Soooooo late on the blog updates...as usual we have been really busy and in addition, this month we have been sick too!
Christmas #1
Per our tradition, we celebrated our first Christmas of the year with Papa Peter and Grandma Shelly in Redding. We always LOVE going to Redding, where we can relax and eat lots of Shelly's yummy creations! As soon as Dan got home from work on Friday Dec. 11th, we jumped in the Tahoe and headed north on I-5. We spent Friday through Sunday in Redding and were lucky to be joined by Uncle Kevin/Auntie Michelle/Cousin Kaiya, Auntie Steph/Uncle Dan, and Auntie Shawna/Jeff! Mia truly LOVES spending time with her Aunties and Uncles and enjoys playing with her Cousin Kaiya (as long as Kaiya doesn't try to kidnap Baby Hectorina!).
Mia pushing Baby Hectorina in her new stroller.
Saturday night we spent eating our prime rib Christmas dinner and opening presents! It didn't take Mia long to remember how to open the presents. She was THRILLED to get a new stroller and baby! Per our tradition as well, we headed to the casino after presents...with the exception of Mia's mommy who was WAY too tired to go. Thankfully, Daddy won a little bit of money.
Opening presents with Daddy
Oh, Wow...a new baby!!
We were SO sad to leave the next day, but as you can tell from the pic...Mia was EXHAUSTED!!
Christmas #2....Christmas Eve
Keeping with tradition, we spent Christmas Eve with Gammy and Bill in Discovery Bay. We timed our drive with Mia's nap which was nice because we had a very well rested little girl when we
arrived! Joining us for Christmas Eve at
Gammy's were Uncle Kevin/Auntie Michelle/Cousin
Kaiya and Auntie
Steph/Uncle Dan/Cousin Louie Dog. We spent our first Christmas Eve in the new Discovery Bay home. Mia and
Kaiya discovered that they LOVED running in circles around the new house. After lots of yummy appetizers, we had nice dinner and delicious desserts! Mia LOVED all the play food she got as well as a cute new outfit and a special new pair of pink
Uggs that her Gammy brought her from Australia. Although she loved all the gifts, the highlight of Mia's evening was the bubble gun that Gammy brought from Australia. Mia,
Kaiya, and Louie LOVED all the bubbles!
Gammy brought back this super cool bubble gun from Australia
Mia's new tea set
Daddy, Mommy, Mia & Baby Hectorina
Auntie Steph, Uncle Dan, Cousin Louie Dog
Mia feeding baby in her new hat and matching backpack
Christmas #3
We were all so excited to have Uncle Roger/Auntie
Mika/Cousins Ellie,
Nisa, and
Maile with us for Christmas! They arrive on the Wednesday before Christmas and their first stop on their way into town was at John's Incredible Pizza! Although it was a late night for everyone, we were so excited to be able to take all the girls since it is without a doubt their favorite destination! After playing all the games, choosing prizes and eating dessert Ellie and
Nisa came back to our house for a sleepover!
Slumber party in Mia's room!
On Christmas Eve, our house was packed! In addition to Ellie and Nisa spending the night, we also had Doc/Gram and Uncle Roger/Auntie Mika/Cousin Maile. After this sleepover, we became more convinced than ever that we NEED a bigger home!
When we awoke Christmas morning, the kids were THRILLED to see that Santa had come!!! Santa brought Mia a new kitchen! She was so excited to be able to cook in her kitchen with all her new food and the pots and pans that Mommy and Daddy bought her. She also loved her new American Girl Doll Bitty Baby that Uncle Mark and Cousin Monte Dog brought her, the baby gear from Doc and Gram, and the horse stable and horses from her Uncle Roger and family!
Mia cooking in her new kitchen
Playing with Doc
After opening presents, we headed to the Great Grandparents house! GG Fay and Boppa Wayne hosted Christmas Dinner for the Thomas family. It was a nice end to a long day to spend time with our extended family. It was funny to see, but the highlight of the entire day were the balloons on rubber bands that came from Auntie Annie/Uncle Doug/Cousins Jeff and Holly! They were so simple, but definitely the hit of the day!!!
Happy Family!
After playing for 1 1/2 hours, we moved to the party room where we ate pizza and watched a slide show that the staff had put together from the pictures they took during the party. After this, we all sang "Happy Birthday" and Mia blew out the candle on her cupcake!
Mia had SO much fun at her party that she passed out in the car as soon as we pulled out of the parking lot!
After the party, we headed back to our house where we had a small gathering of family and friends for dinner. Mia spent a large portion of the evening in her new wagon with her friend Dylan!
Life's a little better now!
