Christmas

Our Wonderful Whirlwind of Celebration began on the 23rd. We enjoyed a beautiful day at Mom's, where it rained in the morning and cleared up to a sunny yet still freezing day.
The boys did the dishes after a waffle breakfast at Grammy and Gramps house.
We were all cooking up a feast of crepes, fruit, and bacon.

Uncle Brian scored a Onesie from us! Every time Uncle Brian saw the girls with one of these on, he would go off on a tangent that he wanted a onesie for adults. So, he got one from us for Christmas!

Aubin Family picture.
Lori, Brian, Erik, Lyn, Rich, and Dad all gathered at the Aubins home. We had an Italian feast this year. Aunt Lori made a Gnocchi soup, Dad made his 7 cheese lasagna, Wynter and Dave made a Caesar salad and a pear salad, and I made Tiramisu. Needless to say, we were full! We enjoyed wine and concluded the evening with some Schledewitz Family words and definitions that have been passed down from our Finnish and German Ancestors. (Note: very funny and cute, Aunt Lori and Dad!!)
The girls at Mom's on Christmas Eve morning. Dave took this photo while standing on the bar.
We were graced with the presence of two princesses!
We were so thankful to have time with family. We slept pretty good upon returning home, however!!

Looking forward to having another Christmas with the Brittons and Staydohars when we go to Arizona on January 3-10th! Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, and Love to All!

Quick Trip to SF

I can't get this picture to appear last, but this was my last stop of fun in SF. I met up with some of my old buds from Drama in High School. I had seen Jamie once since our wedding, and I hadn't seen Kent or Marissa since then!! It was too short, but well appreciated. We went to Ritual, a cute coffee shop that boasted Vegan potato bread. Anywho, I was so glad to see my friends, and I can't wait to see them again soon!!

When Court moved closer to downtown San Francisco, I kept telling her that I would visit her. Then I finally said, I would visit her before Christmas, to give myself a time frame. Well, the weekend before Christmas, I cruised down the hill. We met up with my friend Jamie and her boyfried. They invited us over to his place because there was going to be boats crossing the marina with Christmas lights and decorations. It was a mite nippy, but the view was gorgeous.

Court and I left and went to the Mission Beach Cafe, where we shared a pear salad, shrimp pasta, and a splurge of wine.
No trip to the bay is complete without a visit to Dad's. When Court went to work, I drove over to his place. After a hefty breakfast of scrambled eggs with goat cheese (WOW!!) we went on a 24 mile bike ride. A fall later, we were on our way to La Azteca for some traditional Mexican food. We figured that Dad has been going there for 30+ years!!
Then, after I recovered from my carb-coma, I met back up with Court and Nicky at her place. What a wonderful night, relaxing, and guess what, eating more good food!!

Post-Shower Dinner

After the shower, we had Aunt Lois and Granny Jewel over for a gift exchange.
Janet and I made spaghetti and meatballs.
Amanda, Josh, Shari, Josh, and Paul were all in our house. Can you believe 10 people fit for a sit-down dinner? We did a good job!
Chris and Paul enjoyed some chocolate chip cookies, courtesy of Lois.

Baby on the Way!

The Brittons and Staydohars came to Cali for Shari's shower to welcome Mathew David Staydohar. She is due February 20, 2008. Amanda and her friend Sam wouldn't miss this event.
Shari got all kinds of gadgets, clothes, nipples, and more! Good thing the Brittons brought their trailor!
Janet was the shower coordinator, and she did a darn good job at it. The hardest game was trying to fill in the blanks of nursery rhymes.

