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!

Maui Favorites

More Maui Pics...

Hanging out at the Banyan Tree in Lahaina.

Checking out sea life on our stroll through Lahaina.

Enjoying our first shave ice at U'ulani's in Lahaina. It was delicious! Connor got "green" which was a combination of lime, kiwi, and sour apple... I wouldn't recommend it! Michael got root beer and Maddie and I shared a Watermelon/Cotton Candy and it was delcious!

Playing in the sand at the beach right outside of our hotel. Beautiful day!

My bathing beauty!

Madeline and Daddy hanging out in the pool. Maddie LOVED swimming!

BEAUTIFUL sunset!

Playing and having fun at the Pirate Ship pool.

Connor's first snorkel experience was at Black Rock. He quickly learned how to use the snorkel and we saw many fish!

Connor and Madeline relaxing in their "Sand Chairs." Who needs beach chairs anyways??

Madeline's first dip in the ocean. She loved riding the waves! Huge smiles the whole time!

Checking out the koi pond in the Marriott lobby. 

Enjoying hte Prime Rib and Crab night at Longboard's Restaurant. Our table was ocean front so we got to dine while watching the sunset. Both kids devoured the crab! Maddie kept saying "More crab!!" Michael and I talked about how much we must love our kids to give them crab that we had to crack and peel! :-)