The Holidays

Well here goes! I have no choice but to try and catch up at least a little bit with pictures and thoughts. I have more thoughts and emotions daily that I can barely contain them... mostly just grateful. For health, family, peace, and countless blessings in our lives. I love my husband and sons like crazy mad. I can't believe how fulfilling it is to be with them day in and day out. I hate that I can always find something to gripe about but the things I find don't MATTER. I just talked to a close friend who just about lost her son last night. Let's just say I'm in a hold on to life with a real firm grip kind of mood. Someone watches out for us and someone has a plan in store for our lives; I believe it with all of my heart.

Pictures won't do justice what fun life has been with these two busy sons of mine. Crosby has some real "isms" for sure. I try and write down what he says the best that I can. Things like, "That's the spirit!" "I'm spitting my headache into this bucket," "Perhaps we should have a biscuit," and "Hey mommy I swallowed a gumball and it went down my body to my ankle." The other night I had tucked him in and he RARELY comes out of his room after goodnight. I heard his door open and he looked up at me and said, "Mom? I just love (wuv) you." He is so full of life and shines like quite a happy little star each day; he is one magical little guy! He seems to chum around with me quite a bit.

Lennox, on the other hand, chums with D. He is now walking and so he has received a free ticket to all of a sudden be Crosby's best friend. It is as if he has officially become a human being now according to his older brother because they wrestle and giggle and joke now in their own way. Jig is walking here, there, and everywhere and with it has come the cutest baby confidence ever. He is proud and focused. He is D.E.T.E.R.M.I.N.E.D. He started eating by himself a while back and I long to feed him to maybe get a few more extra Cheerios on that spoon but if I so much as motion toward him he karate chops me away. Leave me alone would be his creed; I can do it. He's got a drooly mouthful of teeth and his favorite word is, "WHOA."

Besides wrestling, fighting over trucks, and taking turns riding an enormous puppy around the house, this is their favorite pastime together:



After much BEGGING from Lennox, one day I put some flour in a small pan for him to try a construction site like Croz. Not only does he not make a huge mess but there have been a few times where he has logged as much as an *HOUR* at a time doing this with Crosby. No lack of passion for all things truck in this household.



Around Christmastime we dressed the boys up to sit on Santa's lap at Modern Display because my friend Nikki was having a fundraiser for her daughter (teamgive... see elizaswish.org to read her daughter and family's story. They are incredible people). Jig flipped out when we put him on Santa's lap. Croz flashed a lovely smile.



And then they said, "How about one all together?" Ooops. I wouldn't mind being nipped out of this one! Kinda just planned on it being the boys only.



We made it downtown to the lights. Always a joy.



We met the Daveys at Nauvoo Cafe (had never been there - whoa crowded) and had some tasty sandwiches.



"WHOA!"



Croz and Arthur were so cute; had lots of fun racing around while us adults got little chats in here and there. The boys only cared about the waterfalls, bridges, running, etc.



Starting on the 20th D had to begin his on week and although I don't like to gripe when I know some people go without husbands for weeks, months, or years on end it still doesn't change the fact that we REALLY MISSED him during Christmastime's peak. Especially Christmas Eve :( I was wrung out and stressed with preparations for our trip to San Diego + Christmas, sick/grumpy kids, etc. and so on Christmas Eve my poor chillun got a bowl of Velveeta shells and cheese for dinner with an extra special side of... frozen peas! Poor Jig had woken up early that Saturday with a HOT fever and was sick :(



Crosby closing his eyes; most likely wishing for a real dinner. It was cute... that night I had said to him that it was Christmas Eve and that Santa would be coming. He said, "What in the world? I never seen that!"



I put them to bed nice and early that night, slipped my iPod on, and began a cleaning/packing FRENZY! Although I do admit it's usually hard to sleep on Christmas Eve no matter what.

I'm waiting for a year when I don't have to say that Christmas was a blur. But once again... it was :( Not that it wasn't nice and had some more quiet moments than normal... but busy nonetheless. Croz woke up before 7 and we had our traditional family prayer. Then he and I shipped over to Munga's to bring her over to watch the gift frenzy and eat some breakfast together.



They were happy!



Poor sleepy Jig... once we got up to my parents' he went down for a FOUR hour nap!! We were brimming with happiness for him.



