Christmas Part Four - Christmas Day!

We decided to save our stocking gifts for Christmas morning and use Grandma's stockings to load for the boys. They were very excited!

 

 

Jim showing Dad his recently-bought Surface.

 

Mom, the sweet hostess, as always!

 

Kids table...

 

Lars with his trash truck.

 

Present time!

 

We tried this hat method, which lasted for a few rounds...whoever is opening a present puts it on. It minimized loud talking to figure out who was next and put everyone's attention on that person.

 

Wyatt was so excited to get a Bible.

 

Garrett was thrilled to get his first watch.

 

Anders' turn!

 

Wyatt suggested cleaning up the leaves outside to help Gma & Gpa, so we did. It was nice to get out and get a little exercise too.

 

Grammy & Poppa came over for lunch.

Christmas Part 3 - Christmas Eve at Gma & Gpa's

It was nice and comfortable to be back at Grandma and Grandpa's for Christmas Eve.

 

 

Happy Birthday Jesus cake.

 

Lee and Wade, just about 6 weeks apart...

 

Grandma, Mom, and Aunt Gretchen got together this sweet little manger scene with some of Aunt Luanne's old poems too.

 

Presents!

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.