Southern Cal

We had the opportunity to visit Gramdma Sue and Grandpa Wally the week after Christmas while they were in Palm Dessert. It was great to be able to see my parents over Christmas! It's rare since we live so far away.

How could we NOT stop at Disneyland on the way down? The kids met all of the bigwigs at Disney and had fun on the rides. McKenna and Lizzy (10 and 4 at the time) both rode space mountain for the first time. The younger kids grow up so much faster that the older ones:(

Palm Dessert was so fun... it was great to be able to see my parents over Christmas! It's rare since we live so far away.

Christmas 2009

One of our favorite traditions is going into the city on BART loaded with lunches and donated coats/socks for the homeless. We wander the streets of San Francisco looking for those in need. There are always plenty of people ready to accept a meal and a smile. Great memories with friends and a good reminder of how blessed we are.

Other favorite traditions include going to see the lights at "Temple Hill" and doing our own little nativity with the local Jackson clan.

Aloha!!!

CAN I GO BACK???

We had an amazing vacation! Ahh... 9 days in Kona with our friends, the Barratts, from Park City. 5 days later, after being home sick and taking care of sick kids, I just want to go back to Hawaii where life was simple: eat, go the the beach, eat, go back to the house and swim, eat, read, play cards, sleep. Soooo nice... and warm.... and beautiful. And no one was throwing up (except Greg that one night. Chinese food at the Honolulu airport = food poisoning. Who would have thought?)

Here are some highlights:

The kids out picking bananas for morning smoothies.

Meet the Barratts (Shelley, Greg, Grace, Henry, Elsa)

Lizzy

Lizzy found her soul mate in Henry. They share a love for mischief, sugar, and general craziness. Henry kept it no secret that he was going to marry Lizzy. Lizzy thought that would be okay "unless they had more arguments."

This is what Henry was hiding behind his dinner plate one night. Yes, those sugar packets are all empty. It's so Lizzy.

Beautiful Scenery

On Sunday, our one rainy day, we drove to the "wet" side of the island to find some waterfalls and big surf.

Run away!

McKenna was so excited most of the trip that we had a hard time keeping her feet on the ground. Check it out:

Sydney

preferred her pink floatie to a boogie board and loved jumping the waves as they crashed.

Charlotte

Charlotte spent most of the time sandy,

sleep deprived,

very curly (from the humidity,)

and spoiled with mommy and daddy time.

The Best Gift This Christmas: A Beehive and a Share of a Goat

No, you didn't read that wrong. We received the strangest catalog in the mail this year. It almost got lost in the slew of holiday catalogs that descended upon us in November. It did catch Lizzy's eye, however, because it had the picture of a sheep on the front cover. It was a catalog of livestock and other creatures that you can "gift." Lizzy wanted to know about the animals for sale, so I read it and was pleasantly surprised. Strange, yes, but it turns out that it is a great way to help families in need around the world. What I really like about this organization is that they actually help families become self-sufficient. The families receive a cow (or a flock of chickens, or whatever you choose) and training on how to maintain their new "asset." As a result, they gain a sustainable source of food and income for their family. Of course, this is geared more toward families living in 3rd world countries rather than inner-city USA.

Lizzy was so enamored with the idea of giving someone livestock for Christmas, that our kids decided to raise money to buy honey bees and a share of a goat for someone in need. Taylor and I helped them bake loads of carmel corn on Saturday and they sold bags on the street corner for a good cause. Gramma Karen even pitched in some of her famous cookies to sell. The girls sold every last morsel and reached their goal. Yay!

If you want to check out the website for Heifer International, here's the link:

http://heifer.org

Giving Thanks

Although I missed being with the Seldens in DC this year (it sounded like a lot of fun... everyone descending on Mike and Mary in their new digs) we had a fabulous Thanksgiving with ALL of the Jackson clan. We're so glad Amberlyn & Rich were willing to make the drive from Utah to be here. (I have to say that driving 12 hours for Karen's Thanksgiving feast would absolutely be worth it.) We had fun entertaining the kids and they were in heaven having all of their Jackson cousins around. Another perk: Rich & Amberlyn brought their new little puppy, Molly. Our kids got to try dog-sitting for about 24 hours. McKenna took good care of Molly and gave her plenty of attention. Will we be getting a dog this year? Doubt it. But Molly could have easily swayed us.

Lego Heads

The Last Piece of Thanksgiving

Yesterday, as I looked at the last piece of apple pie, I hesitated for a moment. What?!? Not because I had any guilt over pigging out for the past 3 days, or any doubt that I would polish off the last piece rather than leave it for another wanton soul. (I made it after all.) It was because I knew that once the last piece of Thanksgiving disappeared, Christmas was upon us. I LOVE Christmas, but it produces a certain level of stress and busyness. I'm hoping to avoid most of it by leaving town for a week and a half right smack in the middle of the Christmas madness. I'm just a little apprehensive about whether a mid-December vacation will alleviate Christmas stress, or simply intensify it given that our Christmas prep will be crammed into fewer days. I'll let you know. Maybe this will become a new Christmas tradition:)

Dad of the Year

That's right. Taylor has earned the Dad of the Year award in my book. He stayed home from church a few weeks ago with a sick Lizzy and this is what I came home to. I would never do that! And that is why I am not the Mother of the Year.