Before leaving for Christmas we did a few things... we had the first real snow-fall. The boys were so excited and scraped up the most snow they could to make this big snow ball!
Also, Wyatt's first time to play the piano at the HSC open house. He did a great job on "Hot Cross Buns" and made everyone laugh with a deep bow afterward. :)
We enjoyed a family Christmas together before leaving for California.
Wade was SO happy to receive another kitty for his kitty family! It has been three years since he got his first kitty from Grandma & Grandpa Cox, and he loves Old Kitty so much. Now he has new kitty and newer kitty to add to the family. :)
Wyatt (and Wade) got a Secret Formula Lab kit. They are always trying to put concoctions together, making "Madusa Serum," setting up a lab in the backyard, etc. Now we need to actually get down to work with them and create some formulas together!
Garrett was excited about a new Legos kit!
The boys got sweet gifts for us at the Dollar Tree. Wyatt gave Jim new pencils for his garage work area.
Garrett got me flameless candles.
Wade got me a charging chord.
The big surprise for Jim: a BioLite camping stove, light, charging station, BBQ! Yay, I finally got to really SURPRISE him!!
We introduced the boys to The Christmas Story in between opening presents, and Jim gave them (and himself) a bee bee gun. They all were so excited and posed for a "don't shoot your eye out" photo. :)
...And we were off for California!!
We did the trip over 2 days, stopping in Las Vegas for the night. Just before we left we got good tires on the van, which was a great thing because we had to drive on snowy roads for probably 300 miles. All went well. We listened to a book about Lincoln on the way there, and Heidi on the way back. Filling the van's de-icer windshield wiper fluid back up...
Yay, In-n-Out! I think this was the Las Vegas one. The one in Barstow was so busy, the boys were kind of dazed. It was like Disneyland on a busy day. (Welcome to California!)
SO nice to spend lots of quality time with mom & dad! I love sitting around their table.
The night we arrived we headed to Granada together for the Christmas Eve Eve service. SO nice to be back! It was a total kids' night, and the boys joined right in, playing up on stage in Joy Hall. I love seeing them make memories in the same places I did growing up.
Great to be back together with the Seelye side for Christmas Eve at Grammy & Poppa's house!
The kids did a little "talent show." Garret showed his martial arts high kick.
Wyatt surprised everyone by pulling kitties out of his tool box.
And Wyatt showed his ability to climb doorways. :)
So nice to be with Grammy & Poppa again.
Aunt Gretchen made a Happy Birthday Jesus cake for the kids.
Poppa and Garrett had some good talks. :) That makes me happy.
At church on Christmas I got to see Jana, visiting from Minnesota!
Mom and Dad put together a fun scavenger hunt for the boys since their big gift is 3 months of Tinker Crate projects coming in the mail. It was a lot of fun!
Jim got something he has been wanting: a Bug-a-Salt weapon (it kills flies with salt!). Just wait until summer...
Dad laughing at the "fidgeting toy" mom got him so he'd have something to do when he's fidgety. :)
Jim really worked hard on this Yosemite puzzle!
...and we were off for a getaway to the Huntington Beach Hyatt! Camp Grandma & Grandpa began for the boys. They were totally happy to stay and play, and we got to run away.
On the way down we stopped at Panda Bowl, Jim's favorite lunch spot when he worked at Behr. So fun to see him enjoying a delicious lunch. He sacrifices for me with many hamburgers when we go out together. ;)
Sunset at Huntington Beach! We hit some cold weather, but it was great none-the-less.
One of the things we love about the Hyatt is the package that includes breakfast in their restaurant. Jim loves their avocado bread and I get a great SCD-friendly breakfast. (Fresh-pressed orange juice, eggs, bacon, fruit, and tea. Yum! Notice that they don't call it fresh-squeezed. It is fresh-pressed.)
We enjoyed a nice walk on the beach, looking for shells.
I feel like the Hyatt is like a big fluffy pillow. It's fun to be pampered for a couple of days.
On the day we left we met up with mom, dad, and the boys at Torrance Beach. The boys were having a blast in the sand and getting into the water even with their regular clothes on and the colder temps! They are Colorado boys. When I went up to them they were happy to see me. Garrett said, "It's awesome to see you mom!" I asked if they had a good time with Grandma and Grandpa, and he said, "Yes, and we STILL are!" and ran off. :) They weren't done with the fun yet!
My parents' neighbor very kindly got us into Knott's Berry Farm the next day. It was a zoo, but we got to enjoy a few rides and the guys got funnel cakes. At the end Jim and Wyatt went on Big Foot Rapids and had a blast!
They went on the log ride! (I didn't want to risk stirring my vertigo up, unfortunately. But I got a picture!)
The boys loved the train around the tree, playing with Legos we brought along, playing in the backyard, listening to records, writing notes to stick through the mail slot, typing on the old typewriter, and just being with Grandpa & Grandma.
I had fun getting to walk with dad around uptown, and going over Dave Ramsey details with him.
Mom made this amazing SCD cake! It is so so rich and delicious. She packed a slice for the road, and it was so luxurious!
Jim spent some time with his friend Greg, and the boys and I went to Mimi's with mom & dad and then to Brea to see Christmas lights.
Dad introduced the boys to Popeye. They were in LOVE.
We had such a nice morning over at Grammy & Poppa's! Grandma made a delicious breakfast,
they looked through each boys' school binders from last year, and it was nice to just chat and catch up.
On the way home, Wade enjoyed his own table at McDonald's (one of his favorite things).
And we hit Wendy's in Richfield UT where the boys played with kitties. :)
Drive drive drive! We stayed in Grand Junction and then beat traffic over the mountain the next morning.
Such a nice trip. It was a shot in the arm for me to get filled up with conversation and connection with loved ones. We were all tanked up in every way!
2 comments:
Wow! Wonderful pictures and comments. Like Heidi and Gretchen, I also love the one of David laughing... he hasn't been using the fidget thing yet, not sure if he will. :-) It was truly wonderful to have you guys here. I/we enjoyed every minute of it. :-)
It looks like you had a great time! I also love the pic of your dad. So glad you were able to come and even relax a little bit! :)
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