I love going to my parents' on Christmas morning. The feeling is always the same. Warm, comfortable, happy, love. Croz got a bulldozer that he LOVES. Uncle Steve gave him a box of new construction machines that he loves too.



I made another calendar for my parents this year with pictures from throughout the year. I play a mean trick on my mom and wait for her to start crying then take a picture ;) Love you Mom & Dad! Christmas causes a kind of anxiety in me most of the time, as I really dislike the idea of the expectation of gifts. Everyone is always so generous. My parents are always INCREDIBLY generous... they got me (among too many other things!) a food processor and I have been meaning to find a great one over all of these years but kind of just settled for our trusty Magic Bullet for the basics. Sooooo excited to add this to my kitchen! My mom told the story of how she searched out the perfect one. It was a Christmas of all things domestic. Sabita got me one of those as seen on TV NuWave ovens and D got me a cake decorating set! Yayyyyyy!!



Going to Beth's is always so lovely. I have an extremely special place in my heart for Beth. I love her so dearly and am so grateful for all that she does for all of our family. If she wasn't my family member I swear we would find each other as a set of kindred spirits. While D and Jig were snoozing at my parents' and Croz was occupied, I got to escape to Beth's for a minute. What I love the most is our talks; when it's just person to person. I always feel like I can learn from her. I love her warm cozy house and heart.

Me and my daddy-o at Beth's-



We had a record-breaking quick Christmas at Munga's with Suman, Lindsay, and fam. We spent a couple of days with them earlier in the week but I have ZERO pictures! Guess we were having too much fun?? Anyway. D had to be to work by 4 so we had to say goodbye til next time. Lennox got an awesome truck to ride and Croz got an AirHog and a black coat that he loves and now calls his "San Diego jacket."

Since D had to work 4 pm-3:30 am on Christmas and our plane left 12/26 at 6:30 am for Cali, I had my work cut out for me after putting the boys down. Finalizing all of the packing, 2 hours of sleep... D with ZERO sleep... woke the boys up at 4:30 am... and away we went on the trip we've been counting down for... to be with Cam, Auds, and fam for a whole week!! (And they even kept it a surprise for their kids)

Croz was so so good on the plane. He was so happy and cute. The couple of pics I snapped of D with Jig are blurry. We were very happy it was a short flight!



All set with his pups to see his cousins in San Diego!



We flew into Long Beach, got our rental car, and were STARVING for breakfast. My parents were flying into San Diego a bit later and we wanted them to surprise the kids first and then we'd show up a little later after them. So we stalled some time by grabbing breakfast at this place I had looked up in Long Beach called the Coffee Cup Cafe. Yelpers raved and so we had to try it. It was good! We had to wait about a half hour to get in. It was perfect though because Croz and Lennox had time to walk up and down the neighborhood sidewalks. Jig waddles along so cute and it was fun to see all of these happy passersby smile or giggle at him. Everyone was ultra friendly and happy and the people waiting outside with us for a seat at the restaurant were chatting up a storm. It was tons of Christmas spirit and fun.

So our rental car... wow! I had reserved a small one but when I looked in the trunk I was quite confident that the car would not fit what we brought (3 huge bags, several small ones, plus our ENORMOUS stroller). Bless Auds' heart she tracked down a portacrib and high chair or we'd have been screwed if we had those with us too! The next upgrade was either a Cube or an HHR. I crossed my fingers on the HHR and after some elbows were thrown, a minor eye injury, and a couple of other swearable moments we SQUOZE our stuff in... barely.



After our 2 hour drive to Cam & Auds' place in San Diego, the boys were pretty ready to do something different. We timed it just right, rang the doorbell, Claire answered... I think Audrey got it on video. They were definitely surprised! Probably a little in shock. First thing I noticed when stepping into their house was the gorgeous light streaming in.



LOVE their house!



Audrey had the porch decorated so cute



The foyer... ah, the lofted ceilings!



I loved the feature of shutters that open and close to the living room adjacent.



The kitchen where a whole lot of action took place. It was spic and span when we got there but once we invaded we left it a total mess.



The zebra chairs Audrey made HERSELF. Love.



Cam & Auds have a padded toilet seat in one of their bathrooms and when Croz first used it he sat down, looked at me, and said, "Whoa mommy this is magical!"

