Christmas Part 2 - The Getaway

After church and lunch at In n Out, we left the boys with Grandma and Grandma for Camp Grandma and hopped into mom's Element and headed for Laguna Beach - ALONE. The last time we had a getaway alone was 2 years before, and with no nursing baby it was time again! It was such a nice, and somewhat strange, feeling to have uninterrupted quiet time together. We spent a lot of it just quietly hanging out and reading at our hotel, with some walking around Laguna Beach shopping area and the beach scene. The thing that struck me as the most different from my mom-life was just sitting on a bench on the boardwalk for an hour or so, chatting with a guy who was quite a local character. We could never sit that long and chat with anyone with the boys circulating around us. It was fun to people-watch and hear this guy's stories.

The view from our balcony.

Dinner downstairs in the hotel restaurant.

Fun to be on the beach at night with all the pretty lights on the water.

Our room at the Pacific Edge hotel - affordable with fun decor and very clean and comfortable.

A fun alley we walked through.

I love the dark green with dark wood and iron, and the big beautiful tree.

We got out early in the  morning for a walk on the beach. 

We enjoyed having breakfast at the Orange Inn, and then came across this charming pot bellied surfer Santa on the way back.

California - Part 1

On the road again! This time to California!

Jim surprised me by stopping for dinner at a Smashburger along the way over the mountain...yay!

We made it through the night ... Barstow for breakfast. Doughnuts as a special treat.

Great to be at Grandma and Grandpa's, with cousins right next door!! Lars and Wade playing the piano.

Relaxing on the floor with Grandma. :)

Little Oliver is a doll-baby!

The boys helped Grandpa bring in some firewood.

So nice to get to Granada for church! They had kids in the service that Sunday, with some fun activity packs provided. With Jim's help, we made it through. :)

I love this church and dear friends and family that I grew up with!

In N Out Burger on the way out of town...Jim and I got to the leave the kids with Mom and Dad and head to Laguna Beach for 2 nights! The kids had Camp Grandma & Grandpa and had a great time!

Wade's First Haircut!

As you can see, Wade was in high need of a haircut!

He sat like a champ and let Daddy cut it with the big buzzer.

Yaaay! Done! Now he gets to look at the buzzer a little closer...

What a big boy!

Around the House - December

Wade loves it when we tuck a stuffed animal into his shirt and then he walks around importantly, giving it a shoulder ride.

Wade also loves to help unload the dishwasher. Unloading the silverware is normally Garrett's chore, but if the dishwasher is open, he tries to help anyone standing nearby unload it. You gotta be quick if it's a glass item! ;-) He doesn't quite understand the concept of plastic vs. glass yet...

Our Family Christmas

Jim was going to be driving to Texas and back with a used car he was buying from a co-worker's mom, so we had an early Christmas together. It was our most fun yet, with the Garrett and Wyatt really getting into it this year, and Wade starting to really "get" opening presents.

Wade loves to make airplane noises, and point them out in the sky, so he liked this toy.

All 3 got lanterns - a big hit!

Garrett loved his Snap Circuits and still does.

Walkie Talkies for Garrett and Wyatt.

Wyatt got his first scooter! So much fun to ride it around the house and eventually around the lake.

Jim does great keeping me in fresh jewelry. :) This was a beautiful opal necklace to match my opal earrings. I love opals!

Around the Yard - November