Parade of Lights.

Saturday night we packed up and headed downtown for the night. We stayed in a hotel, ate yummy pizza and tried to brave the cold to see the boys first parade- The Parade of Lights. We met the Kessler family, my cousin, Callie, and (almost) the Howard family. A mere 30 degrees and lots of people made it very interesting! Poor Eli did not even make it for the beginning of the parade. The only thing to keep him from crying were the horse drawn carriages we could see every now and again. Luckily, our hotel room looked out over the street so Eli and I enjoyed a warm, bird's eye view of the show while Matt and Luke had front row seats in the street below!

The next morning we went out for crepes (a new Luke and Eli favorite) and rode the shuttle bus up and down the 16t street mall. It was a fun little getaway!

Ski Time.

I truly think Matt had been waiting for this day for the past 3.5 years. The day he could take his son skiing. There is something about the mountains, snow and being outside that takes hold of Matt's heart and fills him with life. To share this with his son, will be his joy.

The whole family headed up to the mountain. Unfortunately, Eli was not feeling well that day so he and I spent most of the day in the warming hut not zooming around on the slw like we had hoped. Luke took a 1/2 day lesson. Afterward he and Matt did a few runs down the magic carpet and pretty much every day you can find him working on his "pizza" and "french fry" skills in the living room. Oh- and let me not forget- all of the snowboard tricks he does off of our ottoman.

Cheers to many fun days on the mountain!

Thankful Thanksgiving!

Before heading back home we spent a lovely Thanksgiving with Matt's family. His Aunt Sandy, Uncle Rudy and their children- Brett (his family) and Tara. They were so gracious to invite us as they already had a house full of guests! It was a feast with many laughs and lots of memories.

(My apologies for a lack of pictures and any of good quality. I traveled to California by myself with the children and there was only so much this pregnant momma could carry. The good camera didn't make the cut!)

It is amazing how the children are growing and learning every day. Uncle Rudy blessed the food and right after he finished his prayer, as we were all standing holding hands, Luke stepped forward and said that it was his turn. We all bowed our heads and listened to his sweet voice praise Our Lord. He thanked Him for putting a roof over our head, for delicious food, for helmets to keep our head safe, and for a wonderful family. As he spoke Eli walked around the circle shaking hands with all the pretty girls. My heart could have burst. It was a thankful Thanksgiving!

California- San Diego.

After spending a few days in Orange County we headed south to San Diego. Unfortunately, it was not much warmer there but there was lots of fun to be had. We stopped by Matt's cousin's house. His name is Brett and he has a wonderful wife, Stephanie. They have two little peanuts that are about the same age as Luke and Eli. Steph is also pregnant with her third little guy! It was such a wonderful time.

Luke loved Ryder's Chargers helmet. No worries though- he is still a Steelers fan.

The next day Luke tasted his first In-N-Out burger. He was not afraid or shy about it. We also played our first miniature golf game with Luke (he is addicted now and practices all the time) and then hit the beach.

Our last day was a full 8 hours at LegoLand. Brett and Ryder were able to join us! This was the highlight for the boys. Luke had been doing extra chores around the house for a month and had saved his money to help buy the ticket. He enjoyed every moment but nothing could top riding The Dragon roller coaster no less than 5 times. Here is The Dragon roller coaster Take 1!

Eli was not tall enough for many of the rides. So, we saw these airplanes for the better part of an hour.

I always wondered why people would spend a mini fortune to take their kiddos to amusement parks, concerts, shows. Now I know. It is to see a smile like this.

California- Orange County.

Last week we found ourselves, reuniting with old friends, splashing in the waves of a chilly yet gorgeous beach, laughing together, enjoying family and rejuvenating our hearts. Isn't that what vacation is all about?

Beautiful views from the St. Regis in Monarch Beach. Matt had earned a few free nights here, wow. Relaxing.

The weather was cold in California terms. We made it swimming in the hot tub twice, the beach and spent some time playing hide in seek in the courtyards.

The hotel provided a golf cart shuttle down to the beach. The boys thought this was the best! We enjoyed a wonderful dinner beachside with Matt's Uncle Rudy and Aunt Sandy. They also treated us to dinner at one of their restaurants- Savannahs. Yum. The only picture I took that evening is extremley blurry though:(

9-1-1, It was bound to happen.

Sometimes it is hard to tell if Luke and Eli are particularly rambunctious or if they are just being boys. I know they have lots of energy and laugh while jumping, spinning and flipping off just about anything in our house.

Yesterday I went to change the laundry in the basement, heard a scream and as I was running up the stairs heard Luke say, "Eli has blood." I walk in to find Eli holding his toothbrush (which he can be found doing about 25% of the day) full of blood and screaming. I picked him up, he was hysterical and I asked Luke what happened.

In Luke's terms, "I bumped him off the stool (in the bathroom where they brush their teeth) and he hit his head." There was a lot of blood and I was having trouble telling where it was coming from. I took Eli to the sink to wash him off but it just kept coming. I tried to lay him down but when I did that he started to whimper, his eyes fluttered and I had no idea what was happening. I called 911 thinking maybe he had a concussion. They instructed me to keep him upright.

Once they arrived Eli had calmed down and was waving at the firetrucks as they pulled up. We all thought the blood was coming from his mouth, the paramedic looked him over as best he could but stubborn Eli would not let go of me or let anyone look in his mouth. Turns out he had gashed his chin. We decided to forgo an ambulance ride and take him to our pediatrician to get it fixed up. Forget stitches, nowadays they have super glue. Within the hour he was as good as new, proud of his boo boo.

Lo and behold, ten minutes after this he fell out of the cart at Costco. Oh sweet love. Then proceeded to trip over his fire truck once we were home and get a fat lip.

Well, not my most stellar day as a mother.

Lesson learned~ Luke is very adventuresome and while Eli so wants and so tries to keep up with him, I need to set boundaries. If you were to ask Luke what my job as a mother is he will tell you, "To keep me safe and healthy." I am hoping these boundaries will do just that.

The many faces of Luke!