Christmas Eve

Continuing to build on our "family traditions," year two. Does two years a tradition make? I guess every tradition had to start some how. We made sugar cookies for Santa again (the good kind, with lots of sugar and butter, you can't be schiesty with the man in red!), and this year we had red and green sprinkles so they are even more festive (and gluten free, just in case). The kids opened gifts from each other again, and they were both big hits. It was really, really sweet to see B give C a hug for picking such a good gift and then her expression when she saw how much he liked the gift she picked out...its enough to make our hearts sing! This year we let them open a couple of gifts through out the day, based on T's theory that this way they can enjoy each gift a bit more instead of being overwhelmed by everything at once; also known as T's inability to wait when it comes to presents. We think it did work out well, but not sure if its going to make it into the official category of "tradition." One new activity that will be added to the holiday repertoire is making breakfast together on Christmas Eve: Santa's Favorite Muffins (we swear that is what they are called). We told the kids we got the recipe direct from Mrs. Claus and if its good enough for him to eat on his big day then its good enough for us! They were actually so good that we all snacked on them all day. Healthy too, with banana and cranberries. As usual we had lasagna for dinner and T made chocolate pots again, this time with devonshire cream as the recipe calls for, although we couldn't find it in the store and T had to make some herself (really just a specific kind of whip cream when it comes down to it). It will be good on our traditional "day after Christmas raspberry scones."

Sesame Street is on a roll...

... and we're loving it! Here's a holiday inspired ditty for your viewing and listening pleasure.

What I Am

We came across this video on youtube today when we were watching the "one with the girl who plays dress up," otherwise known as the Katy Perry and Elmo video. Completely fell in love with this one!

petit fantaisiste

triste

joyeux

Christmas Card Out Takes

Some of the cuter, but ultimately not used for the main event, photos from a mini shoot.

the best moments in life

we may be biased, but we think they are the most adorable

a sweet, unprompted kiss for B

a kiss on the head for C

we bribed them with cookies along the way

little gorillas

B & C love Elmo & Katy

The kids are obsessed with this at the moment. They watch it over and over and over...

P.S. They are blissfully unaware of the controversy this caused and seem to have no problem with her attire. They do have a problem with Elmo always making her be "it," they say Elmo needs to take turns. Its only fair.

Breakfast with Santa

We had the chance to have breakfast with the man in red himself last weekend, unfortunately we got there a little late. But we did walk right past him as he was leaving the breakfast and going to his main post where people were already all lined up to see him. He said hello to the kids in passing, they decided he was scary and that they would rather not go wait in line to talk to him. They will get a second chance at PDI anyway, so we were actually relieved not to have to wait in line and pay $25 to be allowed to take our own photos. So instead we got some fancy hot chocolate at the fancy swiss chocolate shop and they sat at a bistro table next to the Santa village set up and watched the line go by. We roll our own way. Besides we got some pretty cute photos just out and about anyway. These will share with you now.

a little love

These are the moments when we realize how blessed we are with our two beautiful children and the special bond they share as siblings. And its also the times when we congratulate ourselves on having the foresight and fortitude to have produced them so close together. C was tired after running errands and he needed a little snuggle and love, since we were driving in the car it was difficult for him to get that. With a little prompting, B gave him what he needed.

Red Firetruck & Pink Tricycle

This may be the slowest way possible to get to the park.

A gift from Mrs. Claus.

For the second year in a row we got a surprise from Mrs. Claus on December 1st. Just as the kids were getting out of their pre-bedtime bath there was a ring at the door. Holiday pajamas!

Another girls night out.

B and T were ready for some time out on the town without the menfolk. They went to see Tangled, and it was a big hit! They both loved it a lot, and they both just really loved having the time to enjoy each other one on one. We really should make it part of our New Year's resolutions list to have one on one outings on a monthly basis. Its such a fun and refreshing experience; its very easy to get caught up in the business of the day to day. And just as its important to continue to date each other, its important to spend that kind of quality time with our beautiful children and really get to know them and give them to opportunity to get to know us.

Family fun at the park.

C was nervous about crossing the bridge, B was quick to come to his aide

feeling a bit more confident...

"Da!" (translations: ta-da!) made it across that treacherous bridge

funny how adults so easily forget the joy of slides

posing for mama's photo assignment

getting into it now

slide races

(the rematch)

it ain't no thing...she's a real good climber

cooler than a polar bears toenails

stopped at the coffee store on the way home so B could collect her modeling fee

she has it in her contract that her father & brother get paid too

Rainy days don't get us down.

Mondays are a different story. But we don't mind rain one bit. In fact we quite like it. We'll take any excuse to put on our raincoats and wellies!

There was a party in our city!

The weekend before Thanksgiving we got to go see Yo Gabba Gabba Live at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in the city. We were a teensy bit tardy (that's fancy for late, says Fancy Nancy) and the show was louder than B or C have been exposed to before (it was more like a rock show and we've only taken them to those at outdoor venues) so it took them a bit to ease into the experience. But they loved it! They very ingeniously had an intermission, and T got the the kids a couple event shirts; which C just had to put on immediately. B thought her outfit was especially adorable and didn't want to change midday (it was very chic, we don't blame her). The special musical guests were OkGo, which J was especially excited about; we couldn't believe our good luck and felt blessed to be living in this part of the world. The dancey dance guests were two players from the 49ers (don't ask us who, we have no clue -- we've been reading a lot Dr. Seuss, sorry about that); some people booed and DJ Lance Rock scolded them, which we were happy about.

After the show we set out in search of vanilla milkshakes or, failing that, ice cream sundaes. There was some fruitless searching, but we ended up at Fog City Cafe down by Embarcadero (we've been wanting to go since we moved here). The place was fancier than we anticipated, but we were pre-dinner rush and they seated us in the back, which we had all to ourselves. A beautiful view of the Bay Bridge and a delightful waitress, plus a dinner of bread stuffs and dessert (obviously this was not on T's g-free diet...but when you have young ones you gotta be flexible! And it was delicious!!) made for a wonderful end to a fun family day. And when the thunder and lightening storm broke out we had front row seats; we loved it! Well, not B so much; it felt and looked a bit too close for her comfort so we took our leave.

The roads were flooded on our way home, so it took an inordinate amount of time to get home and into our cozy jammas. But we were just happy to be home safe and sound, so we can't really complain.