california kids in 25-degree weather...

last less than half an hour.

it's christmas time, so we decided to "go see snow." i know, it sounds ridiculous. and it kind of was. but anyway, here we have reed in the same snow clothes he wore two years ago when we went to utah for christmas. they were a bit snug. i couldn't stop laughing whenever i looked at him. max and dean are on the left in the back.

this picture is rather deceptive. brynn looks almost happy in this shot. she was most displeased that we would bring her outside in such appalling temperatures.

see my hand? i don't think i could feel it. also, be glad you cannot hear brynn.

max the snow ninja

this is how reed spent most of his time. he had a really hard time moving in his snow pants that were made for an 18-month-old. while he was down, he would usually snack on a little snow. then, "mom, help!"

the adventurers. max wrote a book about it after we got home.

again, be glad there is no sound with these pictures. by now about 15 minutes have elapsed since we got everybody dressed for the snow, and reed and brynn (and mommy) are done.

"m-mom, it's t-too c-coooooold!"
"my hot chocolate spilled in the snooooooooooow"

okay, boys. say, "i'm warm!" (turns out our car has a heating function that magically changes the mood of our children!)

then troy turned on us.

and so did dean.

but we were safe in the car. best snowball fight ever.

oh, you rascals. :)

so. let's take stock of how we spent our time today.
driving to the snow: 120 minutes
donning gear: 15 minutes
actually playing outside in the snow: 20 minutes
weeping and wailing about the cold: at least 15 minutes
removing gear: 10 minutes
driving home from the snow: 140 minutes (there was traffic)

i'm not saying it wasn't worth it. and dean has really toughened up. last time we went to the snow he was the first to break down, i think. and once everybody was warm, they reported a really awesome time in the snow. also, the drive down the mountain sounded like a roller coaster ride! we'll probably do it again next year. :) 

the best part was that i got a NAP when we got home! troy is the best husband ever. he even fed brynn a bottle so he wouldn't have to disturb me. 

merry christmas!

butterfly reserve and the sticks

here's how we spent the second half of our day in santa barbara. see? i told you linda was there! here we are before taking the trail to the butterfly reserve.

isn't the sunlight glorious? that's max on the left. he found his stick. it will figure prominently later.

the boys are looking up at the butterflies. troy told them it was best to look straight up.

and here is what they were looking at. those dark clumps are all monarch butterflies, hanging out here for the winter.

you can see better that they are butterflies as opposed to dead leaves here.

this one was all by itself, and right next to you on the trail. we walked right by it at first. i love the sun shining through its wings. good shot, troy!

say, "butterflies!"

here's dean, looking epic.

max requested that troy take a picture of his stick.

and then, so did dean.

here's max looking epic. with his stick.

reed didn't want to be left out.

dean tried to drive home. maybe when your feet can touch the pedals, pal. :)

santa barbara mission

https://picasaweb.google.com/107208655884324651674/SantaBarbaraMission?authkey=Gv1sRgCOfG-siN9onICg

we finally made it to santa barbara to visit troy's aunt linda (who, for some reason, is not included in the pictures, but she really was there--see next post about the butterflies). we met linda at the mission, and then everybody waited around so i could feed the baby (hence the Heroic Entrance of Mom picture).

there was a lovely creche outside the mission on the lawn with live animals--and no baby Jesus. linda said they don't leave him out in the manger because he has disappeared in times past.

the cactus are in the courtyard inside the mission. aren't they beautiful? :)

i've been on a mission kick lately. i have seen signs for historic missions on the freeway for years and we're finally going to see them. we went to see the san gabriel mission a couple weeks ago (but forgot the camera). turns out "mission style" architecture is pretty faithful to actual missions. the cool thing about the missions we've seen so far is that they are currently functioning churches. it's fun to see california history. :)

Dean and Max worked together to build a "Concert" one day last week. 

A diverse crowd including off-duty clone troopers, robots, and a short-legged dude.

That's Dean at the guitar.

We had to lift the roof to get a good look at Max's drums and Reed on the cello.

I love crowded events!

I went to Dean's school concert today. Each grade sang a holiday song. I got there maybe 3 minutes before it was set to start, and this was my view. Can you see anything? Me neither. It made it feel really necessary to leave right after you watched your kid perform, so you could make room for other parents to see theirs. Awesome.

After many excuse-mes, someone to hold my baby, and one eye on Reed who was trying to escape, I found where Dean was sitting.

It's time for the second-graders to take the stage! I'm close enough! Surely he will see me! I'm yelling his name by now. But no.

See that girl in the red-and-green striped hat? She finally tapped Dean on the shoulder and said, "your mom is waving to you!" Thanks, Dean's friend! This shot makes the whole trip worth it.

And there he is on stage (sort of). They sang a variation on "I know an old lady who swallowed a fly," called, "I know an old lady who swallowed a bell." There were groups of kids holding things like bells, bows, gifts, a sack, a sleigh, and they would hold them up at the appropriate time. And then the principal, wearing a Santa hat, appeared and said, "ho, ho, ho!" but I kind of lost the words at the end. The kids were in charge of the song by then. (I'll have to get the words and post them. I'm curious now.)

(At Dean's old school, the kids perform for each other on one day as kind of a dress rehearsal. Then they perform for the parents, and the kids just come in when it's their turn, perform, and then head back to class. Sometimes that makes for a longish wait between acts, but at least the parents have a place to sit. I said something to that effect to the lady next to me and she suggested I chair the event next year!)

That is how I spent my morning. Also, I parked in a permit-only zone out of desperation. But wouldn't you know it? No ticket! It was a Christmas miracle! So the whole venture cost less that $65! (yes, I know the amount you get fined for parking in a no-parking zone. That is all I will say about that.)

I wonder what the third-graders did...

our christmas tree!

Here are my precious little gifts under our newly decorated Christmas tree. Yes, it was this week--December 12--that we finally had it up, straight, and decorated. We had things going on!

Dean, and his newly perfected "I'm-getting-my-picture-taken" smile.

Max dubbed one ornament "planet Max." You can't see which one he's holding, but I think that is what is going on here. He found it on the floor and had to have it just so.

This is an ornament Dean made in school, "so long ago," according to him. I love seven-year-old nostalgia. :)

Merry Christmas, everyone!