Christmas '10

Although we celebrate Hanukkah at home, we thoroughly enjoy Christmas fun at Grandma Sherry and Grandpa John's. A couple of weeks ago the kids and I helped to trim their tree. It is a tradition we started last year, and I really love it. On Christmas day, we spent the afternoon at the Magers' along with Bryan and my parents.

Our VIP

Alanna is the VIP in her class this week. She was so excited for her week to arrive. We made a picture timeline that is displayed in the classroom. She had to share it with the class on Monday and children were able to ask questions and comment on the photos. She gets to sit in a special chair in front of the "learning carpet," dismiss children to their tables, hold the flag during The Pledge of Allegiance, be the line-leader, etc...

Hiking

My Fam

Smile for the camera

Just act like yourself

Hanukkah at Mel and Pete's

On Saturday we headed up to Sacramento for our annual Hanukkah celebration and sleepover at Mel and Pete's. The kids had a blast playing with their Auntie Mel. She is one fun lady! Justin and Pete did a fantastic job cooking the latkes (with Dad's supervision!). It was a great weekend.

Camping at Lawson's Landing

Yesterday morning we drove out to Dillon Beach with Mel, Pete, and their pups. We spent the night in their new trailer. The kids had such a blast playing at the beach after lunch. In the afternoon our friends Katie, Rex, Madelyn, and Mackenzie came to visit and have dinner with us. We had fun making obstacle courses, playing Uno, and "duck, duck, goose" with the kids. This morning Alanna and I hiked up giant sand dunes with my sister. It started to rain around 10am, so we packed up the car and headed home. Camping may become a new post-Thanksgiving tradition.

Thanksgiving '10

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you had a wonderful day celebrating with those that you love. Our holiday started off rocky, because Ethan woke up with a fever. It was quite stressful trying to prepare dinner and cuddle my sick little guy. Thank goodness Mel and Pete came down Wednesday night and were here to help in the kitchen and entertain Alanna. By 3:00pm, E's fever was up to 104.2F (on meds) and he was definitely not feeling very well, so Justin, Ethan, and I took a little trip down to the ER (doctor's office was closed). I am glad to report that we were in and out of the ER within an hour (SO lucky!) and Ethan only has an ear infection, which is easily treated with antibiotics. It was awesome to return home to a house filled with family. I believe Thanksgiving dinner was a great success. Our evening definitely ended on a higher note!

Vegas Baby!

On Thursday, Justin and I left for a little get-away with our friends Susan and Brad. Susan and I met at the Good Samaritan Hospital "New Mothers' Group," when Alanna was 3 months old. We often got together multiple times a week for play dates, before we moved up north. Susan and Brad love to go to Vegas to eat at nice restaurants and see Cirque de Soleil shows. We always thought it would be fun to go together. Well, we finally made it happen last week! We arrived Thursday afternoon and came home Saturday evening. We ate delicious food; my favorite meals were dinner at Mon Ami Gabi, and brunch at Bouchon. We also saw "O" on Friday night. On Saturday we met up with Anne and Wyman Chu (my friend Carolyn's parents) who moved to Henderson from NY about 6 years ago. We had delicious dim sum in China Town and got to see their home. We had a great time in Vegas, but were definitely excited to come home to A & E on Saturday.

The Zoo

While Mommy & Daddy were in Vegas for a couple of days, Grandma Ellen & Grandpa Barry took the kids to the SF Zoo. Alanna & Ethan had a fantastic time. Thanks Mom & Dad for babysitting!

Happy Halloween

The kids had a great time trick-or-treating tonight!

Our little monkey

Rosetta, the garden fairy

Trick-or-treating with friends (L-R) Mackenzie, Madelyn, Alanna, Hannah, & Ethan

Bikes

The kids have been enjoying riding around our new neighborhood. We can do a complete circle without having to a cross the street. Alanna is definitely becoming more confident on her bike and likes to zoom ahead. Ethan is hysterical and calls the trike his, "bike ride."

Bedtime Story

Alanna came into Ethan's room last night with her Open Court Reading books from school, and announced that she would read Ethan his bedtime stories. My heart melted as I watched Alanna snuggle up to her brother and read him five books all by herself. I am so glad I got to capture some of it on video. These are the moments you treasure forever, enjoy.

What's up?

A couple of weeks ago, Ethan was having fun wearing Justin's hat. Hope you enjoy the quick video!

Alanna is Five!

Where does the time go? It is hard to believe our sweet girl turned five on Sunday! We celebrated her birthday with family and friends at a pumpkin patch in Healdsburg. Despite the cold, rainy weather we had a wonderful time.

Oh Brother...

I guess when you have a big sister, it's not surprising that you end up wearing dress-up clothes once in awhile.

Tinkerbell & Snow White

Vino

Saturday morning we headed up to Healdsburg with Mel and Pete. I won a raffle prize at a Mothers' Club event for a boxed lunch from the Oakville Grocery Co. and private tasting at Dry Creek Vineyard. The tasting was awesome, we took a tour of the winery and then tasted in one of the wine cellars. After lunch, we stopped by Truett-Hurst and enjoyed wine down by the creek. Such a fun time with the fam!