Merry Christmas

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! We did. It was a lovely holiday. We did a little something different this year. We traveled to Oregon to visit some old friends. We certainly missed seeing our extended families this Christmas, but did at least have the opportunity to call everyone on Christmas morning from our hotel room in Oregon.

Christmas, and all holidays for that matter, are so different now with children. It's like every emotion, every experience is magnified in its own wonderful way! Everything seems so much more enjoyable, meaningful and special now that we share it with kids!

Paige and Taylor were so sweet and cute to watch this Christmas. They loved every minute of their Christmas in their hotel room (from setting out snacks on Christmas Eve for Santa, sleeping together in a big bed in their very own hotel room (apart from dear ol' mom and dad's room), to waking up Christmas Day to discover that Santa had followed them all the way from California to Oregon just to make sure that they would have plenty of presents to open)!

The twins were thrilled with all their gifts! Thank you to all of our family who gave so many wonderful things to Paige and Taylor this year. And, of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't also say a BIG THANK YOU to the family for all the presents given to Paige and Taylor's mom and dad too!!!

Mommy & Me Day

It is December 23rd and our Christmas shopping is all done, the hustle and bustle to get ready for Christmas is done and now it's time to just enjoy the Christmas season. As a treat, Mike gave all 3 of "his girls" a gift certificate for lunch to "Cheesecake Factory" today. Having little girls is so much fun and the older that they get, the more I enjoy them and their company. Today, they were absolute angels at the restaurant, and I even noticed that they copied me when I put my napkin on my lap before the meal (it was the first time I observed them to do that all on their own and without any prompting from me; and let me tell you, that moment of good table manners from the twins made mommy so very proud.) It was truly a delightful day and I couldn't have asked for better company at "Cheesecake Factory" than my 2 beautiful daughters...

A fun mommy-and-me lunch in the city.

We also grabbed a little cheesecake to go for the Christmas holidays!

Day Trip to San Francisco

We drove to San Francisco today, a city we probably only visit once or twice a year even though it's nearly a stone's throw away. In fact, if my memory serves me correctly, I think the last time we were in the city was in September when the twins' grandparents and great aunt were visiting from the East Coast. We went to San Francisco today to show the twins the "big city Christmas lights" because we'd already toured the lights of our town earlier in the week. San Francisco's Neiman Marcus and Macy's were both pretty spectacular with their displays of holiday lights, Christmas trees and wreaths. We also spent part of our afternoon at Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39. A fun day, however, it was cold....even though I thought we'd all dressed warm enough, by the end of the day we were freezing!!! Highlights of the day: Crazy windy afternoon in San Francisco, clam chowder soup in a sourdough bread bowl, spotting my favorite street performer at Fisherman's Wharf, and the twins running around the boardwalk at Pier 39.

Love this guy! Every time I've been to Fisherman's Wharf, he's always playing in the exact same spot. Of all the street performers I've seen there, he's got major talent, tip-worthy talent!

Mike grabs hold of the girls - a warm welcome hug - at Pier 39 on a cold, windy day.

The twins give mommy a "break" from pushing their stroller.

Swing, swing, swing Taylor...

Swing, swing, swing Paige...

Enjoying the view.

Taylor gets the best view around, from the top of daddy's shoulders.

Enjoying the view.

Merry Christmas from Pier 39!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at our home, and as I sat down to write this post tonight, the song that kept running through my head was the Christmas classic "It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas". Whether you like the version by Meredeth Willson, Perry Como or Johnny Mathis, whenever the song comes on this time of year, if you're like me, you can't help but get in the spirit of the season. I took a few liberties here tonight to tweak some of the original lyrics to fit the photos that I have uploaded and to have just a little fun with a classic holiday tune. So if you've got the tune in your head, well, then you're ready, set, go...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go...

...there's a tree on the grand refrigerator (by Paige)...

...and one on the other refrigerator door as well (by Taylor)...

...Yes, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go...

...the prettiest sight to see will be the holly on our own front door...

...Take a look at the windows in the den, glistening once again...

...And string lights all aglow...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

...books that will talk...

...is the hope of Taylor and Paige, and Mom and Dad can hardly wait for school to start again...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

...soon the bells will start; and the thing that will make them ring is the carol that we sing right within our heart...

Baking Christmas Cookies

No sooner do we celebrate turning 4 years old do we shift our attention to celebrating Christmas and all the fun stuff that comes with it, like baking Christmas cookies! I like to bake desserts - cookies, cakes, brownies, fudge you name it - and having the twins helping bake goodies with me gives a whole new meaning to baking during the holidays. Toddlers definitely have their own ideas about how to bake cookies, and the twins were also quite ambitious about the whole experience - they had their own ideas about rolling the cookie dough like this, placing the cookies on the baking sheet like that, etc. It was pretty hilarious to watch them in action. Perhaps it was those new gingerbread man aprons they now wear that gives them a newfound sense of commanding the kitchen and all the baking activities...well, whatever it may be, the twins were having a great time today as we were making cookies. I commend them for their ambition and their spirit of adventure in baking so many cookies today, but I gotta' say, there is still a little room for improvement in their patience levels when it comes time to watching and waiting for the cookies while they are in the oven.

