a san diego christmas {snapshots}

t'was the night before christmas

i love christmas eve...almost as much as christmas day itself.
i think it's the excitement of what's to come, almost magical.
having kids has made this holiday even more special.
my parent's home was filled to the brim with my sisters, our spouses and the kiddos.
we spent the evening at a candlelight service, getting all things ready for santa, reading the story of christmas, playing games and just enjoying the company of one another.

{daddy & riley...♥}

{reindeer food preparation}

{a game of quelf, pretty funny}

{storytime with "onion"}

double trouble

we are spending christmas in san diego.

barth took a few days off work...we have him all to ourselves till tuesday, yea!!

the house is hustle and bustle with all things christmas, i love it!

i caught the babes getting into a little mischief...

how does the story end you may ask?

alexa with a cucumber, riley a bag of cilantro. endless entertainment.

oh buddy! {week three}

just a couple more days till Christmas!
our time with buddy is coming to an end...at least till next year.
the girls have decided he is very smart since he always manages to find his way to san diego.
our elf is very much loved. i am sure the girls will miss him.

{a sweet treat for the girls}

{buddy mingles with the nutcrackers...perfect timing for our annual trip to the ballet}

{away in a manger...tis the reason for the season!}

{buddy ♥'s to read}

{a lipstick message for the girls...a christmas countdown}

{elf bed}

{a marshmallow bubble bath}

♥11 months♥

you are 11 months today!! are we really just a month away from you turning one?!

you are super busy and do not like to sit still for even a second
you love to clap and get very excited when we say, "yea!!!"
you are becoming your own self. you definitely have an opinion now and will let us know all about it.
you are sassy.
you are a great sleeper. two naps during the day. bedtime around 7:30pm, wake at 5:30 to nurse and back to sleep till 7:30am.
you are still nursing, but i think you will be much easier to wean than your sisters.
you have fourish teeth. two on the bottom and 1 1/2 on the top.
you are no longer okay with just anyone. you cling to me for dear life if someone you are not familiar with tries to hold you.
you love big people food.
you will put anything and everything in your mouth as long as it's not something that is supposed to go in your mouth.
i think you ate about a dozen leaves during this photo shoot.
you love to chew on car keys. i don't let you do it. your daddy always gives them to you.
your hair seems to have a mind of it's own. you have a little longer piece on the side just like your big sister ella did.
you prefer the bjorn to the stroller any day.
you love having your nails clipped and will sit perfectly still just watching as i clip each nail. it's funny.
you are a climber and can shoot up the stairs in a second.
you can stand up all by yourself from the sitting position.
you love our christmas tree and all the ornaments on it, especially when they are in your mouth.
you decided to eat a fist full of your own poopy. i was mortified. you were not a fan.
when you are tired, hungry or need mommy you do this little sucking movement with your mouth. it's precious.

you are the best baby and we love you so much riley roo♥

gooooooo chargers

after all that nutcracker the boys were due for a night out.
what better way to spend it {at least that's what they would say} then at a charger's game.
i love watching these four together. like four peas in a pod, four leaves on a clover, four muskateers...
whatever you may call it, it is such a blessing to see the relationship they all have with one another.
it's the three boys my dad never had. he loves them like his own and they right back at him.
and the three of them, well you would think they were all once brothers.

just in case you weren't following the game, the final score was 34-14...goooo chargers!!!

i am loving these pictures of our boys....

the nutcracker sweet

we are back from another trip to san diego...three more nights and we are headed back down for more fun.
on the agenda this last weekend...our annual trip to the nutcracker.
when you have this many girls in one family, nine to be exact, you can be sure the nutcracker is on our top 10 things to do at christmas.
grandpa and grandma never disappoint. from tickets, to brand spankin new outfits for the girls, to dinner..there is much fun to be had.
all members of the fab five {that's: ella, ari, chloe, alexa & riley} had been counting down the days since last years trip to the ballet, literally.
the excitement just couldn't be contained when saturday arrived.
as always i was the designated picture taker and took just one too many photos...309 to be exact.
pretty much all of the pics i took were taken at my parent's home just before heading out for an evening of fun.
i tried to narrow them down {and i did}, but there was just way too much cuteness going on that day.

love these pictures of the babes...

{look who is standing...and walking now!}

{love the look lexa is giving miss riley}

{love my girls}

just three more...and definitely worth the wait...love, love, love

thank you grandpa & grandma for an incredible day of fun. we ♥ u.