Jig has no stairs to climb or fall down at our place so he was living in a new exciting world. He loves stairs.



A taste of the sheer excitement that broke out a while after we got there. The boys had each gotten the same play gun and they were having a riot.



Cam helping Jig become reacquainted with the tramp



We didn't waste any time and stole away to La Jolla that afternoon.



They wanted to show us what's called the "Children's Pool." I had never been... got to see lots of cute seals up close. Watching them move was SO entertaining! Bouncing on their bellies and then sliding into the water.









Darling Claire



After that we were hungry for dinner and ate at Hob Nob Hill... a place Cam & Auds had seen on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. It was yummy and the peach muffins they bring out at the beginning really sets the tone!

Next day my mom, Auds, and I left D and my dad with the kids (Cam had to work). We ran some errands to get food.

The fix-it twins-



When Cam got home that day he went straight to bed; he was chilling like mad and felt crappy :( My mom started feeling lousy as well and ended up with an awful sinus infection. Cam ended up with strep throat. Gotta love timing! Just felt bad for them.

Jig chillin' on the patio watching planes in the sky



On Wednesday our little family decided to take off on our own (bonus = give the household some peace and quiet). December of 2006 when I worked for Marriott, D and I had taken a weeklong Cali trip and one of the Marriotts we stayed in was in Dana Point. Laguna Niguel is right there too and I remember the beach being incredibly warm and GORGEOUS in December. Good sand, the whole bit. I had it in my mind that we HAD to go again and take our boys. We drove about an hour and 15 minutes or so to get there. Was SO worth it! Our first stop was Aliso Beach, in Laguna Niguel. The scene went something like this:





I am in love with this area! D was bummed he was wearing a thermal, but played his heart out in the sand with the boys. They were in their glory.



The sand at this beach was like an extra soft sugar scrub sand. It was amazing. It even sparkled in the sun.





Crosby's castles



Jig likes to dig



Even though the boys were already tired, we drug ourselves to another beach because... we're here, why not?! On our walk down I had to have a photo shoot of Croz and the murals







This beach was called Salt Creek beach and it was in the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel's backyard. When I worked for the Ritz I had always wanted to make it there but they never had the availability for that coveted free night ;) I have never seen so many surfers in one spot. They were EVERYWHERE; quite a sight. Jig was still going nonstop.



We searched out a Walmart because I had hoped for some pails and shovels, but apparently even in SoCal those are "seasonal..." what the?? So I found a set of these 4 cups on Christmas clearance for 50 cents and Croz used them as diggers, castle makers, steamrollers... so glad we had 'em



Lennox was enthralled with the sand.







Calling it a day.



Later that night came some much-needed downtime. Despite my mom feeling so run-down, you would never know it - she was having fun with the kids and keeping them entertained... they LOVED "Goin' On a Lion Hunt."



This was the nightly scene... Christmas tree lit, lots of activity, sometimes a movie on, game-playing. Notice Cam all eskimo'd up :(



D and Auds playing cards



Thursday was our big San Diego Zoo day! Auds and I had lunches packed and water bottles filled faster than you could blink an eye and we were off to see the...

koalas (so CUTE!)



camels (one almost spit, I swear)...



and "WHOA!"



meerkats.



Such a fun-filled time and warm day at the zoo. It was packed.



Everyone took off to go home but we stayed to check out the goings-on at Balboa Park. There's a little working artist gem called Spanish Village and I loved the scene there.



Jig finally got to get out of that wretched stroller.





Dressed up for holiday time; so cute. There was live music.



Dancer statues



Mo' Jig



I have a true love affair with palm trees; always have! I could take millions of pictures of their silhouettes against the sky.



Of course we had to ride the miniature train! Look how fried Croz is.



Jig too; ready for sleep :(



Balboa Park; oh the beauty!





I had wanted so much to see a live concert here at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion, but they only do them on Sundays... I thought I could at least take a peek at the famous organ but it was hiding behind the door :(



Fountain



Gorgeous Balboa park, almost sunset time



I could take picture after picture there; I can imagine people doing bridals here! Or weddings.



The sky that night



It was home to free massages -



Brig & Claire could start a business :)



The next morning everyone was finally feeling pretty good and so we didn't waste a second! Off to a place that houses LOTS of history...



