Candy Cane Lane

Last Sunday evening, we walked Candy Cane Lane with some of our great friends. We bundled the little ones up, grabbed our hot chocolate, and made our way up and down the streets, pushing strollers and wagons along the way. The lights were awesome!! There were a couple of times that Audrey was out of her stroller, shaking her booty with the dancing Santa and pushing the wagon with her friends. She also got out of the stroller to wave to the real Santa. She walked up the driveway with Mommy, all excited to see the jolly old fellow, until we got too close! I asked Audrey if she wanted to sit with Santa, and her response was a very clear, "No thank you, Mommy!" She did, however, get the courage to quickly grab a candy cane out of Santa's hand. Maybe next year? We enjoyed our walk, all bundled up, and we will be ready to do it again next year.

All bundled up and ready to see some lights!

Our sweet family of 3...and a half.

The little ones walking the lights.

Audrey and her friend, Gabi, checking out the dancing Santa.

Helping the big girls push Tee-tee and Gabi in the wagon.

Quickly grabbing a candy cane from Santa.

The whole crew!

"Tismas Tree"

We are all ready for Christmas here at the Love house! Our home is decorated with nativity scenes, nutcrackers, Christmas cards from friends and family, garland, candles, etc. Even Audrey has her own Little People nativity scene that she plays with. She loves holding baby Jesus in her little hands and rocking him. Aaron and I have shared the story of the birth of Jesus many times with Audrey. She knows who baby Jesus is, Mary, and "Jo-fuff". She can also identify all of the animals and the sounds that they make. We think she is just precious! It is so special that our little girl knows that the reason we celebrate Christmas is because it is Jesus' birthday. She walks around the house singing, "Happy Bir-tay to Jesus..." Aaron and I like to join in with her. Happy Birthday, Jesus!!

The weekend after Thanksgiving, Audrey helped Daddy hang up the lights outside. I don't know how many times we had to ask Audrey to take the bulbs out of her mouth. She was much more interested in how they tasted rather than being a helper and holding them as Daddy moved along with the ladder. We got them up as quickly as possible.

The first strand of lights...going up.

Daddy's little helper!

The following weekend, we took a trip out to Reedley to pick out a Christmas tree. It was our first time visiting Hillcrest and we absolutely loved it! As soon as we got there, we picked out a tree just perfect for us. Then we made our way to what Audrey enjoyed most, riding the "too-too tain". She was squealing as soon as she heard the whistle blow. Audrey had the biggest smile on her face during the entire ride. And when the train came to a stop, she didn't want to get off. We will definitely be returning to Hillcrest next year to get our Christmas tree.

Standing next to the perfect tree for us.

Audrey showing Daddy what tree she wanted.

Mommy and Audrey, ready for the "too-too-tain" ride.

Riding on the "too-too-tain" and loving it!!

The Loves squeezing into one tiny car on the "too-too-tain".

Pretty girl, exploring at the tree farm.

That afternoon, after Audrey woke up from her nap, we decorated our tree. Audrey did a great job being gentle with the ornaments and when we plugged in the lights she screamed. At the very end, she helped Daddy put the star on the top of the tree. So far, even with presents under the tree, Audrey has been wonderful about "not touching". There are a few ornaments that she is allowed to rearrange whenever she feels it necessary.

Decorating!

Putting the star on the very, very, top...with Daddy's help.

Santa Claus

It was always a tradition for my family, around Christmas time, to go out to dinner and sit on Santa's lap. Every year we would go to dinner as a family and then my sister and I would sit on Santa's lap and get our picture taken. Seriously, I had my first picture taken with Santa when I was 10 months old and the last one when I was a Freshman in college. It was something my mom could not let go of! At the time, my sister and I were a little annoyed and felt that we were a little too old to be sitting on Santa's lap, but now we have so much fun looking back at the pictures. So, of course, this is a tradition that I would like to carry on with my family. A couple of weeks ago, we went to dinner and then walked over to the mall to have Audrey's picture taken with Santa. As soon as she saw him she was unsure. The closer we got, the more unsure she became. When we placed her on his lap, as you can see in the picture, she wanted nothing to do with the bearded man in the red suit. Her cousin Kaleb was fine as long as he was sitting on the arm of Santa's chair. Abby joined Audrey in letting us know just how unhappy they were. We quickly got the picture taken and then waved "bye-bye" to Santa. What's funny is that we have been to the mall several times since this night, and Audrey can't get enough of Santa. As soon as she sees him she yells and waves, "Santa! Hi,Santa!!" Hmmm, it makes me wonder what next year's photo will look like...

Audrey sitting with Santa.

Audrey, Abby, and Kaleb sitting with Santa.

Camping in San Luis

The week before Thanksgiving, we took our trailer to San Luis Obispo to camp with two other families for five days. We had so much fun!! We left on Saturday morning and returned on Wednesday afternoon. The day that we left was actually Audrey's birthday, so we celebrated with her friends that night at Firestone in San Luis Obispo. Nani had brought over cupcakes and a big, singing balloon that morning. Audrey got an early start on the cupcakes when she was supposed to be taking a nap. That evening, after we had finished our dinner, we sang Happy Birthday to Audrey and the rest of us got to enjoy the yummy cupcakes. While on our vacation, we ventured to a beach we had never been to called Montana de Oro. What a beautiful beach! The kids loved feeding popcorn to the seagulls and playing with the teeny, tiny rocks. We also took a trip to Avila beach for the day to let the little ones play around in the ocean and get dirty in the sand. On the last night, we took a drive to Morro Bay to watch the sunset. We had such a wonderful time as a family, but also with our friends, the Watts and the Esajians. We hope that we will be able to do it again next year! ; )

Audrey was supposed to be in the trailer napping. Instead, she climbed up on our bed, found the cupcakes hidden behind blankets and pillows, and decided to help herself.

The results of her destruction. She probably only ate a total of one whole cupcake, but she almost took a taste of each one.

Audrey's sweet face when we were singing Happy Birthday to her.

All the little ones eating dinner together.

Having fun at Montana de Oro beach.

The daddys with their girls.

Exploring with Daddy.

Audrey and Daddy

The three little girls digging in the teeny, tiny rocks, Taryn, Audrey, and Gabi.

Great friends, Kari, Kim, and Helena.

Family picture time.

One night it was so cold, we skipped having a bonfire and had a movie night instead. The mommys and the kids snuggled in the Esajians trailer, ate popcorn, and watched Up. The daddys were in the Watts trailer talking Fantasy Football stuff.

Enjoying the warm sun at Avila Beach.

Climbing on the rocks at Morro Bay, after watching the sunset.

Cheese!