Christmas & New Years with Pop

It's Super Bowl Sunday, and I'm home sick while the rest of the family is having fun at our friends' house. I decided to make the most of the down time and finally finish my Christmas blogging!

My dad, also known as Pop around here, arrived the day before the Rodriguez/Taylor family went home. After they left, we exchanged gifts. There were lots of smiles and laughter as we enjoyed spoiling each other a little. Audrey LOVES stuffed animals, so you can see how excited she was to get this penguin Beenie Boo. I love how sweetly she was sharing it with Jackson too.

We spent the a lot of our time together just hanging out, playing games, and doing a little hiking nearby. It rained almost everyday over the break, so we were grateful to spend a little time outside!

On one of the rainy days we made our way into San Francisco to visit the Exploratorium. Everyone had fun playing and learning. I didn't get a picture of it, but one of the favorites was an exhibit that showed you what you would look like if you had a perfectly symmetrical face by flipping an image of half your face. Some people didn't look much different at all, and others looked really funny! We also made tornados, learned about engines, danced to some cool colored videos, and so much more.

For New Year's Eve, I threw together a last minute party for the kids. We hung balloons displaying the hourly countdown. We sped up the count down by starting at 6 PM and celebrating every half hour. At each "hour" the kids would pop a balloon and open a bag of clues, which eventually led to surprises and games. It was a fun way to pass the time, have some good conversations about everyone's values and perspectives on life, and to laugh and play the night away! We were disappointed to learn we couldn't watch the ball drop at midnight Eastern time, so we found an online countdown and put the kids to bed. The adults played more games and did a traditional cheers at midnight.

My dad also spent some time sketching with the kids while he was here, giving them tips, and inspiring them to try new things. After he left, I asked Jackson what his New Year's resolutions/goals might be for the year. He said he wanted to exercise more, practice being a good doctor, and become a good sketcher. I think Pop left an impression!

There are a few more pictures in the album.

Ringing in the New Year with the Tims Family!

Better late than never...right! The Tims Family came to CA to visit us around New Years!!! It was so wonderful to get to spend some time with them and to share our lives here in CA with them a little.

While they were here we checked out the Exploratorium, which is an amazing, hands-on science museum. We all had fun playing despite the large crowd.

When we finished at the museum we walked to Fisherman's Wharf for some cookies and hot chocolate and to see the sealions. Then we continued on to Ghirardelli Square. It made for a long, fun-filled day!

The next day was New Years' Eve, and we headed across the Golden Gate Bridge to Muir Woods to see the Redwood trees. We had a picnic in the car at the park before going on a hike. The trees were big and beautiful, and it was a gorgeous day! Unfortunately, we discovered Jackson still gets car sick on this trip...

We were all exhausted from our adventures so we ordered some delicious food and spent the evening relaxing. We did an online countdown for the kids so they didn't go to bed too terribly late. I'm pretty sure Barbara and Heath didn't make it until midnight either. I took a nap and woke up in time to ring in the new year with Ross and then headed off to bed.

Our next adventure was back in San Francisco at another science museum on New Years' Day. This time we went to the California Academy of Sciences. Since it was close to Christmas, they still had some reindeer on display. I think Barbara made the best reindeer!

The kids had all kinds of fun checking out the aquarium, the rainforest layers, learning about earthquakes and more.

After we'd seen all we could take in at the museum, we took our scooters out of the car and explored the paths and park in front of the museum.

The next day we took it a little easier. We let the kids play at the park behind our house and with all of their new toys. Then we went to eat at a nice restaurant that evening. Sadly, the Tims headed home the following day. We wish we could have stayed longer!!!

There are more pictures of our adventures in the album.

Christmas Wrap Up and New Years 2014

Just after Christmas, Ross and I made our way to Atlanta to attend an engagement party for my cousin, Meg, and her fiancé, Matt. My dad kept the kids here in Houston so we could enjoy some time with my mom's side of the family. My grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins were all there! I'm not sure when the last time that happened was. We really enjoyed getting to catch up with everyone a little, and it was so special to be there to celebrate with Meg, Matt, his family, and their friends! It was a quick trip, but an even quicker turn around when we got home.

We walked in the door, thanked my dad for his help, grabbed our second set of bags since they were packed before we left, and hit the road again in about an hour. We headed to Leakey, TX just in time to wrap up Christmas with Ross' family and celebrate the New Year!

Everyone was excited to exchange gifts again, but the kids (big and small) were also excited to get to take a swing at a Santa piñata this year.

There was a bit of drama surrounding New Years this year. Leslie and Philip are hoping to adopt another baby soon, and we were all teased by the possibility of a baby girl coming home with them on New Years Day. Unfortunately, this was a sad case of a family trying to play the system. We're all continuing to trust God's plans for the families they encounter, as well as for Leslie, Philip, and Mitchell.

Because of this drama, Ross and I rang in the New Year playing games and watching the various celebrations on TV by ourselves at Leslie and Philip's house with Jackson, Audrey, and Mitchell sound asleep in their beds. The next morning we took the kiddos for a ride on the ranch, which they LOVED! There were lots of requests to go faster, and we decided to let Bailey chase us for a little while to get some exercise. I don't think the kids knew she could run so fast!

Leslie and Philip returned home, we said our goodbyes, and we headed home to Houston where I got to have a couple of days at home before the next trip!