Christmas and Christmas and Christmas.

we had our normal roll of Christmases this year.

but something about it seemed different.

maybe it was the fact that they were all completely missed last year.

or maybe we just had more time in between each celebration to get 

unpacked, 

repacked and 

regroup enough

to enjoy them.

either way, they were pleasant, and not hurried or rushed or too packed in there.

maybe it was also the fact that B has been working 

night and day and 

day and night 

on his book and so when he took numerous days off in a row, 

it felt like it actually was Christmas.

i have already told you about our first celebration, 

way back in the beginning of december.

since then, we have celebrated with my Grammy, (the kids' Great Grammy) 

and her husband "That Guy."

and even though he is undergoing pretty aggressive chemo for lung cancer,

 "That Guy" had such a positive outlook. 

his faith in Christ is so evident even during this difficult time

and we are so honored to be able to pray for him 

throughout every step of this process.

we had a lovely dinner at their home with nearly all of my family on my dad's side.

all except my preggo sister and her husband.

this photo was taken out of the bathroom window 

while i was held hostage waiting for D to finish going 

so we could both go back to the party.

i'm linking up to this blog with the above photo.

it's one of my new favorites.

the evening was of course, a lively one, 

complete with elevator rides 

(yes, my grandmother has one in her house), 

hugs from my cousin,

a walk around the island, 

watching their sweet old neighbor agree to

running his train

which goes inside and outside his house

(which absolutely made D's Christmas season complete)

and eating a scrumptious meal that none of us had to cook.

(as you can see, 

K was thoroughly enthralled by the conversation... 

or was it the iphone games?)

"That Guy" chatting with B.

our next celebration was at my parents' house.

recently, every time i hand L off to someone, 

he is convinced i am leaving him.

even on Christmas?

i don't think so, buddy.

B and i make it a priority to spend both 

Christmas eve and Christmas morning 

at home.

L, not wanting to miss a thing, 

got me up before the sun rose.

K was thrilled to receive new jammies from Auntie B. 

and here she is showing L how to play with his new toy. 

and here's D, genuinely excited about the 

where the wild things are

characters we received from Gramma Pink,

and his toy story lego set from Aunt CC and Uncle NN. 
and yes, this was the face he made when i said "smile!"

after this celebration is when we headed to the snow!

a few days after that, 

we headed up to B's mom's house 

to celebrate with his sister and her family.

she has such a warm and inviting house. 

the visit 

(of course) 

included a lovely mug full of this with marshmallows. 

i think things like that are so much more indulgent 

when someone else makes them.

am i right?

i am so right.

D, as thrilled as ever to receive a magnet building set. 

the kids made this Christmas tree for Grammy with each of their hands. 

and if you know my mother-in-law, 

you know how much she loves holiday decorations.

for instance, she has these 

singing, 

snoring, 

musical

santas and snowmen 

all over her house.

K's favorite thing to do was to turn them on.

at the same time.

i hope that i made it very clear that 

all of those "lovely" things 

can stay at Grammy's house for the children to enjoy there.  

not here.

but there.

and this sweet little baby snowman 

(complete with a pacifier)

was in K's arms the entire time we were up there. 

this girl loves to take care of her babies. 

happy new year!

626. the reflection of the Christmas tree on the windows

627. sipping hot chocolate and reading in the afternoon 

(all by myself)

628. the joy and reminder of simply loving my children

629. a sweet, sweet comment

630. the close of another year

it was in fact a white Christmas.

it's {embrace} the camera day!

we had a rather spontaneously white Christmas.

after quite a leisurely Christmas morning at home,

i had L try on his new winter jacket.

i said to B "don't you think he belongs in the snow in this thing?"

to which B replied, "yes!"

moments later, we were getting ready to head to the snow

(which of course took nearly an hour at a frantic pace).

now, i am not usually spontaneous and 

as you can see, neither is D. 

once we got in the car, 

we finally told the kids where we were headed.

D thought we should go to disneyland instead.

our first glimpse of snow 

(and not the matterhorn).

the kids got all bundled up 

but i don't think that any of us

were really prepared for how cold it actually was.

i honestly do not know how you people who live in cold weather do it.

L didn't mind it as long as the wind wasn't blowing in his face.

B helped the big kids find pieces of old Frostys 
on the ground to make this Frosty.

L was happiest in B's arms. 

a little bit sad L, and his Momma.

but then he smiled
(only because he caught a glimpse of B!).

this little guy was as thrilled as can be
(wearing his Grandad's Princeton hat).

us california folk do not have the proper gear for the snow.

the sleds?
well, we were bailed out of this predicament thanks to our amazing neighbor who lent us 

two sleds he happened to have in his garage.

shovels?
sand shovels, of course!

and the boots?

rain boots with rubber bands around the ankles 

to try to keep the snow out

(fyi... this worked pretty well).

gloves?
how about (clean) socks.

not ideal according to L.

definitely not ideal.

D, serious about sledding.

K, trying to see her breath.

those eyes get me every time.

hands down,

my new favorite photo.

by this time, their poor little hands were freezing.

i happened to have some warmers in my jacket

(how on earth did that happen?)

and they were instructed to keep their hands 

in their pockets for the rest of the time. 

and of course, B and me.

and taking a good rest on the snow after sledding.

her little pink nose matches her head-to-toe pink outfit.

snowing?
nope.
juggling?
yes. 

before heading back down the mountain, 
we put snow on the roof of our car.
which quickly slid to our hood.

chilly.

and before we knew it, 
we were on the road,

heading back home.

and thanks again to our sweet neighbors 
who dropped off some gifts for the kids before we headed out...

glow sticks in the backseat
all the way home!

621. spontaneity

622. snow

623. seat warmers

624. family fun

625. leaving the Christmas mess at home

oh how i adore you, pastels.

we have been doing lots and lots of 

art projects around here these days. 

medium of choice? 

pastels.

one of my favorites.

i absolutely love the richness that they offer. 

and here's a drawing D made for Gramma Pink.

earlier that morning, B told D that it was snowing in Pittsburgh. 

so, it's a picture of her shoveling snow.

this makes my heart melt.

i almost didn't put it in the package for her because i wanted to keep it for myself.

but i suppose a photo of it will suffice.

thank you to everyone who voted!

i was awarded 

top five blogs of 2010 

from the blog guidebook. 

i feel incredibly honored. 

incredibly.

616. listening to mickey mouse disco

(a very special thank you to Mrs. H and 

an even more special thank you to her dad, Mr. S)

617. K wearing her princess/butterfly dress-up clothes

618. saltine minis

619. more Christmas celebrations

620. pondering new year's resolutions