Jig was ready for more beach time



My favorite bagels were always Bruegger's, but they unfortunately left Salt Lake and there are none to be found. There's a Coronado one so we picked up a warm baker's dozen and in about 2 minutes we were munching them on the beach.



The kids were in heaven.



Our spot









Audrey and her reading station



Grandpa & Jig spent forever chasing the waves





Check out Cam's froggy work of art



D played hard for hours with these guys! He told me they made a dragon but I never got to see it :(



Crosby's chocolate chip bagel



Happy to be on the beach



Audrey, my mom, and I left the guys & kids. Time to explore.

They had an ice-skating rink oceanside; it was surreal and pretty.



A quick background - before our vacation I had made a list of things I wanted us to see, do, and/or eat. One thing on the list was to visit Mt. Soledad; I had read that it is gorgeous at sunset. Once we got to San Diego and was talking with everyone about what I wanted to do I wikipedia'd Mt. Soledad and at one point it segued into how Mt. Soledad (in La Jolla) is where Dr. Seuss lived and that his widow still lives in an observation tower "atop Mt. Soledad." It first struck me as kinda freaky and exciting; I wanted to go find her house! That is how my obsession with Dr. Seuss began. More on that later.

So you can imagine how pleased we were to find this little area in Hotel del Coronado's backyard dedicated to Seuss! I love the part where he talks about nonsense.



This picture is spooky.



"You're a mean one Mr. Grinch!"



"I would not could not with a mouse..." Croz loves the book "Green Eggs and Ham"



Spreckels Candy store... so fun inside



Three different shades of fudge



Shopping was FUN! We just had some time, which is so rare! We were showing each other all kinds of fun things: aprons with recipes written on them, whipped lemon pie in a jar, and... SO many delicious-smelling wonderful things we wanted. These are the ones I wrote down, because they are to be remembered. And then hopefully bought one of these days ;) And I do believe I was so thrilled because I don't think any of them turned me into an allergic mess.

Capri Blue (volcano scent) candle. Audrey spotted it. We all agreed it smells divine.



H2O Plus Kiwi-Cassis body balm... we put some on and later kept saying to each other, "Who smells so good?" It was this.



I had never heard of Tokyo Milk before. I fell in love with their perfume scent "sparrow." Clean and spring-like.



I have the best mom in the world. I am a lucky one.



Us girls spent a lot of shopping time and so when we got back to the beach D's got Lennox passed out asleep in his arms and the kids are begging for food. Time to leave.

Something we had on our list was to try Hodad's for lunch. I was more curious about the atmosphere than the food. I had just read that it's a killer burger so we hauled our tired boys downtown to check it out. Looking at the menu it seemed like the cheapest burger was around $11 and I was thinking, 'Sheesh let's just share one, I don't care how good they are.' So we got one and it was a half-hour wait, even for take-out so we put Jig in the stroller and D hoisted Croz on his shoulders and we walked up to a Sev for drinks and some yogurt/snacks for the boys while we waited. Quite a colorful spot in downtown San Diego; this woman was screaming at the top of her lungs at a man who "stole her stuff," panhandlers, etc. Croz was staring people down.



We got our food and ran because the restaurant was so packed. The bag seemed heavy and for a second I wondered if they quadrupled our order but sure enough it was one burger.



The picture doesn't show the full scale but this is the biggest (and heaviest) burger I've ever laid eyes on! And D too, and that's saying a lot ;) I had a couple bites and it was very very good. D loved it. He said, "A burger has never gotten the best of me, but this one did." Ha! He barely could make it to finish. The fries were amazing; steak-type, but with the BEST seasoning. Highly recommended!

Speaking of highly recommended... hit the Beck kitchen if you're looking for gourmet. Audrey's breakfasts were out of this world delicious and pretty so I had to take some pictures...

German Pancakes



Pancakes with Strawberries and Whipped Cream



Creme Brulee French Toast



Friday night my mom, Audrey, and I set out for Mt. Soledad at sunset. On our drive there we passed this garden of birds of paradise. So beautiful.



First glimpse; took my breath away drenched in orange end-of-day light



War memorial



The view is definitely unparalleled; it is so pretty to be right there





There was lots of action this night... there were tourists, local joggers, what looked like a Brazilian model with up-to-who-knows-where cream-colored boots and her boyfriend was taking a picture of her at sunset, families, yoga meditators, photographers. There was even a band playing getting their pictures taken.





