Frigid Sea-Town in December

Since we arrived the day after Christmas, we got to see the ferris wheel lit up like candy canes! No matter how hard I tried, my phone couldn't capture the red and white stripes, but trust me, they were there!

And Santa Ellen provided us with so much entertainment when she presented these one-piece fleece suits - or as we like to call them "hooded and footeds." Thank goodness Dad was there to take (blurry) pictures...

Matching-ish PJs in wooden rocking chairs from when I was a kid.

SEA-HAWKS! She loved this dress. Put it on and wouldn't take it off. And the slipper socks from Gramma. She does have her own opinions. 

Jayden got this really cool block building game. We've made all kinds of cool things with it, including an airplane on a runway, numbers, letters, fences, couches, bridges, etc. His concentration is very impressive.

And then we went rock climbing. Probably one of my most favorite days, because I watched Jayden's determination, bravery and problem-solving as he made his way up the wall. He's really growing up way too fast.

Even Dakota got in on the action! Until she pooped out and sat on the couch with Gramma reading books.

I climbed with Jayden, which then convinced Ellen to climb, even though she could do without heights. Ellen and I felt seriously weak doing it, but it was exhilarating.

Jayden and Mama, up high!

At the park in the afternoon.

Loving the swing.

And Jayden found a rope to climb down.

And a frog to stand on. It was SO cold.

Her face.

We went to a marine science center. Jayden looked through a microscope at different shells. He was intrigued.

And Dakota eventually put her hand in the (cold) touch tank water.

Giant Dakota.

Yup, this is where I grew up. And why it's so hard to leave every time I go back. 

Got a run in with Lizzle. We weren't as fast as we once were, but it was so good to get out and get moving. And seriously the views.

Carmen was able to join us for a couple of days - so of course we did a whole family selfie. Loving it.

Ellen, Carmen and I got an afternoon in Seattle before we took Ellen to the airport. We hit up the market, and some downtown shopping spots.

AND I got to see Maya. She's so lovely.

Best. Smiles. Ever.

Kiddos on New Years Eve. Best. Kids. Ever.

At "Noon years eve" at Kidimu, the kids museum on Bainbridge Island.

Driving with the kids. Jayden didn't crash once! (it helped that the car didn't move and the background is a painting...)

Jayden rolled golf balls down this track to get over two humps and into a bucket at the end. It was science but he had no idea! Love this stuff.

Balloon drop and juice and cookies! So cute.

Smiles at lunch. Go Huskies!

Carmen moving chairs. Dakota needed a ride.

After the New Years festivities.

The last ferry ride of the trip, heading to the airport.

It was a very rainy day as we flew home. I loved it, and was honestly a little sad to leave.

All in all, it was a great trip. I got great help from my mom, dad and sister, and we really got to enjoy ourselves and relax, and still see a bunch of people we wanted to see. It was wonderful. I did miss not having time at home, and at the same time, wished I could have stayed a couple extra days. But it was so good for the kids to get the time with grandparents and auntie, and to experience different things that we just don't get to do on a regular basis.

Yup.

So, yeah. I guess it has been a month since I posted. It has been a rough month for me - which is funny, because it's actually been a really good month too. It's been good, but a struggle, which is why I think the struggle is sometimes so hard. It's this feeling that you should be happy, but you can't quite get yourself to fully buy in.

In any case, there's not enough space for me to ramble on about things, so here is the photographic evidence of the pre-Christmas fun we had:

On Friday, December 23rd, we met Maxwell's family at a restaurant and then did a driving tour of a neighborhood known for its lights. Then I remembered this neighborhood not too far from our house that has amazing lights as well. So we drove there and were able to get out and walk around for a few minutes. It was pretty cold, but it was a great evening. 

Puppy!

Cool dinosaur.

Locked in Grinch jail. We almost left them there, but decided to bail them out at the last minute.

THEN, on December 24, we surprised the kids (mostly Jayden, obviously), by taking them to Disney on Ice. They both got to purchase a toy, and then see the show. It was so fun! Carmen and I enjoyed ourselves too, because we are animated movie nerds. But it was awesome to see the kids enjoy it so much too. 

Mickey and Minnie!

The boys enjoying themselves (and concentrating!)

Sally and Lightning McQueen.