Down on their knees, watching the cookies as they bake.

See what I mean - the 10 minute cook time for each cookie sheet was really trying their patience.

'Tis The Season

'Tis the season for holiday parties, cocktails, festive red dresses and black-tie attire. Last night, Mike and I spent the evening at his company's Christmas party. Here are just a couple of the pictures taken before leaving the house for the event...

Playing Nativity with Baby Jesus

I've been talking alot with the twins about Christmas, now that the season is upon us: how fun it's going to be when Santa brings presents to them for being such good girls all year, how Christmas is a special time to enjoy decorations, lights, candy canes, Christmas trees and last night, how Christmas is also about celebrating Baby Jesus' birthday. Paige and Taylor already know all about Baby Jesus from Bible stories we read together and from their Sunday School lessons each week, but last night, we pulled out the Fisher Price "Little People" Nativity Set and recreated the Christmas story.

Paige and Taylor setting the scene - Baby Jesus in his manger, Joseph and Mary nearby, the wise men, the shepherds and even the stable animals.

After they'd set the manger scene just like they wanted it, we spent a few minutes talking about each of the people who came to see Jesus and to worship him.

The twins really got into the Christmas story as I told them about how the wise men and the shepherds traveled from far away, following the star in the sky, etc. Paige and Taylor even added to our story saying, "Let's sing 'Silent Night' to Baby Jesus" which is something we do when we read one of their stories.

At one point, I asked Taylor who came to see Baby Jesus and she replied, "Lots of angels."

I asked Paige the same question, and she replied, "Dora and Moses." So cute. I got a good laugh out of that one. So did Paige. Sure why not Dora and Moses!!! I replied back with, "You're right, Paige, anybody can come see Jesus, today even Dora can come see Jesus."

Thanksgiving - Part 1

The holiday season is upon us - Thanksgiving is now just a couple of days away. As I look around me and the world we live in these days, it seems that everyone is focused on the economy and what difficult times we are in. And, it's true, these are hard times for many people; in fact, we've had some tough times ourselves this year but even in the midst of these tough times, in the midst of the days where I find myself focusing on our own challenges, I'm also trying to have an "attitude of gratitude". It's not always easy but when I set my mind upon all the good in my life, whatever despair or stress I might be feeling soon gives way to peace of mind and happiness!

God knows everything we've been going through this year and that alone is something that I am grateful for. I know that God never leaves us or forsakes us and even when the times get tough I know I can trust His plan for our lives. He's come through for us time and time again in our lives in recent years as a family, and I'm grateful for that.

It sounds strange but just thinking about BEING THANKFUL makes me even more thankful for all the blessings I have in my life this year. It's about what I DO HAVE in life and not about what I DON'T HAVE at THIS moment in my life. I am healthy, my husband is healthy, our daughters are healthy. I have a great husband and two really awesome little girls - they are the loves of my life and the bright spots in life. No matter what kind of day or year or circumstances I face, my family is always a source of joy and love. George Bernard Shaw once wrote "a happy family is but an earlier Heaven" and how true that is. Give me a family that pulls together in tough times, that still finds happiness and joy even when circumstances are stressful and challenging anyday. My family really is like a little taste of Heaven and God's goodness to us right here on earth, and I'm thankful for it!

So, Happy Thanksgiving to all of us, wherever you are and whatever circumstances you may find yourself in. God never promised us that life would be easy, that life would be without stress but with the love of my family, I find that it does make the journey a little easier and the burdens of this life a little lighter to bear. So, this Thanksgiving, I'm counting all my blessings, naming them 1 by 1 because I really do have so much to be thankful for....

Making Our 1st Gingerbread Candy House

I bought a gingerbread house kit this weekend which included pieces of pre-made gingerbread, pre-packaged icing, candies, and other tasty treats. All we had to do was start icing the gingerbread pieces together, then decorate. It was also a great way to get our girls involved in the start of the holiday festivities of the season! Mike actually put the basic structure together with the various gingerbread pieces and the icing. After the house was "built", the twins jumped right in and had a ball decorating with all the candies. Now, the real question is - do we keep it in the refrigerator and bring it out as part of our decorating display in the house this holiday season OR do we just start nibbling on it and enjoy all of its yumminess? Decorations schmecorations...I have a feeling we'll be nibbling!