December

Max tried skiing in Tahoe. Twice. He wants to go back again. His instructor is Melissa.

Mormor, Finn and Mommy went to San Francisco while Brent and Max were in Tahoe. The first time we visited Coit Tower (where unfortunately the elevator was closed due to repairs until mid-January) and the Ferry Building. The second time we drove across the Golden Gate Bridge to get a closer look, visited the indoor flower garden in Golden Gate Park and had lunch at a great spot somewhere in the "Russian Hill" area.

We spent a sunny day in Santa Cruz mountains and left with a Christmas tree.

Mormor, Max and Mommy went to see a Lucia celebration. Santa came to visit! He gave Max a present! He brought a present for Max! We looked for the reindeers and Santa's sleigh when we left. They must have just taken off.

We all went to Marlene and family in Half Moon Bay to celebrate Lucy's first birthday.

Christmas finally came. Max left cookies and milk out for Santa and an apple and a carrot for the reindeers. It was all gone! Max got lots of Christmas presents. His favorite gift was the razor scooter from Santa.

Mommy received a promotion at work.

We spend New Years Eve with our great friends and neighbors.

First trip to the slopes for the little man. As you can see, he was quite comfortable (at times). Admittedly, dad did a less-than-stellar job of bringing things that would make him feel at home (e.g. any toys--at all..., familiar videos, etc...). As such, there was an inordinate amount of sugar ingested over the weekend...

First day was really not productive. Dad (allegedly) forgot to feed Max breakfast so, by late morning, he was non-communicative and in a less-than-stellar mood. However, his little partner failed to show on day 2 (they pair the kids up and assign them instructors) so he effectively got a half-day, one-on-one lesson. Huge strides and he's ready for the pony lift now.

He came to us last night and told us that his teacher at preschool took his money and he didn't have any left for ski school. We assured him that he would be going back and we just confirmed reservations for the 18th. He's stoked...and so is dad.

Mastering tummy time

Advent candle holder

The advent candle holder has four candles. They are lit, one at a time, each of the four Sundays leading up to Christmas. Traditionally, the candles are surrounded by moss. We found our own moss while hiking in the Santa Cruz mountains the day before We placed the moss on the kitchen table before stuffing it into the candle holder. Three small spiders crawled out! Yikes! After all the occupants had moved out, all was okay. Max decorated with acorns and pine cones.

Christmas tree hunt

It is tradition in our house to bring home the Christmas tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. Today was the day. Sunny and beautiful. While everyone else fought over parking spaces at the mall, we went up into the Santa Cruz mountains hunting for our tree. I think you can tell from the pictures below that Max was having a great time running around in the forest, helping Dad to choose a tree. Max suggested a few that would be a perfect size for the White House or possibly Times Square. We left with a nice little Noble fir, more in size for our petite house. Tomorrow is decorating day!

Thanksgiving

We enjoyed a nice and laid back Thanksgiving with my Mom, Scott & Amanda and Todd at our house. Brent's turkey and home made cranberry sauce turned out great and I have to say that my stuffing and gravy were quite awesome. The day before, Max and Mormor created a turkey out of fruit. They used a cantaloupe melon for the body and a pomegranate for the head. When the head was attached to the body, some of the pomegranate juice ran. Max thought the turkey was bleeding and made sure to give the turkey some band aids...

Finn is a strong little guy and has been holding up his head well for quite a while now. Here are some pictures of Finn and big brother Max, who likes to help Finn practise his head holding exercises during tummy time.

Show me your muscles!

Max at his favorite spot - the ocean

My beautiful boys

Ready for a stoller ride with Mormor

Mormor (Grandma, Mom's side)

I can't believe my Mom has been visiting with us for almost a month! Originally, the plan was for her to stay with us for the month of November and as of the first of December, Finn would be going to daycare. The daycare plans did not go as well as planned and thankfully Mom agreed to extend her visit through the end of the year! Now we can stress less about the whole daycare issue AND we have the pleasure of having her spend and celebrating Christmas with us. Hopefully, we will have a daycare provider lined up for early January. I don't think we can talk her into staying longer...I so wish she lived closer!

Little did I know how hard it would be to divvy up my time between our two boys. I want to hug on them both just the same. Does each of them know how much I love them? What is Max thinking when I hold and care for Finn? I feel as if I am not enough. I guess all I can do is my best...

He giggles!

Finn has started to giggle and laugh out loud. It is so adorable. My little baby is growing so fast and is getting so big. I promise to post some more new photos soon.

Finn is rolling over!

Although Finn isn't loving "tummy time", my mom makes sure he practises daily. He is great at holding his head up! On Wednesday evening, he rolled over from his tummy to his back!

Twin Lakes - November 6

My boys

My first day back at work...November 1

Halloween