Picking out the perfect tree

The Sunday after the boat parade we went to Hidden Springs Tree Farm to pick out our Christmas tree. It is the kind of place where you get to cut down your own tree, they give you a saw and a mat to kneel on. I love getting a nice fresh tree!

Some hot apple cider and we are ready to begin our hunt!
There were so many great trees to pick from, it was so much fun to walk around and look at all of them!

When we found our tree, I was in love! It is a perfect tree! Cut it down baby!

After some skilled saw work, she's down!

Arnold loaded the tree up onto a cart and Alana helped pull it back to the cashier.

They have a machine that they put it on that shakes all the oak leaves and other debris out of the tree.
Then they bail it up to make it smaller and easier to transport.

We are ready to take our tree home and get it settled into it's new home. A good time was had by all finding our tree!

Lighted Boat Parade

On Saturday December 6th we went to the lighted boat parade in Morro Bay. We went with your friends Tyler and Sutter and their two kids Campbell and Monet. We Got yummy burritos to eat at the park where we watched the parade from.

I am not very good at taking night pictures (although I am getting better and learning how to use my camera!) So none of my pictures of the boats turned out! I have since learned how to adjust the settings! There were really only about 20 boats so it was a very small parade, next year we may skip it for the big parade in Paso. It is just one of those things that you remember being so great when you were a kid and now that your an adult it is some how not quite what you remember. I would love to do Newport one year, I can't believe I have not done it yet!

We all had fun watching anyway!

Off to the next Christmas festivities!

Hospitality Night

The first of many holiday celebrations that we plan on attending this Christmas season took place on Thursday the 4th in Cambria. It is a annual Christmas open house that the whole town participates in. The businesses and restaurants open up and give away free samples, cookies, cider, cocoa, there are raffles to enter and plenty neat things to look at.

So here we go all dressed in red and green, we heard a rumor that Santa might even make an appearance!Our first stop was Santa. Alana and Cael waited in line very well until it was their turn.
Alana was very excited to see Santa!

Santa was a big cuddly guy with a big lap. Alana would not talk much, what else is new, but she was very interested in Santa. She talked about the candy cane he gave her long after it was gone. I have a feeling this is the first of many Santa's we will visit this year!

We spent some time wandering through the shops, enjoying the holiday decorations and tasty treats. Our last stop was JJ's pizza where we got a pepperoni, artichoke and olive pizza, it was yummy!! We saw lots of people we know who we don't always get to see. You could feel the holiday excitement in the air, it was the perfect way to kick start the Christmas season.

And the Season begins.....

So I really have a hard time saying that any particular time of year is my favorite. Each season, every holiday has their own special qualities that make it truly wonderful. However, I will have to say that Christmas time really is one of my favorite times of the year. I know a lot of people say that, but I really mean it! I love it all, sometimes to the annoyance of people around me (Bah Hum Bug!), the lights and decorations, hot chocolate and candy canes, brightly lit trees with garland and wrapped packages, the music, the cookies, the parties...oh I could go on and on. But that is not what I truly love about Christmas. What I really love is the feeling of lightness and the sparkle in the air, I love the compassion and the giving, I love the thoughtfulness, the cheerfulness, the happiness. I love the traditions, the family, the friends. To me it is a magical time. So I hope that all of you are feeling and spreading the Christmas spirit! Go ahead, bake those gingerbread houses, put on your favorite Christmas C.D., get out those boxes of lights, pick out the perfect gifts for everyone on your list, just do it with true Christmas spirit. Merry Christmas, and here's to the start of a wonderful holiday season!

Alana's Birthday Party

Alana's birthday started out with her big birthday surprise! She stayed the night at Grammy's house on Thursday night and Arnold worked all day Friday putting it together. Alana came home Friday night and since it was dark did not see it in the yard. Saturday morning we were able to surprise her with her new playhouse swing set! She was kind of shocked, surprised and excited all at once! This was her big birthday gift from Arnold and I, My Mom and Dad and Mary and Shelly. She will get a lot of use out of this.

The theme of the party was jungle animals. This is Alana and her best friends Campbell and Monet at the jungle animal craft table. There were jungle animals to color, jungle animal stamps, stickers and paper to make pictures. The kids loved it and were really creative.

There was plenty of free play time on the new swing set!

Everyone enjoyed chips and dip and a lunch of hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries and salad. Yummy!

After lunch there was a monkey pinata!

This is Alana's personal cake! My sister decorated it, isn't is awesome!

Everyone else got cupcakes! I decorated these! They were so yummy!

And then there were presents!!

Sutter, Carrie, Jessica and my Dad and Steve in the background. Watching the pinata.

Jessica with her adorable boys, Jason and Anthony.

My mom, sister, Mary and Shelly enjoying their cupcakes!

Alana loves party hats, so she got her brother in on the action. They are so cute!

Alana had been anxiously anticipating this day for weeks now! She truly had a blast and loved every minute of it! Thank you so much to all of our friends and family who were there to make it such a special day! She had no nap and was way over tired, at the end of the day she was ready to cuddle up in her new hippo jammies and Where The Wild Things Are book that she got from Campbell and Monet and her new favorite doll The Cabbage Patch that Uncle Steve got her. It was a perfect day!

Thanksgiving

We got together at my moms house for Thanksgiving. It was me, Arnold, Alana, Cael, Kathy, Ron, Eileen, Steve, Mary and Shelly! The turkey was excellent, the gravy delicious, the potatoes nice and creamy and Eileens Potato Sage Rolls were tasty! I made a Grasshopper pie for dessert. It was all wonderful!

Cael looked on longingly at the turkey and other yummy foods! Next year buddy!

I left my camera at home and did not think to use my phone so that is all the pictures my Mom took on Thanksgiving, sorry!

Alana's School Birthday Celebration

At Alana's School, when you have a birthday you get a special cake and everyone sings happy birthday to you! It is a big deal for everyone! Kids LOVE birthdays! Alana knew her birthday was coming and has been watching other kids get thier cake for weeks now, and finally it was her turn!

You get to take the cake home with you.

Did I mention it is a playdoh cake? She still tried to eat it!She was really proud of her cake!

Visit with Nessa, Regan and Rylee

We also stopped to see my friend Nessa, who lives in Los Angeles.

Alana and Regan got to play for awhile.

It was a good visit!

Visit with Aunt Marilyn

On the way home we stopped by Aunt Marilyn's house to say a quick hello! It was really nice to see her, even if it was for only a quick visit.

Trip to see my Sister

Two weekends ago we took a trip with my mom to see my sister.
Just me and the kids, Arnold had to stay home to work!

My Cousins came up to my sisters house on Saturday to visit us.

It was so great to see everybody! I love spending time with my family! We always have so much fun!

We took a walk to the beach to try and see the sunset. It was during the fires so it was pretty colors.

Alana and Ella had a good time hanging out!

Cael was perfect as always!

Joe and Alana had so much fun playing on the floor at Eileens house. They read stories and played "where's Alana?" with a blanket, Alana was so happy!

Vanessa had a magic touch with Cael, he just fell right to sleep!

It was so nice to see everyone! Thanks for coming! See you soon!