It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.

We're back from spending a long weekend in Newport Beach with my parents. The weather was beautiful, Disneyland was wonderful...

...and then we started getting sick.

Friday night I went to Urgent Care and was diagnosed with strep. Then at 3 am Levi was throwing up. He seemed fine by Saturday morning, so after naps we headed to Disney's California Adventure and stayed until about 9:30. Then at 11 pm Camille started throwing up. Then at 5 am on Sunday it was my turn.

Somehow we made it back home, but I was very much under the weather all day yesterday, and still not back to 100% today. But I'm happy to be home!

And I'm happy that we were able to still have a nice time at the parks. Camille loved meeting the characters (though Levi would hardly look at them, and certainly wasn't interested in meeting them) and both kids did well on the rides. Their favorite thing by far were the carousels. I think they would have ridden those all day if we'd have let them! Camille also got to go for a little walk with Sleeping Beauty and she was just tickled pink. It was a sweet few moments I'll never forget!

paper dolls

Yesterday my mom helped Camille make a few paper dolls from scraps of construction paper.

So I'd like to introduce you to Aaron, myself, Armando, and Auntie Megan!

 They are darling little dolls, and I can't help but notice that Armando and Megan have gigantic smiles.

Megan will be visiting us for a couple days this week. Camille is so excited!

because they grow so fast

painting with boppa

The kids had fun sitting on the porch the other day painting with my dad. Camille has always loved painting, and got some new paints from her grandma for Christmas.

And of course there's no way Levi could be left out of such fun! (By the way, we're pretty sure he's going to be a lefty.)

We're enjoying our first warm winter. Highs this week have been in the mid 70s and we're taking advantage by eating lunch outside and visiting the neighborhood parks. 

merry christmas

One thing is for sure, this Christmas is different from any other we've had as a family! It's been quite a year, and Aaron and I feel that we are abundantly blessed. 

This year we are spending Christmas at home with my parents in San Diego, just the six of us. Really, it's like any other weekend. Except we can feel just how special this Christmas weekend is. For over a month now we've been talking with the kids about getting ready to celebrate Jesus' birthday. We've read stories about his birth, we've been doing Jesse Tree devotions every night.

And it all comes down to these special days we get to spend as a family remembering the sacrifice that God was making for us when he was born in the flesh. A tiny baby who came into the world to save a sinful humanity.

Yes, today and tomorrow we are remembering the birth of Christ. And we are thanking Him for the love and hope He gives us each and every day. 

Blessings to you all as you celebrate during this special time of year! And...

From our family to yours!

practicing

Can you guess what Camille was practicing for this afternoon?

In just a few weeks she is going to be a flower girl in my cousin's wedding. And after her practice session this afternoon, I'm proud to say that she is a professional flower petal dropper!

And this...

...is why Levi wasn't asked to drop flower petals in the wedding!

what we're reading

Here's a list of the books we've been reading lately:

At bedtime we're back to reading The Jesus Storybook Bible every night. Then before we say good night to Camille either Aaron or I will read a chapter or two from On the Banks of Plum Creek.

When we want to read a Christmas story we read The Night Before Christmas, The Polar Express, The Nativity, and Room for A Little One.

Levi's favorite books these days are The Song and Dance Man, The Little Blue Truck,  and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, and Caps For Sale.

Camille is really into Chicka Chicka 123, which we recently picked up from the library. She also likes me to read Charlott's Web, A New Coat For Anna, and Blueberries for Sal. After naptime we've been doing something "school" related, so she often does a few pages from one of her Kumon workbooks. I just picked up one with mazes and this one with cut and paste jigsaw puzzles. She thinks they're the best!

I've read quite a few books lately, but the ones I've enjoyed the most are The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and The Same Kind of Different As Me. I just started reading Shepherding A Child's Heart and am looking forward to learning about this biblical approach to parenting.