And then Christmas Eve - we left cookies and milk out for Santa and the Reindeer, which was a great idea until Jasmine decided to eat the (chocolate) cookies. So then Carmen and I spent all night thinking Jasmine was going to puke. Awesome.

The living room, ready for the kiddos in the morning.

Some of the aftermath of the Christmas festivities - Jayden loved his Batman v. Superman toy from Santa (which he was super lucky to get, since Santa basically got the last one that any Target had anywhere...)

Christmas brunch: a really good (if I do say so myself) sausage, egg and cheese casserole and cinnamon rolls! So yummy.

Dakota on her tricycle. She needs to be pushed since she can't use the pedals yet, but she's testing it out.

And since Dakota was riding her tricycle, of course Jayden wanted to ride his bike. 

A late morning photo, showing the destruction that occurred Christmas morning!

Our family photo from Disney on Ice. Jayden almost refused, but we managed to get him in there at the last second. And I'm so glad. This is a fun memory.

More to come of our trip to Seattle and January so far. But we had a good mini-holiday break in California.

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

12/21/2016:
Since we do live in SoCal, it's hard to say that it's beginning to "look" like Christmas! Although we do have a lovely rain storm going on right now which has made me quite happy. I walked out of the courthouse today and it was sprinkling a little. In the 4-1/2 minutes it takes me to walk to my office, it had started pouring and I was drenched. Because who knew it was supposed to rain today!

We have had a whirlwind of a few weeks. I don't even know where to start, and really I'm too exhausted to think about it too hard. I don't think I've gone to bed before midnight once in the last few weeks. If I'm not working, I'm baking cookies, wrapping presents, etc. I'm not complaining; I do love this time of year. But I do wish I could sleep more. And, I do wish Jayden wasn't so materialistic. I did it a little this year, but in the coming years I am going to focus more on who we can buy presents for - particularly kids in the foster care system who might not otherwise have a Christmas. I am also going to try to make him understand that Christmas (and other holidays) aren't all about gifts. It's just too much and he's come to expect it as if he deserves gifts. But lately he really hasn't done much to earn any kind of gifts. We've had quite a struggle; I'm guessing a lot has to do with lack of sleep and just general excitement and being overwhelmed. But it's still hard. And really makes me want to take all 864 gifts out from under the Christmas tree.

Now, enough of my worrying. Onto what is really important - pictures!

Jayden likes to check the weather in the morning by pulling up his pants so that his legs can feel the weather as well. It's one of those things where you say "whatever works kiddo!" and then you take a picture to memorialize the moment.

Polar Bear PJs!

And more Polar Bear PJs!

Siblings.

Run for a Clause 5k in support of Girls on the Run - Orange County: http://www.girlsontherunoc.org/html/. I just joined the board of this organization, and I'm really enjoying it so far. I think it will be a good way for me to express my passion, and maybe something I can increase my involvement in as my kids get older.

All smiles after nap.

Holiday seriousness.

Parents morning out at the Nordstrom holiday shopping event with Jenn and Chris (Maxwell's parents). I think there might be nothing better than tiny bottles of sparkling wine - with straws!!! That and an adult-only lunch. We didn't have to cut up food for anyone or negotiate with any small humans about how long they could wait for food, etc. So so lovely.

Powerful. Love this girl.

At the Athletes First holiday party - they went all out with the balloons in the pool area. Very cool.

It was an "ugly Christmas sweater" party. Carmen and I found some awesome sweatshirts on Amazon. And yes, we were matching. 

On the plane to Vegas! Daddy has a knack for passing out the minute he sits down on a plane so that Mama gets to handle two kids in two miniature airplane seats. Nothing like it.

We fancy.
In the limo on the way to the Aria.

Goofing around in the hotel room. Jayden managed to color coordinate with the hotel decor!

The conservatory at the Bellagio.

They had the most amazing polar bears. Clearly I needed a picture. Two tired kiddos, but there was so much going on, they stuck it out with us.

The water show at the Bellagio.

Goofing off in the elevator back to the hotel room. Love my kiddos.

Saturday at the M&M store.

Sagehens with kids in Vegas!
Visiting with my friend Autumn and her beautiful baby boy. So so happy I got to catch up with her. 

Dude on the left is made of legos. Dude on the right is Jayden.

Coca-Cola Polar Bear! (continuation of the theme)
Side note: I was all kinds of excited, hugging and high-fiving the polar bear, and s/he really had no idea what to do with me. It was hilarious. And a little upsetting.