November/December Birthdays

So, by now, you may have been wondering why I have not blogged in so long. Our family has 7 birthdays within a month. My schedule has allowed to celebrate all of them!! That means lots of family time, food, and goodtimes. (and pictures) Dave is featured here at the school right by their house. The boys played ball while we all went over to the swingset. The take and bake pizza was so good. Thank you Aubins!
Next up is Kim, my brother in law's sister. She had a huge suprise party at the Old Spaghetti Factory with around 50 people there. It was also another good time. Happy Birthday, Kim!
Ava turned 2 on the second of December. She was a little grouchy post-nap, but once she woke up she had fun opening her presents. "I wanna do it by myself!"
Wynter's birthday was on December 4th. We went to Fat's for lunch. Oh, their banana cream pie really is good. Happy 27th, Wynt!
My mom (and my cousin Bryce) share the 17th as their birthday. We celebrated the day before with attending the Singing Christmas tree, and also going to the Spaghetti Factory.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, also to you Uncle Brian, I didn't celebrate your bday with you!

Thanksgiving

This year, we decided to stay out of the Lein's kitchen. We were a hectic bunch, with a team of 5 chefs, 2 tasters, a babysitter/Turkey carver, and 2 kiddos. So, we cooked the entire meal from scratch the day of at the Bowens. I learned that although it may taste better, you don't always have to do everything from scratch!!
Grammy and her granddaughters.
All the womens.
Court and Lily posing for Aunt Chels.

These girls were hilarious towards the end of the night. They were so rummy and goofy that they were just trying to keep moving before they crashed out. What a wonderful Thanksgiving. Too bad Chris was at work.

Girl's night

My good great grand friend Jaclyn was visiting for a while from Las Vegas. Being part of "her girls," I was happy to meet up and enjoy some wonderful food with some wonderful women.
Me, Charlene, Annika, Jac, Penny, and Cousin Suzie.
Guess what? She is moving home December 30th! I am so glad to have her close for a while!

Court's 21st Birthday

My little baby sister has turned 21! This is a crazy thing. She had a bash at Mom's house, where your ticket in was a bottle of wine. (Pretty smart idea, huh??) There was a great turn out, and Court even showed up ( a little late due to a volunteer opportunity.)
Cousin Erik and Brother in Law Dave chilling at the Bar.
Uncle Chris posted up on the couch where he discovered that the Fox and the Hound was not the best choice for wee ones.
Erik, Lori, Fethiye, and Wynter hanging out in the kitchen. There was yummy snacks, brie and goat cheese, and lots of chocolate. Oh, yes, and some wine.
The underage ones of the group, Austin and Bryce, our cousins. All in all, it was a great night. We stayed over since we were consuming alcoholic beverages!

The Langford Wedding

Michelle and Ben were married at the Federated Church, and the reception was at Sequoia. It was a beautiful day, with some good luck sprinkles.

Friends since 4th grade!
Look at that couple! They tore up the dance floor!
We had another enjoyable time with The Vanburens.

James Taylor Concert, November 8

For those of you who do not know, James Taylor is my absolute favorite singer and songwriter. He was actually coming to Sacramento this tour, so I jumped on the tickets. He usually comes to the bay area. This was to be my fourth time seeing him, so I was so excited. Before I get into this, I have to come clean. I perform an illegal activity that I just can't shake. I sneak my camera into his concerts. Ok, my confession is out! We had 7th row seats, on the ground floor. After James suggested a 20 minute intermission where they would go backstage and think about what they've done, he started to sign autographs. The stage seemed kinda far away, so I just watched. After a minute, Chris said "What are you doing? Go up there and go for it!!" With a nudge like that, I did, and I was able to worm my way slowly up to James.

This is him, signing my ticket! He was so happy to do it! I got to shake his hand and talk to him, and get an autographed ticket! Can you believe it!!?? He asked how I was, and I said great! I said that it was great to meet him, and thanked him so much for signing my ticket. I told him to go take a break. He was doing all of this on his intermission time. I was in SHOCK and I felt like those teenage girls who were going crazy for the beatles back in the day. But I kept my cool and kept those crazy emotions inside.
Me and my ticket! I have to find out how to keep it in primo shape. What a neat experience! Thanks to Chris for that extra push in the right direction!