We are coming to the end (we hope) of our first real winter in 2 years! Overall, it hasn't been too bad. Definitely still my least favorite season, but it is amazing what parking your car in the garage can do for your well-being (luxuries we didn't have in Philly!).
December really wasn't too cold and we even ventured outside for a few runs, though I haven't been brave enough since then!
The first snowman of the season. Russell embraces the snow wholeheartedly! Thomas is not a fan. At the beginning of the winter, Russell could talk him into going outside with him sometimes, but the vast majority of the time he cannot be convinced. He definitely stands up for what he wants.
Second snowman of the season...getting bigger...
Ice skating with dad
Some days are donut days!
Russell's school had a Christmas kindergarten concert. Thomas took a lot of pictures of people in the audience. I think we got at least 25 of the man behind Ricardo. :)
Russell had a speaking part. He said "Hello, there." We practiced a lot! :)
On Christmas Eve we prepared for the festivities while Ricardo was at work. And made a cup pyramid because it's fun.
Watching Home Alone for the first time
We played some traditional Wood family Christmas Eve games. Trying to pick up cotton balls with a spoon while blindfolded is harder than it sounds!
New PJs before bed on Christmas Eve night:
I have a lot of pictures of her like this, but that's the angle I usually view her from!
Christmas was as magical as always with little kids. We had a great day together and enjoyed dinner with some friends that night.
Showing Caroline how to use her new toys:
Eating the leftover hot fudge sauce we make for Christmas. Can't let any go to waste.
A few days after Christmas we drove to Seattle to fly out to LA for a week. We spent a cold, rainy day in Seattle at Pike Place Market and spent way too long waiting in line to see gingerbread houses (Russell was insistent we stick it out in line-Ricardo and I wanted to quit). We stayed with one of my college roommates and enjoyed catching up with them.
We woke up at 3 am to catch our flight. They did great and weren't as miserable as they look here!
But, it was a long travel day with some delays. We missed church so decided to drive to the LA temple. The boys slept in the car and we enjoyed some sunshine with this baby.
We stayed with these fabulous friends from Jacksonville, who were so kind to host us all for 5 days. The kids picked up right where they left off.
A few weeks before our trip to LA, my college roommate Carrie texted (jokingly, I thought) about a Gilmore Girls special studio tour that was going on for a limited time. Turns out, I was going to be in LA during that limited time. So, Lindsey and Carrie booked flights to come to LA just for the tour (true dedication)! We all brought a friend along and had a great morning touring the WB studios and getting to see lots of the Gilmore Girls sights. It was so fun, especially since we watched lots of the show when we all lived together. Best New Year's Eve ever!
The tour also included some other interesting sights. Harry Potter costumes...
Batmobiles...
Wonder Woman paraphanelia.
Friends famous landmarks..
But, we mostly loved seeing all the Gilmore stuff.
Ricardo watched the kids while I was gone. Happy baby=job well done.
We went out to dinner that night and then enjoyed a little early New Year's Eve party with the kids.
A big part of our trip was visiting friends from Ricardo's mission. We had several dinners with people he taught and served with.
This was taken after our long travel day, but the only one I have of this sweet couple.
We also enjoyed some time at the science museum.
We enjoyed a beautiful hike in Malibu. It was so nice to be outside!
We love and miss the beach!
Another fun day, exploring trains in Griffith Park.
Overall, such a fun trip and a great start to the new year! We love seeing old friends.
When we came back, Caroline started eating food (she hates it still, which is a new experience for me).
Thomas continued loving her a little too much..
Discovering her feet. She loved them for quite some time.
Olive monsters!
Thomas turned 3 in January. We had some friends over for a playdate and Thomas the train cupcakes.
His actual birthday was lower key than I had planned..but he fell out of the car and hit his head pretty hard the day before his birthday so we needed to take it easy. So, lots of playing paw patrol and he stayed in pajamas all day. He worked hard to master holding up 3 fingers. It's a tough one!
February was a deluge of snow. We got so much snow the entire month. Russell was a fan.
Sledding in an inflatable boat. It's actually perfect for them.
A rare happy moment in the snow for Thomas (I'm not exaggerating).
Ricardo built an igloo in our backyard.
Ricardo built a new frame for our kitchen table with the help of his friend. It turned out great!
I recently went back to work part-time. My mom came out for a few weeks to help us when I first went back, which was so nice for all of us. The boys had a blast with grandma in town. Here's Grandma and Caroline watching her big brothers (mostly Russell) go sledding.
Celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday. Russell is all about the costumes.
One perk of living on the west coast is getting to see my college friends much more often. Lindsey and Carrie flew to Seattle last weekend so I drove down and we enjoyed a spa day and a late dinner on Saturday.
Always so fun to get together!
Ricardo was kind and spent the weekend alone with the kids. They went to Home Depot for kids craft/building day and built a fort at home. I wasn't even missed.
Here's hoping my next post will include lots of pictures of sunshine!
Your family is so cute and adventurous! I love it!!!
ReplyDeleteCrystal Capizzi