Camping Santee Lakes

This past weekend we took the trailer out for the first trip of 2011. We headed down to Santee Lakes in San Diego to give it another try. Last time we went there was during Thanksgiving break and it rained the entire time, so we wanted to see what it was really like. We had a great time doing all our usual things. This time we took the kids friend from next door, Hunter. They all had a really good time together and it was just a fun time in a nutshell. Here are some photos I took.

Baseball assessments

It's finally here - baseball season! And to get it started the kids had assessments over the weekend. Well, Justin had a scout hike, so he missed his and did a make-up last night. Good times to come!

Unfortunately, the camera was left on the wrong setting and Kirk didn't realize he needed to change it, so the pictures of Justin are terrible, but I couldn't leave him off this post, so here are at least a couple of him....even if you can't tell, it really is him! :-)

Hitting balls

Last weekend Kirk took the kids (well, Justin and Avery) to hit balls. They haven't been in quite some time, but Kirk says they did a good job!

Monday the kids didn't have school, so I took them to Huntington Beach to see my parents for the day. We decided to take a little walk at the harbor. It was a nice time!

Christmas 2010

We had a fabulous Christmas again this year. Christmas Eve was spent at Kirk's brothers house. We ate like royalty and the kids had a great time playing and got just what they wanted. We had lunch there instead of dinner in hopes that we would miss most of the traffic. It worked on the way there, but the way home was a bear. Worth it, though. Always nice to be with family.











Christmas morning was a lot of fun. Santa was generous and the kids were really happy with what they got. It's kind of nice because the older they get the less boxes and things there are to toss because either stuff is more expensive, so they get less, or because they want smaller things like electronic games.







We hosted Christmas Day with my family. This would be the last day my sister would be here with us. So sad. But it was a great day and the food was very good! I can say that because I only made a couple of side dishes. I ordered the turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes from Albertsons. So much easier! The kids were excited with what they got...and somewhat surprised. I have to say that Avery's Easy Bake Oven from her Aunt Sandi was probably the biggest hit. She's wanted one for ages and I've always told her no, so she didn't dream that she'd ever get one. What a fun surprise that was!






We love this time of year! We love to decorate our house inside and out. We love to just soak up all the cheer there is to be had at this time. It's so nice to be united with the rest of the world to celebrate our savior. It's so nice to listen to the radio and hear songs praising His birth. And although, it's over and I'm ready for my house to be back to normal and for the kids to go back to school (so ready for that! ha!), we made more memories and shared good times with loved ones and now we can prepare for next year!

Christmas at Disneyland

The day before Christmas Eve was the first break in the week long rain storm and we decided to venture out and go to Disneyland with Dave and Sandi. So did a LOT of other people, but with Devin's special pass we were able to hit all the rides we wanted to. It was a very fun day together enjoying the magic that only Disneyland can provide. This was a fun day back after having a break for 9 months. Devin was able to enjoy rides he didn't last year. Rides like Autopia, Toy Story Mania and Soaring Over California. It made it so much more enjoyable. Way to go, Devin!

Devin discovering he now likes Autopia

Main Street magical snowfall

Right before this picture was taken Avery had been tearing up because she wasn't ready to leave. I looked over and Justin had his arm around her comforting her. Then she saw the camera and smiled. Such a sweet brother!