Birch Aquarium

Now that we know we're moving this summer, it's time to ramp up our exploration of the San Diego area!  There is so much to do here for families and kids that we'd probably never be able to do it all, but we're going to try.

The Saturday after Christmas, Zach and I took the kids to the Birch Aquarium in La Jolla.  They absolutely loved it, especially Hannah.  At each tank, she would point and squeal and say "Wow! Ooooh!" and it was pretty adorable.  Dan and Ben really liked the outdoor area where they could reach in and touch things.  Everybody had a great time and I'm glad we had a beautiful day to enjoy a really cool place.

Christmas morning presents

Santa (and all of our out-of-town relatives via Amazon) was very good to us this year!  In the weeks leading up to Christmas, our postal carrier said to me, "You're keeping me in business with all these packages!"  You're welcome, USPS.  

As usual, Dan was the first one up on Christmas morning.  He and Ben opened their stockings while Zach woke up lazy Hannah.  Then they all ripped into the good stuff under the tree.  I need to hire a professional photographer some year to take staged pictures of the kids opening presents because my efforts were a little sad.  Lots of pictures of shirtless backsides.  Rest assured that they loved everything.  Thank you to everyone who sent presents to us this year!  

More Hodgepodge

Just a few more random pictures!  The first few were from the birthday party to end all birthday parties.  Dan's classmate, Madeline, turned six a few days before Christmas and invited a bunch of kids (like 25 or so) to her house.  Midway through the party, the doorbell rang and Santa arrived, with a bag full of presents!  Each kid was called, by name, to receive their present and sit on Santa's lap.  Dan was in heaven, especially since the presents were small Lego Creator sets.  He also decorated cookies, jumped on the trampoline, played soccer, and ate a ton of junk.  

A few days before Christmas--80 degrees and at the pool:

At the church Christmas pageant.  Dan was the star that led the wise men and Ben was a cow in the manger (he refused to be a sheep, because sheep are "boring").  

Out to dinner with Tom and his friend from L.A.:

Opening Presents, Round 1

Christmas came early for Dan and Ben and Hannah this year!  My parents brought presents from them, Layne and Alex, Aunt and Unc, and Great-Grandma.  Good thing they drove their sleigh (i.e. a Honda CRV) from Kansas to California.  Zach and I also did well this year, with a FitBit for me (10,000 steps a day is fairly easy when chasing around three maniacs, unsurprisingly), good knives for Zach, and lots of other great stuff.

My dad restored and painted this rocking chair and baby bed that actually belonged to my mom when she was little.  Hannah loves wrapping up her baby doll and putting her to bed in her new crib.  It's fairly adorable.

Pre-Christmas Hodgepodge

I know I'm way behind on posts, so this one is just going to be a catch-all for lots of pre-Christmas activities.  My parents visited from the 14th-20th and we made it down to Pt. Loma to check out some Christmas lights.  They were also able to be here for the boys' holiday program at school, which was pretty darn cute.  On the last night of their visit, we opened the presents that Santa accidentally brought to Kansas and Oklahoma and that my parents drove out to California (but that will be in a separate post).  We had a great time with them and can't wait until my mom comes back out in February.

Christmas tree shopping:

Around the house:

Garrison Street in Pt. Loma:

Pageant day at school:

Cael's birthday party:

Shopping break:

Class party day: