Grandma & Grandpa's Christmas Gift

Rather than a traditional Christmas gift this year, we took Grandma and Grandpa on a family trip to Disneyland. They hadn't been there in over 20 years.



Aaron's cousin Brianna joined us as well.



The classic submarine ride has finally re-0pened with a Finding Nemo theme. It was the ride Aaron wanted to go on most (Daddy too! My favorite as a child).



The wait in line was far too long but the ride was great.

Petting zoo

The strip mall across the street has a petting zoo from time to time to draw in customers. Aaron and I took a walk over today; he particularly liked the kangaroo.

Getting the Christmas Tree

It never fails that the day we get our tree is always the warmest day of December.



Selecting and decorating a tree is more of an "art" for Bridget so Aaron and I default to her expertise. We pretend we're reindeer and play hide-and-seek.



Getting the tree home is just the beginning. Decorating fills up the rest of the day!

This year's Gingerbread Creation

Every year I create a gingerbread 'house' for the holidays. It's not often a house though, and this year was no exception as I did a Noah's Ark. I do use patterns, lest you think I create them completely out of my head! They are entirely edible though and take me about a week to make, working each evening. This one was given away at the Fielding Graduate University holiday party through the present raffle.

Sledding at the Zoo!

The Santa Barbara Zoo had a special event honoring their snow leopard, and they had a small hill with two sled runs and real snow! I took Aaron sledding. He fell off the first time; these first pics are immediately before (in line) and after the fall (walking away in tears).



It took me the rest of the day...and a hotdog.... to convince him to try again. But he did like throwing snowballs at me!

Happy Birthday Mommy!

Although we celebrated Bridget's birthday over the weekend, Aaron and I made sure to have a small party for her on the "actual" day.



Aaron was free pick out a gift for his mommy and he chose a Transformer (StarScream). It's the thought that counts but... we're working on his gift-giving skills. Daddy's present more than made up for it.