5 Month Old Elise & the Holidays!

The holidays are even more amazing with little kids :) We had a wonderful Thanksgiving starting the day with our annual tradition of running the Turkey Trot in the morning (I walked it with my mother-in-law and Elise and Luke ran with Ella :). My mom is a rock-star and runs ahead every year! It's so fun seeing the incredible turn-out and there are always a bunch of friends and acquaintances that we see along the way. My mom and some of the Whitledges joined us for breakfast afterwards and we spent the afternoon and evening with my dad's side of the family at the Astor/Gilchrist house! We are so lucky to have such a big family. Plus, Suzie's house is my absolute dream so I love getting to visit and check out their decor!

This Christmas was my favorite one yet because we got to experience it with Elise. Over break we got to do so many amazing things including pictures with Santa, trips to the mall, the Grove with our besties, Sawdust Festival, We Play Loud, Disney on Ice, the Gingerbread Academy at the St. Regis, and the Balboa Bay Club & Newport Boat Parade with the Bartolos. The endless holiday parties at work and with friends make the season even merrier. More than anything, I get to spend some quality time with my little ones with awesome play-dates in between. I'm so grateful for all of the fun activities we get to take part in! My absolute favorite day in December though had to be watching Ella perform in her Christmas pageant at school. I wasn't going to be able to attend since my students were performing as well the same day but, with not a second to spare, I made it to the church doors just as Ella's class started singing. The second she spotted me, she mouthed "Mommy! My mommy's here!" I had to fight back tears! She waved at us the entire time (Luke and Sally were already there :) and neglected to do any of the hand motions with the other kids that went with the song. The coolest part is, we got the the whole thing on video :) Truly priceless.

Decorating for the holidays is one of my favorite things and we had so much fun prepping and wrapping for the most wonderful time of the year. Having two weeks off always makes it easier to catch up on things around the house and visit with friends. Ella loved searching for our Elf on the Shelf, Sprinkle Heart, every morning and cozying up by the fire and staring at the tree lights every night. Elise loved tearing the bows off of presents and attempting to eat them and the wrapping paper. She is sitting up by herself already (she's almost 6 months!) but often leans forward when she's tired so it looks more like she's doing a yoga pose. We limited the Christmas presents substantially this year and it was the best decision ever. Clutter gives me anxiety and it was so nice having them each open only a few things since they get SO much from friends and family. Ella goes to a Presbyterian preschool so she taught us all about Jesus's birthday too :) We ended the 2 week vacay with a trip to Big Bear and were so unbelievably lucky because it happened to snow the night before we were supposed to drive up. Perfect weather, perfect conditions. Ella loved waking up and playing with her friends and in the snow ALL DAY LONG! Sledding and tubing were definitely their favorite. We enjoyed a low-key New Years Eve playing Mad Libs for 3 hours with the Whitledge Clan in our cabin. We might have to make that a tradition. We are starting off 2015 with a bang and moving at the end of January! As of now, the plan is to move into a house up the street at the end of March. While we wait, we might be enjoying a vacation rental on the beach so we will keep you posted. Always interesting over here!