I felt nothing but inspiration everywhere I looked.





Wild West



Love.



Cute.



My favorite shot, with the moon



Now that it was dark it was a bad time to go searching for what the locals call the "Seuss house," - apparently Dr. Seuss and his wife Audrey Geisel back in the day purchased an old observation tower and that is where they lived and eventually added some *upgrades* !! Wanted to see it so much... we drove around for a little bit and think we may have spotted it... the houses up there on Mt. Soledad are ENORMOUS, private, and beautiful. It was fun to see everything dressed up in Christmas lights. I snapped a quick picture of a random house that reminded me of an observation tower-esque look, but it wasn't Suess's :( We tried!



D and I bought pizza that night from a place we wanted to try called "Filippi's," and it was really really good. Then after that we sent a crew to Golden Spoon (Cam and Audrey highly recommended) for some frozen yogurt chasers... D's peppermint with Oreo...



I can't believe our stomachs accommodated the sum total of the week's indulgences! I loved that they put my hot fudge on the side so it would stay hot :)



Raise them golden spoons



New Year's Eve Day was great. Auds and I escaped in the morning to have a much-needed thrift store adventure. It is one of our favorite pastimes for sure! We found some good stuff but too bad I didn't get any pictures. And no video of the fashion show. Oh well.

Later D wanted to hit the Carvin store (guitars and amp headquarters) so I went along with him and we were there for a while. He got to try out lots of different guitars. Then to Trader Joe's (LOVE!) to pick up some candy cane Joe-Joe's to take home... Cam and Auds introduced us to them... basically an Oreo but the creme filling has tiny crunchy peppermint pieces in it. They are outrageously addicting but soooo good!



On our drive home D & I saw hot air balloons floating around; sounds so fun.



Audrey. What a great example of what a mother is. I admire her.



We came home to lots of action in the kitchen! New Year's Eve was beginning, starting with my mom's famous mini-cupcakes, oh glory beeeeeeeeeee



D and I played out back with the kids while the others were slaving in the kitchen over dinner. Red light, green light and mother may I? Claire wins best bubble-blower.



A pair.



Another pair.



All of the kids in one spot at last!



Dad was in charge of the chicken



Then Cam & Audrey heated things up a bit



And this is my personal favorite, as I do believe Audrey inspired my dad with the whole leg bit



There was such a New Year's Eve feeling; the kitchen was filled with the smell of good food. Audrey had the radio blasting and we were singing along, even to "Piano Man." Cam and my mom finally felt lots better and were happy and being funny. Jig was punchy. Party items started showing up on people.



Cam & Auds made the most delicious Chinese food... ham-fried rice, egg rolls, wonton-type chicken with choice of sauces. It tasted amazing!



Not to mention the crisp Martinelli's, some yummy sesame-coated almonds, and fortune cookies too. We all sat around the table and took turns reading our fortunes. I had to save Crosby's; it was so cute. "The world will look a little better with some love given by you!" We were laughing. And then D and I are the only ones who got the same fortune: "A pleasant surprise is in store for you tonight." Ha! Once again, we laughed.

Jig was so sleepy.



Sunday morning we set out to Cabrillo National Monument; one of our first glimpses of the gorgeous view



So warm.



Cabriollo himself.



Ocean.



Our family.



I'll take some Cali plates; fun car



Lighthouse at Cabrillo





Beautiful.





Lively kids.









Such a pretty scene.



We had packed up all of our stuff because we had to drive to Long Beach and so since the boys were completely wasted, we had to say a quick goodbye to everyone and head on our way.



Memorial at Cabrillo



This trip was so wonderful. We can't thank Cam, Audrey, & Family enough for sharing their house and lives with us for a week. It was still surreal even by the end that we were actually right there together! Now we'll cross our fingers that it won't be long 'til the next visit.

D and I had tried to find a certain park in Long Beach to use our extra time and let the boys run around for a minute but we couldn't find it. So we stopped in a neighborhood and got out just in time.



One more sunset.



Once we got to the airport and sat down for a minute, Croz said, "Where's my cousins?" :( He had the best time ever and misses them so much. Here was his airplane entertainment:



Now it's back to a New Year again. And always a new perspective. Changes on the horizon. Happy 2012!