Holiday Recap

It's been a busy week, we just got back from SB and a great Christmas holiday. The kids had a blast and were thoroughly spoiled with many presents. It was beautiful in SB and a good time to relax and forget the pace of 'normal' life. Here are some pics of the week.

SB Sunset from my mom's house.

Dad and me and his new place.

Katie with her new Barbie.

Andy soaking up the excitment of Christmas.

Nana showing Andy how to be silly.

Jen showing some surprise at her goodies.

We also had the opportunity to spend some time with the Shubies and the Hulls. This was a real treat for me as I haven't been able to be together with thier familes in far too long. We celebrated profoundly and had a grand time. Thanks Shubys for the awesome meals and hospitality!

Mara, Vic and Jen.

Shuby and Sando dominating at Guitar Hero on PS3.

The little Andy's taking a nap.

The three Amigos...

...and the spawns of the trio.

Merry Cristmas everyone. Ill try and get more photos up this week and catch up on some other great pics we took. We have a lot of fun activities and guests this week that I plan on sharing with you.

Early Presents

We decided to hand out a few early gifts this yesr to the kids. Mainly because one of Katie's was just too big to hide anywhere! Say hello to the Barbie Island Princess Musical Vanity Dollhouse Jewelry Something-or-other. And for Andy, General Grevious Lego Spaceship. They seemed pretty happy... Have a look at the pics and judge for yoursself.

Traditions

In the Sandwisch family, we have some traditions. Clearly the longest lasting tradition that I can recall is the annual reading of "The Night Before Christmas" on each Christmas Eve. I have been prepping the kids this year by reading the story each night before bedtime so that we can get in the mood and get some familiarity with the story. We have probably read it 5 times now and I think they already have every line memorized. They especially enjoy this version since it is a Pop-Up book and they excitedly wait for the line-cues, as I have trained them not to do the pop-up pullie things until the corresponding line in the story prompts them to do so. In the end, I think the best thing about this story is they way in which it illustrates Santa, both visually and in the narrative. I can see 'belief' in the kids eyes as I read the parts describing Santa's appearance and how he fills the stockings.

Good pre-game for the big night!

Capn' Jack

Tonight was pirate night. ARRRRGH MAYTE! No TV, no computers, just a few swabbies and some buried treasure. Andy has this great Jack Sparrow outfit from gma that he loves to wear and the kids and I play the "Hot and Cold" game to see who can find hidden Barbie jewelry (treasure). I must admit, it becomes a bit strenuous saying "WAAAAAR-MUR" like a pirate over and over but it's still pretty funny.

Lazy Sunday

Sometimes the best days are just the lazy days. Today started with some pancakes and Legos, followed by a little girl vs boy time. Andy and I hung out and watched some Star Wars and Charger Football, while the girls were off to battle the other shoppers at the stores. We finished the afternoon with a family wide nap, and then a drive through the Del Mar Light Show. Pretty good stuff. I need more days like today.

Open House

It was Open House again at the kid's school tonight. We are really starting to get to know the school and the teachers now, and I must say, it brings some level of security seeing the same friendly faces when we go to school events like this for the third year in a row. It was also fun to see some old class photos that Katie's previous teacher (Andy's current teacher) had from when Katie first started. She was so SMALL! Once again, I am hit with another reality check that life goes by pretty fast -- gotta cherish these moments.

Of all the gifts...

Andrew's class had a special assignment today. Each kid was asked to take home some blue construction paper and ask their families, "What would you give baby Jesus for Christmas?" The pieces of paper would then be glued into a rings to make garland for the school tree.

I found it an odd question to ask. Isn't one of the key points to the story of the first Christmas about not needing anything fancy to have the most incredible experience? Needless to say, when it came my turn, I decided (after thinking for a bit) that it would be really hard to shop for baby Jesus. I finally settled on getting him a Baby Bjorn carrier.

Here is what the rest of the troops came up with:

Jen: "A hand-stitched cozy warm blanket"
Katie: "A gold and silver cup and cradle"
Andy: "A hard plastic red lightsaber"