Our Trip to L.A.

Last week Josh had a conference for work in L.A. and Abi and i got to tag along. I had the chance to see a friend from high school that i hadn't seen for a few years and spend some time with her in Malibu, she showed me where some famous people live and a few other hot spots. Then Josh was able to take the rest of the week off so we could spend time together visiting family. We stayed with my Dad's cousin Liz for 2 nights in Encino and got to visit with her family. Then we drove to Chino Hills to see my Dad's other cousin Martha and her family. The most exciting person for me to spend time with was my great aunt Linda. she has Alzheimer's but i think she remembered me and knew that she had new baby that was coming to visit her. needless to say the conversations with her were pretty funny and very repetitive. my aunt Linda was like a grandma to me when i was younger so it was very important for me to see her and for her to meet Abi. Abi has become a wonderful travel companion and adjusts really well to new surroundings and people as long as she gets to eat on schedule she stays pretty happy, even without regular naps.

The Many Faces of Abi in December

A little something to brighten your day!

Grandma wanted to take Abi to Nashville

My Mom wanted to pack Abi and take her to Nashville for a conference. My Mom is sad that she wont see Abi for two whole weeks! Abi didn't mind being in the suit case for a few minutes but we both figured she probably wouldn't like it for very long. So my mom decided it was best for Abi to stay home.

Abi Talking and giggling

Yosemite

The Saturday after Christmas our family decided to take a trip to Yosemite for the day. The valley was covered in snow and was so beautiful. it was a warm 29 degrees in the shade and a bit warmer in the sun. we had a delicious lunch at the ahwahnee hotel and spend the rest of the day taking lots of pictures and playing in the snow.

First Annual Christmas Cookie Decorating

This year my mom decided to start a new tradition of decorating christmas cookies. She figured it would be a fun thing to do before christmas and as our family grows and denise and aaron start families some day it would be a fun activity for the kids. Denise hand decorated stocking cookies for each person that would be over for christmas eve dinner she even used tweezers to apply some of the sprinkles! Abi even helped by holding the sprinkles for my mom. here are a few pictures of the afternoon.

Merry Christmas!!!!!

My favorite smile so far. . . .

Abi and Ethan

On Sunday during a Sunday school leaders meeting Abi and Ethan were laying side by side on the couch and periodically they would reach over and hold each other's hand. They did this quite a few times but i thought it may be rude to pull out my camera in the middle of our meeting to capture the super cute moment. So after the meeting Jolie and I reenacted the hand holding and the kids went along with it. . . .

Christmas Tree Lane

Last Tuesday Josh, Abi and I walked down Christmas Tree Lane with Jon, Jolie and Ethan. It was a nice night and wasn't as cold as we expected but very wet from the drizzly fog. I think the highlight of the night may have been the guys spotting a car in the parking lot at Fig Garden Village, it was a De Lorean (the car from Back to the Future). The guys had to stop and take a few pictures as seen above.

Thanksgiving at Shaver Lake

This year my parents decided to rent a huge, beautiful cabin at Shaver Lake. Now when most people hear "cabin" you may assume a rustic log cabin with the only source of heat being a wood stove, this was not the case where we stayed. This cabin was 3 stories, 6 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms a beautiful kitchen and many other amenities. So here are a few pictures of us "roughing it" in the mountains.

The Many Faces of Abi in November

Ben's Trip to Fresno

Our friend Ben made a last minute trip to Fresno because his Grandfather passed away. He wanted to meet Abi and Ethan so we got together this morning. I thought it would be funny to compare the picture we took this summer of Ben with us before the babies were born and then a picture with Abi and Ethan. The funny thing is that Ben happens to be wearing the same shirt in both pictures (did you plan that Ben?).

Josh's Birthday Trip

For Josh's 28th Birthday we took a long weekend to Pismo. We had the trailer all to ourselves and had a relaxing time.

Saturday afternoon we drove to Santa Maria to see Josh's cousin Paul and his wife Alison and Josh's Aunt and Uncle. They hadn't met Abi yet so we spent a few hours hanging out and enjoying a yummy dinner.

We think Abi really enjoyed her first trip to the beach. There will be many more trips to Pismo but there is nothing like the first time a baby can put their feet in the sand.

Halloween

Just a Few More Cute Pictures

Two weeks ago we were at my parents house for a family dinner. My grandparents (my mom's Dad and Step-mom) hadn't met Abi yet so we took the opportunity to take a few pictures of the generations that were there that night. I hope everyone is around long enough for Abi to appreciate the fact that she has 4 living great-grandparents, 4 grandparents and aunts, uncles and cousins. never has our family seemed so big when you think of all that we are so fortunate to have around us.

The Many Faces of Abi (and more to come).

i tried using the picasa collage tool and it works great for a large number of pictures. this way i don't have to spend all day uploading pictures to our blog. especially when we have SOOOOO many pictures that we want to share with everyone.

Ethan & Abi

I think Abi is showing Ethan who's boss!

Pumpkin Pictures

These pictures were quite tricky to take, first, wait until Abi was awake and happy then keep her from tipping over.

Mikow Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Antique photographs - Dynasty