Christmas Tree Chop!

There's a beautiful, virtually untouched area of land called Santiago Canyon that is just within the foothills beyond our city. We discovered it just after moving to the area and have enjoyed taking drives through the windy 2 lane roads. The tiny town of Silverado that sits hidden in those hills reminds both of us of Murdo, or some other small town where life slows down and people wave to each other. It's a cool place to visit when you want to drive 15 minutes and feel like you're completely away in a different part of the country. This year, we decided to go to a Christmas Tree Farm there where they advertise you can cut your own tree down. It was a beautiful evening and we were so happy it was actually cold enough for warm jackets!! I mean, it felt like Christmas for cryin out loud!! :) Here's Gavin looking out among the young trees and the canyon beyond.

We found our tree!! And we were surprised to learn that it was actually cheaper than buying a tree from Oregon brought down to one of our local stores.

It was dark and my flash wasn't working by the time we got to actually chop this guy down, but the boys all held the saw and in no time, Kyle was exclaiming, "Tiiimberrr!!"

We hit up Silverado Cafe to warm up with some hot chocolate and dinner.

Kyle was so happy and proud of our tree. :)

Back at home, one of the neighbors brought snow back from one of the local snowboarding events where a snowblower had been brought in to make snow. The neighborhood kids LOVED sledding down their little snowbank on sleds, shovels and snowboards.

Daddy pushed Kyle over and over and over again. :)

It was a fun night for these CA boys.

Voyagers Kinder Boy-Fest at the Martin Home!

One of my church friends had the brilliant idea of getting all our kinder boys together once a month for a fun playdate. We rotate houses/who's hosting as well as what the boys do. We all love and appreciate giving these boys more opportunities to get to know each other and hopefully develop strong relationships with one another over the many, many years to come. Sometimes this get-together is in the evening but this month, it seemed as though with all the busyness of the season, we'd do something during the day. And so December at the Martin's home was bring your favorite set of wheels and helmet and a wrapped book for a Christmas book exchange. The boys had a lot of fun going around the cul-de-sac and being a part of Kyle's world. 

We had pizza outside where Rudy surprised the kids with "Gummy Bear Pizza!!" They thought that was impossible but they don't know Rudy...and now the word is that Kyle has a very cool dad. :)

The book exchange was a hit. I hadn't realized until they got here that none of them knew what a book exchange was! I kept the stealing part out it! No need for drama when you're doing this alone with 8 boys. (Rudy was getting the pizza. :)

We decorated sugar cookies. Boy did we decorate! I chose inside vs outside simply because I thought the frosting would be easier to wipe up on tile than on concrete.

 Gavie was a champ through it all. Definitely wanting to be involved in what we did but understanding this was Kyle's special thing. He sure rocked his tricycle and rode faster than some of the bigger boys!!

After all the boys left, we cleaned up and laid down for a spell before going to cut our Christmas tree!

Mama's New Ride

Two weeks ago Rudy and I took the plunge and made our most expensive purchase yet...we bought a new car! With both of our cars in the >240,000 miles range and our desire to be able to accommodate more people, we decided to buy our crossover SUV at the tail end of Black Friday weekend/last days of November for the best 2015 deal. I have to say, I'm proud of Rudy for all the homework he did and how well I/we worked that price down! We were fortunate to find that when you're not in a hurry to buy and your dealership needs their inventory moved and sale figures up for their goal of earning the rank of Regional Top 3 Dealership, we were in a good position to negotiate. :) Don't get me wrong, it still hurt to spend the kind of money we did, but we feel really good about the investment we've made. Used Toyota Highlanders don't lose much of anything in their resale value and after looking at all the research, we feel we made a smart choice in car.

So, here she is...

She's got more bells and whistles than Ru or I know what to do with. It's fun and intimidating all at the same time. Good thing one of us has a smart phone to sync up with. :) Coming from a 2002 powerless Honda, I appreciate having power door locks so we can all get in with just a press of a button. Actually, it's been nice to not even have to do that! As long as my fob is on me, I just pull the door open and get it. Not having to fish for keys has been a perk and the key-less ignition button is so convenient. I could go on and on, but the convenience of a car with power is really appreciated. She can seat 8 when she wants to and we've got ourselves plenty of room for camping and transporting snowboards, kayaks, and fishing poles! :) 

The boys are especially excited about the sunroof and DVD player up top. We plan on using that convenient appliance only for long road trips so we've yet to see how it works. It came with 2 headphones that plug in to the bottom of their end of the center consult. This will be so handy compared to juggling the handheld versions we have been used to.

