Merry Christmas!

Cool kids Christmas

Baby's first almost smile

Just tell Santa I am being good

Who's who

Harper at 4 weeks and Owen at 3 weeks. I think they are related.

Christmas cookies

What to do on a cool rainy day? Christmas cookies with cousins.

The happiest place on earth

The excitement in my child's eyes is truly contagious. Disneyland is amazing with a 3 year old! I had no idea that we would have so much fun.
We were lucky enough to stay at the Disneyland Hotel and they have these amazing headboards with the Disney castle engraved on them and little twinkle lights that light up when the song "When you reach upon a star" plays. Owen laid his head on his pillow and just stared at the lights as he fell asleep.
Carsland here we come... and it does not disappoint. Every detail is taken into consideration in its design although all Owen really cared about was getting to meet Lightning and Mater. After spending a good part of the morning in Carsland we finally ventured out to explore the rest of California Adventure. This was the first time any of us had been there and we all had a great time. The key was to eat and sit frequently (especially considering I was 8 months pregnant). Owen got to meet a lot of his favorite Pixar characters and of course Mickey and Minnie. I think he was a little surprised at how large the characters were, a little different than seeing them in the movies. He was really excited to see Mickey and was literally jumping and squealing after Mickey gave him a hug. After a day of way too much excitement, Owen actually fell asleep mid-bite of popcorn waiting for the World of Color water show. It was not a short walk back to the hotel with Owen draped over Adam's shoulder. I would have helped if I could, but carrying around Owen's little sister was exhausting enough.

It was a magical day for all of us!

Medicine Lake Camping

Camping fun with the family. The kids are filthy, but that is ok since dirt is a natural bug repellent.

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Eppies Great Race 2012

I am teaching Owen how to be great at spectating, at least until he is old enough to jump in the race himself if he wants. A couple of important things to know about spectating: 1. It can be a sport in itself, it takes practice to know where to be at the right time, and lots of strength to lug around all your racers stuff, plus your essentials. 2. the essentials: a big bag, you dont know when you will be back to your car; snacks; lots of water; layers of clothes because it usually means dropping off your racer at the crack of dawn and then hanging around until the sun is scorching hot; your camera and the balls to push your way to the fence to catch your racer finishing - hopefully still near the front of the pack. And 3. Cheer for everyone! Someday I will remember to bring a cowbell or some other obnoxious noise maker.

(Insert untaken photo of Susan running at the front of the pack here. In my defense it was really too crowded to get a good photo of her anyway and she just came up so quickly.)

3 Years Old

Three is great! We can have conversations about his day and talk about our dreams and plan tomorrow's exciting activities. It is true what they say... "you will love every stage more than the last." Now I feel like I have a pal and someone to hang out with who is funny and kind and imaginative and a great friend. My three year old has a personallity all his own and every year we get to learn more about who he is and who he is becoming. We love our little man. Happy Birthday!