Christmas in San Clemente (Part Deux)

Christmas Eve day we headed on over to Derek's parents house in San Clemente to celebrate with them and spent about 2 weeks just hanging out and enjoying the down time.

We were lucky enough to have John and Scott cook Christmas Eve dinner for us....and what a spread it was!

That night, after tubbies and tucking the boys in, Mr. and Mrs. Claus were busy assembling toys and presents for Christmas morning.

*first and only so far matching outfits. I must admit, it is pretty darn cute :)*

This was truly Christmas morning.....all the things that Jack had so sweetly written to Santa about and told him earlier in the week were there. I know that Jack and Teddy loved all the attention they were getting!

*hm....so Santa really did eat the milk and cookies!*

And of course the BIG BOY BIKE! Now doesn't that smile on Jack's face just make it all worth it? Pure happiness!

Teddy's first Christmas....was spent mostly trying to figure out how he could fit that big bow in his mouth....

We spent the rest of the morning relaxing and playing with our new Christmas gifts.

*no we do not teach our children how to flip off the camera!*

We love coming to Gma and Papa's house and looking at the twinkle lights. Jack and I decided to have our own little photo shoot....he loves to be the photographer.

Angry Birds was the new phenomenon around the house....it has become the bain of my existence.

Hanging out on the Beach...oh how I miss the beach! Jack was in heaven!

We loved being able to see friends, go to the beach, run the beach trail, surf, shop and just hang out! We miss it and everybody already! Thanks for a great week all!!!

My little guy is 3!

Over the break, Jack turned 3! We woke him up with a decorated room and headed over to HARBOR HOUSE for a delicious "waffle dip dip" breakfast in his jammies :)

This birthday could not come soon enough. He has been so excited for his 'Pirate' birthday party. We decided to throw him a little party at my in-laws house with just a few of his Southern CA buddies. This was my first real kid party, so I had fun coming up with ideas and activities for the kids.

We got this giant cardboard pirate ship the kids could color and play in. Actually all 7 of the kids fit in it at one point!

We also decorated foam pirate swords and have sword fights in the garage. Uncle Tyson was a great sport and played too and even held Jack ransom :)

We played pin the sword on the pirate skeleton.

Had a treasure Hunt.

Of course we sang to Jack and had cupcakes.

Jack was in heaven. To have pirate stuff, friends, family, and chocolate....his world was perfect!

*opening family gifts*

Turning 3 meant graduating out of nursery and into Sunbeams! We took him on Sunday to his new church class, and got a little choked up. Our little guy is growing up. He has been so much fun!...he is little sounding board and sponge constantly asking questions and learning new things and new words. He can navigate a computer and ipod....angry birds is his favorite. His attention span is getting bigger and he is getting more and more independent. He is still the best brother to Teddy! We just love him and are excited for all that he'll learn in the next year.

Christmas in Newport (Part 1)

Derek had a 6 week long break between semesters (it's still going on right now). We decided to drive on down to Southern CA and enjoy some R&R as a family.

The first week we spent in Newport with my family. It has been nice to have my family come out to CA the past couple of years so that we get to see both families over the holidays. My entire family gathered together....I was in heaven, and definitely all the grandkids were in heaven! The only bummer was that it rained almost the entire week straight! So we did a lot of hanging out at the condo, hot tubbing in the rain, and finally just ignoring the rain and got wet anyway! From the Newport boat parade to Fashion Island excursions to trips to Main Beach Laguna we had fun and still enjoyed the outdoors.

Building Forts and Building Blocks

*Oh to be a fly on that wall....

Playing Games

Snuggles from Grandma and our Christmas hotel decorations

Outings in the drizzling rain at Main Beach in Laguna

Sophia and Jack share a birthday, so we decided to celebrate Sophia's early this year and let her have the spotlight. We had delicious cupcakes (seriously the best ever by Hannah), had a dance party, and played Ghost in the Graveyard. I love how kids are so easily entertained! Jack was talking about Ghost in the Graveyard for days!

Went to Fashion Island to see Santa. The photo of Jack on Derek's shoulders is when he catches a glimpse of Santa. Jack was SO excited to tell him that he wanted a Big Boy Bike. It was fun to have his little cousins with him :)....even though poor Zooey girl didn't think much of Santa...

To make Christmas work for all families and in-laws, we bumped it a few days ahead to enjoy the festivities together. Christmas Eve was filled with talent show, great photo montage videos by Mom, and of course the Live Nativity.

Christmas morning we woke up to Santa's footprints, presents and stockings. Jack really understands and 'gets Christmas' now. Kids make the holidays so much fun!

*giving Gma and Gpa their handmade ornament from Jack

Thanks for making such a memorable Christmas everyone~....even with the rainy weather.

*disclaimer.....we had just woken up Jack from a nap and Teddy needed one...

Tubby Time

Teddy had a few blowouts over the break....and this is how he got bathed. His bottom two teeth broke through just before Christmas, and we are all hoping this teething process will be done soon! He is starting to figure out how to scoot around a bit and can even balance sitting up (with me well within catching distance!). He is in love with his brother Jack, and it is so cute to see the mutual affection...Jack regularly mentions that he can't wait til Teddy gets bigger to play toys with him. It just melts my heart....let's hope it stays that way!

(and yes, I did just notice the bubble coming out of Teddy's bum....how embarassing!)

Oakland Temple

Just before we left for the Holiday break, we went to the Oakland Temple to check out the lights and meet up with some friends. Jack loves temples! His favorite song is I Love To See The Temple and he loves to see and talk about Temples.

He obviously had fun running around with his partner in crime, Eve.

The Nielsons

Our Fam

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

We are off to Southern California to hang out with both of our families for the Christmas/School break. So without my desktop, I'll be taking a blogging hiatus. Have a safe and happy holiday with family and friends!