First Christmas

This was a Christmas of a lot of "firsts". First Christmas for n. First Christmas that k was excited that it was Christmas. First Christmas in our new home. First Christmas with overnight guests...D's brother and sister.

Christmas Eve we had dinner at Capital Seafood in Diamond Jamboree. We had enough leftovers for lunch the next day!





$12 Peking duck special, which we had to fight with one of the waiters to get (he wanted to charge us $24, even though there was a sign outside listing the special, and the waiter who took our order said we could get the special since it was only a few minutes before 5 p.m.)

Saturday morning we had oven baked french toast with blueberry sauce and scrambled eggs and sausage. We opened our presents. k and n received a wagon from D's parents. They like riding together.


k likes to pretend she is "working" on her new laptop:


We went to Laguna in the morning, and it was very warm outside. After the kids woke up from their naps we went to my parents' for dinner. My parents bought a Wii, so some people tried it out. (I will wait until there's less people to watch me make a fool out of myself).


My BIL made a roast and Yorkshire pudding.


My mom made the log cake that my family requests every year. D's brother made a pecan pie at our house and brought it over. Very impressive.

A sweet end to a nice day spent with family.

Merry Birthday

k's birthday was on Monday, so we went to Disneyland. (D pointed out that we could have gone any of the days prior to her birthday and she would still have had free admission. Oh yeah, didn't really think about that). Anyway, only k and my sister (who has an annual pass) actually went inside the park. D, n and I just hung out at Downtown Disney for a couple of hours. k had to go on her favorite ride, It's a Small World, of course. She reported back that the dolls were alternating between Jingle Bells and the It's a Small World theme song.

I would have liked to see how the park was decorated. We had a small taste from the outside. (I enjoyed watching Guy Fieri's Disneyland holiday special...those candy canes are amazing!) I saw the candy apples at Marceline's candy shop and they are quite labor intensive. Still don't think they are worth $8.95, though.







We ducked into the Grand Californian. It didn't feel like we were still in Disneyland. Very swanky, and love that tall Christmas tree!



After lunch, we opened presents. k received Duplos from D's parents. We had fun browsing at the Lego store at Downtown Disney. I have a feeling I'm going to have lots of fun with Legos once k and n become more interested. I didn't have many Legos as a kid, but I did have a nice K'nex set. I credit that toy with my penchant for putting together Ikea furniture.

Rancho Santa Margarita Christmas Light Display

Tonight we trekked down the 241 toll road ($1.50 each way) to see the Christmas light displays on a cul-de-sac in RSM anchored by 20 El Corzo. We parked our car nearby and walked around from house to house and k had a lot of fun! I really enjoyed the attention to detail that a lot of the displays showed. The thought and work that this group of neighbors put into their displays is quite evident. We went early, just after 5 p.m., so not all of the lights were on yet. However, I think everyone had their lights on by 5:20, so we were able to see everything lit up, without all of the crowds.


Seriously, where do they keep all of these decorations when they are not on display?? This is the anchor house, which I believe started it all. They also had music piped through outdoor speakers.


Can you find Nemo?

D's favorites: the gondolas (they move back and forth!)


and the snowboarders in a half-pipe

(they're mechanized, too).

k liked the singing penguin and santa on one neighbor's doorstep...here she is pretending to be a penguin.



n seemed quite interested in everything, too!

It was kind of interesting that in the midst of all of the santas, snowmen, reindeer, etc., there was a tasteful nativity scene at one of the homes. A nice reminder of the real reason for our celebration.


Afterward we went down Portola looking for a place to eat. This is highly unlike us, as we usually know exactly where we want to eat and do research beforehand. However, we took a gamble and decided on La Sirena Grill. D had the carne asada burrito and I had the grilled vegetable quesadilla. A little pricey for a fast-casual joint, but we enjoyed it. Everything tasted fresh, and not greasy. I really liked the generous scoop of fresh guacamole that came with both of our dishes. Afterward we shared Golden Spoon underneath the heat lamps in the nice outdoor seating area of the shopping center. It felt nice and cozy, even in the middle of December!

Six Days and Counting

Last night Santa stopped in our neighborhood, and he was announced by sirens and a bullhorn. Quite exciting, although k said she was scared of "the white thing"--(Santa's beard).

n enjoyed the candy cane Santa handed out. Well, at least he enjoyed chewing on the plastic wrapper on the outside of the candy cane since he's too young.


I made a Christmas tree for k's dollhouse. I have many more ideas for her dollhouse swirling around in my head, if only I had the time.


Last weekend I was able to complete my set of Tokidoki Yogurtland spoons.

Still working on my state quarter set, though. Two more to go, I think. There is something so satisfying about having a complete set of something.

k's 3rd Birthday Party

Saturday morning we hosted 40+ people in our home for k's 3rd birthday party. The theme was "breakfast" and we invited people to come in their pjs. Unfortunately, it was raining, but everyone made it. We had egg casserole, scrambled eggs, mini pigs in a blanket, turkey sausage, yogurt parfaits, mini muffins, mini quiches and made to order pancakes. I sewed up some favor bags out of a cute flannel print I found at Joann's that had eggs, coffee, toast, etc. Some of the kids made necklaces out of Froot Loops and Honeycomb cereal. The finale was a "cake" made out of mini krispy kreme donuts. k seemed kind of overwhelmed and was quiet throughout the party. She did blow out her own candles, though. Once everyone left, she was running around and yelling...she has quite the split personality.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

I loved being indoors today during our first big rainfall. k says she likes it better rainy rather than sunny.

This year I made stockings for each family member. The plan is to add a little "flair" each year to make them more personalized. We don't have a mantel, so I made do with Command hooks on our Expedit. Stocking stuffers are my favorite type of gifts to buy. Actually, Command hooks would make good stocking stuffers!



k knows which one is hers.


k's newest ornament from Uncle & Auntie: Hello Kitty as snowman. Too cute. Maybe she should have an HK collection. I think my collection of penguin ornaments has reached completion. When I started, penguins were hard to come by, but now they are everywhere, so the fun of the "hunt" is not there anymore. I am thinking my next collection will be food/kitchen themed ornaments.

Funny comment by k: After tasting a spoonful of my straight-from-the-can Campbell's tomato soup, "Mommy, you're a good cooker!"

In the Blink of an Eye

Our babies are growing up!