Christmas Vacation...Here we come!

The girls donned their Santa hats for their last day of school in 2008.

Who is that mom in the mini van blocking traffic to take pictures of her cute kids?

Returned from drop off to pull into drive way and see this beautiful Azalea blooming in the chilly weather.  I was listening to a Christmas song about hope and thought the timing was ironic.

Choosing to Experience Joy

It's been a really hectic two weeks for me.  I have been away from home seven nights of the last fourteen.  Last night, I was on my way out to another meeting and really stressing about being prepared for the next day's events, all the dishes that still needed to be washed by hand (broken dishwasher), the homework that needed attention, the clutter that was taking over in the house I had worked so hard to put in order last week...Anyway, Jenna walks out, while I'm getting things ready, in a lovely ensemble that she chose from my closet.  I thought, "My mom would have had a fit if I'd done that" and then I thought, "I should have a fit because it's going to create such a mess."  I was really quiet, and my husband looked at me and asked if I was okay with this.  I had to confess that in a house where the little girls dress up in pirate costumes and have Star Wars themed birthday parties and have hardly ever touched a Barbie, I was actually diggin' that my little girl thought that her mom was cool enough to emulate.  Then I got out my camera.  My clothes are still in a pile in my bedroom waiting to be hung up, but I was proud to have seized the joy in the moment.  It's a great feeling!

Lots of our friends post their snow pictures.  It was cold and wet and rainy here for two or three days this week so I thought I'd post a Southern California weather picture.

Deck The Halls!

Better late than never.  It has been a struggle to find enough time in one block to do all the decorating, but we finally got it done.  We do need to hang our stockings so Santa can fill them, but everything else is ready.

This tree is so pretty at night with the white lights.  Everything just sparkles.

This is a fun Twilight inspired ornament from a friend.

Our bookcase has a shelf for snowmen, Santas and nativity sets.

I use the piano for some nativity statues and some of the dressier, "old-fashioned" decor.

Holiday Fun for the Petersons

This has been such a fun time for our family.  Scroll down to see several posts that include our trip to New Mexico for fun winter activities, Thanksgiving, and Gavin's baptism.  We've also posted pictures from Michelle and Gavin's trip to California.  When you get to the bottom of this page, click on "Older Posts" to see the rest of the holiday posts.  There is nothing like having your family around, especially when it's to enjoy the holidays with them!

Aunt Michelle and Gavin in California!

Just four days after we arrived home from New Mexico, Aunt Michelle and Gavin made the trek to California.  They wanted to come to visit CA family and do a holiday Disneyland visit.  Most of our time together was spent at Disneyland and California Adventure.  They took a quick jog to San Diego in between.  It was soooo fun to have them with us again!

Here we are assembling the Peterson's Christmas tree.  Gavin and Aunt Michelle helped out.  

Gingerbread House

Aunt Melissa gets brave and constructs her first gingerbread house.  

We encountered some structural damage, but we were able to save the house.

Our decorating specialists on the job...

Voila!

It was a group effort and they had a blast.  I'm so glad we made time for this, and that I didn't let my not having any experience scare me off.  It was too fun to watch the kids at work!