on the road to feeling better

Finally!!
The monday after Christmas I woke with my voice missing. This lasted about a week, and my poor Chloe seems to have caught something from me. She really is a trooper, despite her never-ending runny nose and hives. Yes, hives. I guess this is something you can get when you are sick. At this point we really are doing our share to keep Kleenex in business. We are looking forward to feeling better so we can enjoy some much needed playdates.

Me & Chloe (the sickies) enjoying a much needed cuddle

3 peas in a pod

The girls showed off their new outfits from grandma...we got lots of stares (good ones)

Merry Christmas

We had an amazing Christmas this year. We spent the holiday at my parent's home along with Simone and her family and Jasmine. It was wonderful to have the entire family back together. I feel so blessed for all the people in my life, each one plays such a different role in shaping me into who I am, who we are as a family...

Here are a few shots of the morning...I think we got more than enough gifts to take us through the next year!!

Ella got a "big girl" bike

Watch out...this girl is a crazy driver!!

Told you so....

Chloe wanted to try to put on all the clothes she got at once

Barth scored a ticket to the rose bowl

The girls got these adorable personalized bags (to visit grandma's house)

...and matching sleeping bags

T'was the night before Christmas

With Christmas Eve comes the opening of the first gift...and what better reason to get matching jammies!! The girls excitedly opened up their packages and ran around the house (making it tough to get a group picture). It was pretty cute. We had a hard time convincing them to take off the slippers at the end of the night. After we put Chloe to bed, Ella and daddy got the plate of cookies ready for santa and they even remembered the reindeer with some water and apples. It was so much fun watching Ella carefully place things in the "just the right" spot. Needless to say, this was a tough night for her to fall asleep, as she hoped to catch the sound of reindeer hooves on the roof. My camera battery died half-way through the photo session so I will have to add the pics I took on my sister's camera later.

Christmas in San Diego

We celebrated Christmas in San Diego this year and what better way to spend the holiday then at the...beach!!

Thoroughbread Lane

We visited an awesome neighborhood this year. The lights are incredible!! Every house participates and it makes for a really beautiful display of lights. Both girls were fighting colds and it was pretty chilly out..to add to that it started to sprinkle on our drive over. We bundled them up and threw a few fleece blankets on top and off we went.

Snug as two bugs in a rug....they actually got too hot

This was Ella's face right after she took a bite of her churro

One of the decorated homes...the picture really doesn't do it justice

Only in California.....

We will definitely be back next year!!!

Christmas Party...preschool style

Ella kicked off her Christmas with a little party at preschool. They had been practicing a couple songs for all of the parents, and they proudly showed off all the work they had done. Ella tends to be a bit shy, so I had to do a little encouraging from the side line. Their teacher Miss Celina had each of the kids bring a book for their Christmas exchange. Ella carefully chose out her book "The Cat in the Hat" and was so excited to see what she would get in return. All of the kids got a gingerbread man cookie to decorate. It was so much fun watching Ella meticulously decorate her cookie. I am realizing that she is a bit of a perfectionist and loves anything having to do with arts & crafts. She received an awesome book from her friend Sammy all about Noah's Ark. What a fun way to kick off the season.