Home for the Holidays

With all of our moving in the past few years with schooling/internships/jobs we haven’t really been able to set down roots anywhere, so whenever I get to go back home it is so nice to be around the family and feel that sense of permanence we sometimes lack with what feels like a constant impending move on the horizon. This year was our year to have Christmas with Jake’s family, but since Brittany and Leon are on the East coast and had to split their holiday trip between CA and Arizona, for part of my Christmas Jake flew me and Brenn to CA Christmas night so we would get to spend at least a couple days with the Johnson's before they headed to Arizona. (And boy oh boy, to make that trip in an hour and forty-five mins versus the 10-hour car ride…it was pure nirvana!) Jake was a trooper and drove he and Carder out the next day to join us.

Our first day there we had a girls day. It was so weird to not have Carder to chase around (there were several points in the day I didn't know what to do with myself), and Brenn was just content to chill in her bucket while we did our shopping and lunch with the Mama and the sisters.

Brenn being the best lunch date ever catching some z's so the mama could eat in peace while she was content snuggling her Sophie the Giraffe

To say that Ellie loves babies is probably the understatement of the century. She is obsessed with baby dolls and then to have a real life baby in her midst...oh my...so much love to give :)

Once Jake and Carder got there we celebrated the one night the whole family was going to be together by going to FUJIS in San Diego...

The kids were obsessed with the fish pond in the foyer...

Mimi helped entertain Carder while we waited to be seated.

We all stuffed ourselves to the brink and probably consumed more white sauce then should be allowed, but my oh my was it delicious!

My mom had pulled out some matchy jammies for the girls, so of course they had to wear them and man did those two look cute...

And then Ellie just had to get that Baby...

Ellie's prized possession she acquired from Santa was this baby stroller. She would push it around everywhere, and was very particular who could touch it (I am pretty sure her list included only herself and her daddy). Well some how Brenn ended up in that stroller being pushed around the house like the queen of Sheba (she quite enjoyed that one) and Ellie quite enjoyed getting to take care of her baby.

Carder was so happy to get to spend some time with Jaxon, his best bud in the whole wide world. They are such little goof balls when the get together, but boy do they figure out how to have the best time ever with each other...

(Here is them doing one of their favorite past times...making the strangest faces they possibly can while their mom/mimi tries to get a normal picture of them)

Since we weren't there for Christmas Eve, on New Years Eve the boys decorated some gingerbread men. Now don't tell me these aren't the strangest looking gingerbread men you ever did see. The boys had quite a jolly good time coming up with their creations, it was a hoot hearing them describe them. I am pretty sure the candy cane across Carders gingerbread mans chest was his barbell for lifting weights and the lollipop under it was his sword wound...where do these kids come up with this stuff?!?

We had such a fun time with everybody...we can't wait til we get to see you all again!!!