Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow.....

...in Escondido?? Nah, we took a Saturday off from TV watching and drove to our local Palomar Mountain to find lots and lots of beautiful snow.

Driving at the top of the mountain made us feel like we were miles and miles away from home in the Sierras, but really we were only 25 minutes away.

Matt and I piled as much snow as we could on top of the car to see if it could make it all the way home, and it did!

Something about snow just brings out the kid in you!

I love how the mountain of snow is reflected in my sunglasses.

Taking a moment to have a snack.

Kyle enjoyed the sledding at first but then he just got too cold.

Jenn's preparing her snowball.

Kyle's first touch of snow.

My boys.

I love this photo of Luke!

Those Special Christmas Memories.....

Amongst the holiday hustle and bustle we try to save moments for special Christmas memories like making gingerbread houses and visiting Santa. Luke did an awesome job assisting mom with the gingerbread house, we even nibbled some of the construction material. Kyle, however, didn't quite warm up to Santa and decided he didn't want any part of "lap time" so the photo opp was quick and we were outta there.

The Magic of Disney

Master Luke turned a Big 5 on December 4th and we decided to celebrate at Disneyland, you only turn 5 once and we had yet to take him there. I think Matt and I were just as excited as Luke to visit the "Happiest Place On Earth", we had not been there in 8 years. Our visit was absolutely magical, truly an amazing time. We dropped off baby Kyle at my moms so Luke had some one-on-one time with mom and dad. Visiting during Christmas time and in the middle of the week was a hit, NO LINES and an abundance of holiday festivities and charm. Sleeping Beauty's Castle was shimmering and all aglow. We could have stayed for a week! Luke's first and favorite ride was Pirates of the Carribean, Jenn's was and always will be It's a Small World and Matt's was Space Mountain.

All the characters were in holiday attire and we were able to get shots with many of them. I think Goofy was Luke's favorite.

We bought annual passes and wandered over to California Adventure after spending the night. Luke enjoyed the Bug's Life area and spinning around with dad in the ladybugs.

During Christmas there are decorated trees everywhere, Christmas songs, a holiday parade and even snow! We even saw Santa and real reindeers. Luke was given a special birthday sticker and pin to wear and was treated extra special by everyone at the park.

I think the highlight of the trip was Luke earning his Jedi Knight certificate at the Jedi Academy. They pick several children from the audience to come up and learn some real Jedi moves. Then they get to each battle and perform their moves on either Darth Vader or Darth Mal. You should have seen Luke's face when he was given his robe and light saber, priceless!

Entering Star Tours mom spotted C3-PO and R2-D2!

We explained to Luke that Santa really gets around!

The steamboat Mark Twain still chugs along. Tom Sawyer Island is just as I remembered, with a little bit of things added here and there. We spent over an hour on the island, romping through caves and exploring.

A Winnie the Pooh sighting. I still miss the Country Bear Jamboree though.

The Haunted Mansion is decked out in The Nightmare Before Christmas theme, a little spooky but Luke did great. Again, I still prefer the old fashioned Haunted House but I guess it changes back after the holidays, whew.

Luke was so proud to show off his very own signature on his annual pass card. We'll be back many more times in 2009 for sure!

Christmas Card Photo Shoot

Each year about a month before Christmas we get the kids dolled up and take photos for the annual Christmas card. Many wonder why I go through the torture and stress of it all even though I love the outcome, getting those special shots can be a little hectic, kids screaming, moving, not cooperating, but I know that our family and friends truly enjoy seeing the family and I enjoy capturing that Christmas spirit time and time again. There were SOO many shots to choose from this year, I just kept clicking away while Matt made fake snow and showered them with it. Enjoy the treasury of Christmas 2008!

Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas!

A Swashbuckling Halloween!

Halloween crept up on us once again and it was a mad rush to finish costumes, run out and get Halloween candy, get the house decorated and get dinner in the crock pot. Unlike many neighborhoods these days we actually get about 500 trick-or-treaters so it's still a big deal in our neck of the woods. Luke and Kyle were Buccaneers this year and really took their costumes seriously. Mom didn't want to get left out so she made herself a "little devil" mini costume and Dad just wanted to be... Dad. We did some early trick-or-treating and then hunkered down at home to wish all the other 500 kids a Happy Halloween! Hope yours was frightful.

Captain Luke

Cabin Boy Kyle

Captain Luke ready to make Dad walk the plank ~

Little devil mom and her swashbuckling boys ~

Don't you dare swipe my candy or I'll hang you from the crow's nest by your ears ARGGHHH ~

Down on the Farm.....Yeeehaw!

Off we went to the pumpkin farm to pick out our pumpkins in 95 degree weather, hmmm... that just seems wrong for the end of October. Anyways, we had a rootin tootin good time petting pigs, feeding goats and sheep dried corn, riding on ponies and picking out pumpkins. We packed our lunch and had an old fashioned picnic on a hay pale as well. Mom was solo and "sweated bullets" but we had a blast. Kinda makes me want to just go back to basics and live out somewhere rural where life is simple, wholesome and full of life.... I said kinda.......

So this is what a piggy feels like ~

My little farmer ~

My little pumpkin ~

Down on the farm ~

Feeding Mr. Goat ~

Video Time

God bless video time... there are days when you just gotta give it to them to get a little peace and quiet. This particular morning Kyle was really interested as well, he is just now starting to enjoy the kid shows. What was so touching is that Luke had the idea to bring in the two chairs and the blanket, spreading the blanket over them to get "comfy" and then watching together. They definitely get their laser beam TV glare from their dad, when the TV is on, there is no penetrating it.

Oh So Silly.....

There are days when I realize I haven't taken any photos of Kyle in quite a while. I definitely need to think about it more often than I did with Luke, the second child definitely gets the short end of the stick in this department. So this day I grabbed the camera and just watched Kyle play on a chair. He is the silliest kid, and his emotions can change in an instant. It's like, "Oh I'm so mad", then "Oh, mom has the camera", then "Oh I need to put on my happy face now."

My Brother, My Friend

One of the most incredible things for me lately is watching Luke and Kyle
"become" brothers. Caring for each other, loving each other, hanging out together and just developing their relationship. I am SO thankful that I decided to have another child and I believe the boys will thank me when they are older as well.

Yipee I'm 1!!!

On September 14th, Kyle turned 1, amazing. Time has flown by and we have tried to cherish each moment. Kyle also decided to turbo walk on his birthday and is now nonstop action. We had a fabulous day, even though mom was in the ER the night before. We even had a special visit from Uncle Mark the sheriff who brought his patrol car. The kids enjoyed sitting inside and hearing the siren go off. And what party wouldn't be the same without cake? Kyle enjoyed his carrot cake and wanted more and more. Happy Birthday my little one!

Group shot of the party people ~

Put the siren on Uncle Mark ~

Yum, carrot cake ~