Christmas 2011

Holy smokes...Ok, we'll never get through 2011 at this rate (and not sure why Blogger insists this post was published 10/25/2011...today is definitely 4/14/2012). How about a Christmas post? Well, let's see, what do we remember about Christmas 2011?

We went to California! There was a newly born cousin to meet and we somehow scored a house-sitting gig right in San Francisco. But, boy, is it a long drive. Some of us were very excited to stretch our legs at Turtle Bay in Redding.



A nice spot to stop along the way - there was lots of nature stuff to explore, a little aquarium, some historical stuff, and the Sundial Bridge.









That was fun. Ok, back in the car, rush down to SF before sundown! We settled into our borrowed quarters without major incident and got a long, good night's sleep. In the morning, we explored the nearby Japantown neighborhood, the ___ Mall, and the Peace Pagoda...but not without a bit of silliness to start the day.



The mall was neat, in an intercultural experience kind of way. Us kiddos mainly had fund chasing pigeons and seagulls around the Peace Pagoda.









Then it was time to go see AB, UJ, and new Cousin Hunter! We enjoyed meeting them at their house, attending a Christmas Eve service, and having dinner out. Hunter just wanted to be held by D that night; D was happy to oblige. No pictures were taken, sadly. But you know what follows Christmas Eve....

Somehow, all of these plus nearly a dozen stockings followed us to our borrowed quarters!



Let's see what was in them:









M & our grandmas sure do have our number: There's nothing we like more than being fairy ballerinas who help bake!











What a fun time!

Ok, now back to AB & UJ's place for a quick gift exchange. Hunter was all about Christmas.



We and he were quite excited to receive a cousin bear set!



Lil' Sis and Hunter had a good conversation,



while Abby learned from UJ to feed Mikey & Ginger treats.



M & Hunter got some quality time, too.



After that, we were off to Christmas dinner with UJ's family. His mom planned a special treat for us...you know, we like to bake...baking cookies!







Once well fed, it was time hold Cousin Hunter and get more cousin pictures.





What a night! And now, what did M&D think was a good post-Christmas activity? Why, visiting the farm like in Berkeley, of course! But to get there, you have to brave the perilous hills and traffic in SF, and holding hands helps.



Hey, these cows (and their tongues) are big! Big Sis convinces D to feed them instead.





This sheep was more Lil' Sis' size.



Well, if you think farm life is an odd way to follow Christmas, we kids had a much better idea:









There's probably more to say, but this post is four months late, so it will have to do! Merry Christmas, everyone!

May 2011

So, what happened back in May? Well, these chickens grew a lot!









There was also a fun Mother's Day trip to the Coast.










Lots of silliness.









And a Memorial Day hike around Lost Lake. Whoops! We were not prepared for it to be snowy up there, but it was still very beautiful and put Lil Sis in the mood for a nap.











See you in June!