Our Little Sweet Potato

Ready and waiting

First Bite
Where's my rice cereal?!
I think I like it . . .
We've got another eater here. (She's trying to make those cheeks even chubbier).

Big Huge Christmas Re-cap Part II

Is anyone still reading this?

Anyway, the fun continued when my sister and her husband Chris flew in from Florida. We "progressed" at the annual Progressive Dinner with the Calder relatives, stuffing ourselves silly.
This year was all the more special because we actually got my boy's to cooperate and play a wiseman and shephard in the nativity play (no sheep costumes here). Chloe made a rather "untraditional" Baby Jesus in striped tights and patent leather shoes.
In true California style, we got together with friends and made a Sand Snowman at Newport's 15th street beach. This was surprisingly harder than it looks! We hope this will become an annual tradition, it was such a fun, relaxing time in the sunshine.
On the 23rd we stuffed our car to the brim with snow clothes and presents and headed up to a gorgeous cabin in the mountains of Big Bear with the entire Bollard Clan. My very first White Christmas! I can't say enough about how fun this trip was, especially for my boys who loved every minute of being with their cousins. Thank you Bill & Christy!

Luckily Santa found us in Big Bear, much to Ethan & Luke's relief.

After Christmas we headed back to San Diego to open gifts with my family. Luke won the prize this year for gift opening reaction faces--here he is marveling over the Zhu Zhu pet hamster from Aunt Danielle:
We also took some Rose family pictures, which was a big deal because the last time we were all together was 4 1/2 years ago.
Well, I may be the very last person in the blog-o-sphere to do their Christmas re-cap, but better late than never. Reviewing it all in pictures makes me happy and tired at the same time. Here's to a great 2010!

Big Huge Christmas Re-Cap Part I

Today is the day! The day when Chloe is sleeping, the boys are entertaining themselves and dinner has already been started. The day when I have a passing moment to give a thought to this poor neglected blog and chronicle Christmas 2009.
This season was one of extremes--some of the most magical, fun holiday times we've ever had, coupled with some of the busiest days I've ever had trying to make it all happen (with a 4 month old in tow!). Forgive the long post, but I want to document everything, in part to record all of the joy and also to remind me to factor in some quiet next year.

A tree was trimmed . . .

. . . and stockings were hung (notice the letter to Santa sticking out of Ethan's!). I was especially excited to buy Chloe a "girl" stocking this year. Growing up I had a stocking fashioned after a pink ballet slipper so picking out this one for her was a little nostalgic.

Goodies were made:

sugar cookies, caramels, white chocolate cherry chunkies, peppermint mud pie, apple cakes with butter sauce . . . oh, and 100 homemade rolls for the Ward Christmas Party (yes I was volunteered for this by my friend, no I was not smart enough to say "No!", and yes, I made them on the same day my dishwasher unexpectedly broke down). Needless to say, I will be South Beaching it soon . . .

Chloe's Christmas Pictures were taken:

Since all of my kids are born within five weeks of each other on the calendar year, I've had each of their 3 month photos done in December. Check out Ethan & Luke's to see how Miss Chloe fits right in to the Bollard mold:

160 Christmas Card were mailed, or "delivered" to many friend's paper bag "mailboxes" at a fun park day exchange party:

We couldn't get enough of Christmas Disneyland!

Did you know they have live reindeer there in December? And, even though lining up for the parade was one of the most claustrophobic hours of my life (the lady next to us literally almost killed a few people in her electric wheelchair--no joke), I'm still glad we saw it (thanks for being a good sport Mom!). Christmas or no Christmas, the boys were just in heaven the moment they discovered Tom Sawyer's Island:

We made several trips down to San Diego,
the first being a visit to my Grandma & Grandpa Calder's house.

This is the house I went to for Christmas dinner every year growing up and it is full of all of my Grandma's special touches: little nativity sets from around the globe, fancy table settings with a popper on each plate, Christmas decorations in every room of the house (even the laundry room!), tins of the white crescent cookies (any Calder relative is saying yum right now), a train set running around the Christmas tree, and a million other things that make it fun to be a kid at Christmas. Thanks for completely spoiling us!

My Grandpa can make all babies smile by doing this pucker noise with his lips. (He can also make all little boys laugh by asking them if their name is Mary Ann. My boys think this is hilarious.)

And, of course, after Nana's house we hit the San Diego Zoo.

Seriously, how many pictures of us at the Zoo have I posted on this blog? They should be paying me advertising royalties by now.
The highlight of this trip was being invited by the staff of the educational department to come behind the scenes and hold some sort of creepy prehistoric-looking lizard that Luke fell in love with.

And all of this was before the actual week of Christmas!