in their beds, SANTA came! This is a picture before we went to bed around midnight. 

 Christmas Morning! Maddie was good at opening presents, but wanted to open each package entirely and play with the toy before moving onto the next present. Connor had opened up all of his gifts and Madeline wasn't even half way through hers. 

 My sweet babies on Christmas morning. Santa spoiled them!

 Poppy and Connor during present opening.

 Madeline rocking her dress up tiara and first pair of high heeled shoes!

 Once again, Connor put "pancake mix" on his Christmas wish list, and Santa didn't disappoint!

 Family picture on Christmas morning. I can't tell you how much I love my family. I feel like the luckiest mom in the world. 

 Maddie sporting her Minnie Mouse helmet and new bike from Santa!

Connor helping Mommy, Poppy, and Mal make the traditional Heavenly Hot breakfast.

 Enjoying a casual Christmas dinner of crab! Although Maddie is pictured holding a hot dog in this photo, she quickly put that down and ate piece after piece of crab peeled by Michael. Apparently Maddie already has Daddy wrapped around her finger. :-)

Polar Express 2013

We were so excited that we got tickets to the always sold-out Polar Express train ride. This year, we took the advice of friends and became train museum members so we could purchase the tickets before the public. We had a wonderful time! We were lucky enough to get to ride in the same car as our friends, Kirsten and Heidi and their families. The kids loved the train ride, reading the book, sipping hot cocoa, and eating cookies on our way to the North Pole. We all enjoyed seeing Santa and getting the first gift of Christmas, a silver bell. Luckily we all heard the beautiful ringing of the bell, which means we still believe! After we returned from the North Pole, we watched the Twas the Night Before Christmas light show in Old Sacramento before heading home. Another fun holiday tradition!

Goodbye Gigi

On December 12, 2013, our sweet Gigi went to be with the Lord. She left this Earth surrounded by her children whom she loved dearly. Michael had gone down the day before and got to spend time with her on her last day with us. We are greatly saddened by her passing, although we know she was ready to be with the Lord and to once again be with her other family members who had passed before her. Gigi was an amazing woman… she was bright, humble, caring, generous, and had a wonderful sense of humor. She loved the Giants, Starbucks, and her family. I loved watching how she would perk up when Michael would walk in. Michael had a special way of making her laugh and smile and I loved how they would "talk baseball" together. She adored our kids too… Connor and Madeline both loved her dearly. I'm so glad they got to know what a wonderful woman she was. During one of our recent trips down to visit Gigi, she took the kids around the dining room and introduced them to all the residents. I loved seeing how she beamed with pride as she introduced her family. She was so proud to be a great-grandma. One of Connor's prayers recently stated, "Dear Lord, Thank you for taking Gigi to Heaven. Watch out for her, because we miss her here." We will forever miss you Grandma Mary, until we meet again. We will always remember you kindly. 

The following pictures are ones I took during the Rosary and Funeral service at Sacred Heart Church in Turlock. After looking through the pictures I chose for the blog, it dawned on me that many of them didn't accurately represent the sadness and grief that we were all feeling on those days. We all smiled for the pictures. although our hearts were hurting inside, as a way to honor and celebrate the life of our beloved. She was our legacy. 

Christmas with Grandma and Pops

We celebrated Christmas a little early this year with Michael's side of the family for two reasons… we knew with Jill's chemo cycle, she likely wouldn't be feeling well during the actual Christmas and the Harden family would be in Hawaii visiting Bradley during Christmas. We had a lovely time at Hilda and Russell's home, playing games, singing Christmas carols, eating lasagna, and enjoying all of great-grandma's treats. Afterwards, we headed back to Grandma and Pops' home and opened up stockings and gifts.  As usual, our kiddos were spoiled with love and presents! Michael gave his mom a special present, which was a necklace that he designed and had made for her. The setting was the shape of a cancer ribbon upside down and it held two stones: a small pink stone representing the breast cancer, and a larger purple stone representing the survivor that she is! It was important to Michael that the purple stone was bigger than the pink stone, representing that Jill being a survivor is bigger, or overcoming, to the breast cancer. We are so proud of her and the battle she's overcome this year. She has completed all four rounds of chemo and has handled every challenge and hardship with grace and a positive attitude. We're very proud of her and so thankful for her courage to fight this battle!

December Happenings

West Sacramento Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony

We had lots of fun with friends and neighbors, getting into the Christmas spirit. There were carolers, hot cocoa, cookies to decorate, a visit from Santa, and a beautiful Christmas tree lighting. We feel blessed to be part of a city that values family and community. 

Sacramento Zoo

Connor, Maddie, and I enjoyed a cold day at the zoo. These outings are some of my favorite because I can go at the children's pace and allow them to explore and learn in such exciting ways. We had a great time! Both Connor and Maddie became experts in the sounds the Gibbons made!

Sophia's Cookie Exchange

Connor and Madeline had a blast at the Cookie Exchange. We brought Connor's favorite cake batter cookies to share and we got to try all different kinds of delicious cookies. The kids had a blast decorating cookies and making Danielle's perfectly clean kitchen, a little less clean! :-)

Sacramento Christmas Lights

We had a blast on our second annual Christmas Lights hunt. This year, Mimi came along too! We packed hot cocoa, cookies, and warm clothes. The kids wore their jammies as we listened to Christmas carols and drove around to see all the beautiful lights. Maddie was really into it this year, saying "Wow!" and "More lights!" She would also point out everything she saw, saying: "Daddy, snowman!" "Mommy, candy canes!" "Look Connor, SANTA!"

 West Sacramento Breakfast with Santa

Lots of fun was had at the annual breakfast with Santa. Madeline enjoyed seeing Santa from afar, but you can see her reaction to sitting on his lap! The kids had fun with their friends, dancing with Santa, eating chocolate chip pancakes, and doing crafts. Certainly a fun tradition!

Garamendi Christmas Party

We had a lovely afternoon celebrating the holiday season with the wonderful Garamendi family. Liz and Greg's home is absolutely stunning and is just amazingly decorated for Christmas. Connor had a great time playing with the other kids and eating the yummy treats. Madeline was thrilled that they had shrimp cocktail and salad (her favorites!) and a whole play room to explore! It was a great afternoon, and such a pleasure to spend time with such great friends. 

Danielle's Baby Shower

It was a quick turn around after Thanksgiving, to get back home, decorate for Christmas, and for Danielle's baby shower! It is an honor to get to host a celebration for such a dear friend. It was a lovely shower, and I'm thankful for my mom and sister ( and Michael!) who helped me behind the scenes make it a successful shower. Baby Sam arrived December 18th and is just perfect! I got to hold him last Friday in the hospital and he slept in my arms the whole time. What a wonderful feeling! So excited to watch him grow!

Thanksgiving 2013

We had a lovely Thanksgiving this year. We spent the day with the Bollengier's at Poppy and Mimi's house and had special guests Aunt Heather and Uncle John. It was really nice to spend the holiday with them. Unfortunately, we weren't able to celebrate Thanksgiving with Michael's family, because we all had colds and couldn't expose Grandma Jill to any germs. We Facetimed for a little while so the kids at least got to see Grandma and Pops! It was a fun day filled with cooking, family time, and delicious food! We even mustered up enough energy to hit Old Navy at midnight! Can't miss a Black Friday deal!