It still feels weird to sit in a new, amazingly delicious smelling car but we're quickly getting used to it! :) One thing I wasn't prepared for was just how much we blend in to our OC culture. I've always liked white crossovers with dark windows, but I didn't notice how many of these types of cars there are everywhere around us. It's like when you're pregnant or wanting to become pregnant and you all of a sudden notice everyone else is pregnant... well, I pull in to Kyle's school and become the 5th or 6th brand new white SUV/crossover SUV in the same pick up line. I've had mixed feelings about blending in so much. Lest anyone ever think we are stereotypical OC, they can just visit our lil mouse house and see we are not "them." :) I guess if you're not from here, some of this is lost in translation. Nevertheless, we are very happy with our family car that will accommodate many people, playdates, and vacations for (hopefully) years and years to come. :)

So Long November

It seems as though this month just came and went with the blink of an eye. It did, however, finally bring some relief from the heat and we've loved feeling our version of "fall." The kids were excited to bring out the Thankful Tree again. We collected sticks during our nature walk through Irvine Park (otherwise known as the Railroad Park) and brought them back to the house where Kyle immediately got out the little circles and began to write. I save them year after year and its fun to look back and see what these little guys appreciated in years past. Also fun to see where we were and how far we've come. Think: new baby, jobs, house, etc. One of my favorites this year was Gavin's "glazed donut." ;)

Speaking of donuts...the boys loved eating their favorite inside their personal laundry basket/train car during one of their station stops. 

 Kyle was the Student of the Month and got the Curiosity Award!

Kyle's teacher and principal handed out awards to 4 students, each for a different reason.

 While Kyle is at school, Gavin puts a ton of miles on his many cars. :)

 And wears himself out so much, he falls asleep reading books in bed. We literally found him this way with the lights on and I had to grab my camera.

 Thanksgiving Dinner was just our small family.

When Rudy brought the kids over to my parents' house before the meal, Kyle went immediately to the corner of books in the playroom while Gavin got out the Russian dolls and cars and began rescuing the people from peril. Such cherubs these ones were. :)

The next day, Uncle Randy and his friend Danielle came to visit us! Such a fun surprise!! I snapped a few blurry pics, so this one will have to suffice as some evidence of his visit. He's such a good uncle! :)

We had a lot of fun with them and after a morning bonfire out back, Christmas lights were hung.

And with that, November comes to a close. 

We did the dash - - - the Dino Dash!

Sunday morning, mind you... after a late Halloween night and a daylight savings morning, our family participated in a race that benefited our city's school district. There were other more competitive races Rudy and I would have really enjoyed but Kyle was beyond excited to do this as a family, so we ran a 2k hand in hand. :)

At the start line...

Gavie was all about running with us and trying his best to keep up with our longer strides.

Halfway through we were passed our school's sign to carry to the finish. This pumped the boys up for a strong finish as we proudly represented. :)

Approaching the finish line...

Afterwards we walked around all the booths and turned in our ticket stubs for our lunches and drinks. We found any bit of shade to hide from the sun. It was another 90+ degree day...

I had to snap a pic of Gavin being Gavin...

Rudy knows how to make things happen. Popsicles, balloons, orange glasses...you name it, Rudy can find it.

Aaand...Martins Out! 

Happy Halloween!

The boys' morning bucket surprise.

 Gavin's favorite thing was the "jumpy sqirel" stamp. He's nuts for jumpy squirrels.

Later in the day we headed to the end of our cul-de-sac for our street's Halloween Party. The kids and adults had really fun costumes and everyone had a ton of fun.

Couldn't help turning the camera around to get a shot of the parents being parents... :)

 This shot includes Darth Vader and a Storm Trooper (our friends a few doors down).

A view of the potluck. We are so thankful the boys have the opportunity to grow up on a street with amazing neighbors we most definitely consider our friends. :)

Watching them run up to each house and shout with glee to each other was adorable. This was the first year we didn't have to help anyone up or down a step... my little boy is growing up! :) 

Kyle was a Wild Kratt Bat and Gavin was Thomas the Train

The boys made out with more candy than I know what to do with. I guess I know what the teacher's lounge will look like for the next few weeks... Too bad every other teacher does the same thing. Sugar overload!! Happy Halloween, 2015!