Kiddos with Daddy rooting for the Blue Devils. It was a good day to be a Duke fan.

And then we saw Santa! Because I was there, Dakota actually didn't scream. Totally fine to get the Dakota scowl.

Uncle Alex came over and played cars with Jayden. Such a good sport.

Playing with Dada.

It turns out I actually love Vegas more with kids than without. I am not a "Vegas" person. It's too much. I am much more low-key. So, with kids, I got to hang out and have fun during the day, and then be in the hotel room by 7 or 8 pm at the latest. I was in bed by 10 pm both nights, I think. The only downside is it was harder to get to the outlets because of transportation and car seats. But this trip we didn't have time to venture that far anyway.

Also, Jayden has decided that when he moves out of our house, he will be moving to Vegas. So, start booking your Southwest flights to load up on points if you want to visit him. I guessed lots of other places, including Hawai'i, Santa Ana, New York (with auntie!), etc., and nope. He picked Vegas. He really would have stayed forever if he could have, I think. We found an arcade, after much searching ,at New York New York, so he got the kids version of the casino and was loooving it. And then picked out a whole bunch of small goodies that I will shortly throw away, including something for his sister, which was super sweet. I do have good kids, sometimes.

And then Monday was Dakota's 18 month birthday. And this is the only picture I got! She moved up to the next room at Children's Village, so now she's in Room 9. That means I drop her off in this outside play area now, which she is seriously loving. I knew she was ready, but it has seriously made her seem so much older in my eyes. No longer a baby, definitely a toddler on the way to a fifteen year old.

Earlier this week I went to Room 9 to pick her up. They were finishing snack. When Dakota saw me, she ate a few more bites of apple, then picked up the pieces and walked over to the trash can. With some prompting from her teacher, she put her foot on the pedal and opened the trash can and dropped her apples in. She walked within inches of me - I was thinking I'd get a hug, but she walked right past me and climbed the steps to the sink. She washed her hands, and when she was done, she came back to me and gave me a big ol' hug. This girl. Also, my kids thrive on structure, in case you can't tell already. Kind of incredible.

Wednesday we took Dakota's 18 month photos. I got a bunch of digitals, so I'll share those when I get them. But here's a preview of the outfit. And the attitude.

This girl is a daredevil. She hangs from everything. 

My holiday card wreath. It's a little more full now, but I love it always. One of the best (and one of the two) pinterest creations I've ever made.

Dakota at the park. Seriously fearless.

Jayden and his friend Alexander - reunited, and it feels so good!
Alexander left Children's Village this year to go to a more "academic" school because his birthday is August 30 and he will be the youngest kid in his kindergarten class next year. His parents were worried about the lack of academics at CV. I think part of it is that Carmen and I are incredibly lucky with Jayden. He just has a knack for academics. He knows the alphabet, he can count to one hundred, he can add and subtract, and he can almost sort of multiply. He can recognize words - not quite reading, but definitely pre-reading. I actually worry because Jayden is so smart, and such a perfectionist. But, academics is not what Carmen and I worry about at this point. I actually hate the thought that anyone worries about academics at this point in kids' lives, but for some it is more of a concern and I would never second-guess their decisions. All I know is Jayden misses Alexander terribly, and they didn't skip a beat when they reconnected. So great.

For Dakota, bed time is shoe time. We always put on a new pair of shoes after pajamas are on to brush teeth. A couple nights ago, Dakota picked these shoes - my shoes from 1981/1982. They actually kind of work with the holiday polar bear PJs. But she is so naturally girly. I can't handle it most of the time. 

Holiday cookies! Jayden helped me make candy cane butter cookies, chocolate dipped oreo cookies (including winter oreos, which have a red filling - so cool!), rice krispie "pops," and peppermint bark. Jayden convinced me to buy five packages of oreos, because he's five and all, and I gave in obviously. So Gramma, Grampa and Auntie, get ready for an invasion of chocolate-covered oreos in five days!!!

And I am missing the videos, but it is late (again) and I am exhausted. And I need my brain to work for the next 1-1/2 days to get through work. My legs are also covered in bruises from being too tired and running into things. It sounds lame, but it's sadly so true. So here's hoping everyone else is getting some rest and that we are ALL enjoying the holiday season.