Advent

It's that time of year! This year we have two advent calendars because my aunt gave us one, in addition to the beautiful one Megan made for the kids by hand. Eventually I'd like to use one to do a Jesse Tree. (I've already put it on my 2010 calendar, post-baby of course, to gather/make ornaments so I can do it next year. Here's crossing my fingers!)

But for this year, I had fun filling the boxes and pockets with small toys, personal items, stickers, and candy for the girls to open every day.

I also took a tip from a friend and made two paper chains as another advent activity. Each day the girls get to tear another link off the chain and watch the chain get smaller and smaller. This is a visual aid for children to understand exactly how many more days until Christmas.

Now I just need to crank up the Christmas music 'cuz I'm totally in the mood.

 

Day of Baking

The kids and I had fun making pies, and a pecan tart, together for Thanksgiving. I splurged and bought the leaf-shaped pie crust cutters that I'd always wanted from Williams-Sonoma. So festive and pretty. Meredith is actually getting to an age where she is fun to bake with and oftentimes more help than hindrance. I look forward to many more hours in the kitchen with my girls.

 

 

 

 

Beaches

We hit up four beaches while in Southern California. Our favorite this time was Laguna Beach. So relaxing ... Next time I want to stay longer and take time to browse all the art galleries. The last several pictures were taken at the Dana Point tide pools. The kids enjoyed looking for animals among the rocks and water. We saw crabs, all kinds of sea plants, and several different colors of starfish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

San Juan Capistrano Mission

Kevin, the kids, and I toured the San Juan Capistrano Mission. The grounds were really beautiful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eight on a Bike

We went to downtown Long Beach one day and my dad rented a bike for all eight of us to ride. We told the girls it was their job to ring the bell whenever they saw a pedestrian. They took their job very seriously. It was hysterical.

 

 

 

 

Family

We just got back from Sunny California! Here are some snapshots of family ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Griffith Park Observatory

Both the views and the museum itself at Griffith Park Observatory are very impressive.