Adventures with Gigi & Co.

While Andy flew North for an attempt at a snowy adventure, Gigi flew South for some fun in the sun with her two favorite grandchildren.  

A gorgeous afternoon was spent getting our toes wet in the sand,

exploring the beach,

goofing around,

and telling tales of the high seas.  

We were fortunate get to see a lunar eclipse early one crisp morning (see the glowing ball to the left),

followed by contagious laughter with Lucia at midday, 

and an adventure in the culinary arts by evening.  

Tis the season for baking, and Harrison and Gigi took on the task of creating Christmas cookies by storm.  

While Lucia supervised, Gigi and Harrison carefully measured, stirred and whipped up delightful creations.  

 And thanks to a meticulous attention to detail, the cookies were both delicious and beautiful. 

Our next project was born out of Harrison's love of art, and a lack of Christmas tree ornaments.  Our little artist enjoyed painting, creating, 

and of course, getting his hands dirty.  

What a joy it was to watch Harrison's creativity and focus unfold throughout this process....and the results are precious.

 We later cut Harrison's works of art into strips of paper, put them together into paper chains

and proudly hung them on our tree.

Baby Lulu at 4 Months

Dear Lucia,
Has it been four months since you were born?  Sometimes it feels like just yesterday we were welcoming you into the world, and at others it seems like you have been with us all along on our journey.  It has been another beautiful month full of giggles, toothless smiles, screaming fits (thankfully not too many), cuddle sessions, long naps and lots of adventures.

This month you were absolutely fascinated with your hands as they reach out to grab everything in sight.  You also found your voice on your official fourth month birthday, and what a beautifully unique and loud voice it is.

You now laugh when you see Harrison and love what an amazingly gently big brother he is,

and you melt your Mom and Dad's hearts with each twinkling smile.We are so grateful to have you and your brother to love and learn from.

Baby It's Cold Outside

Harrison and I have been battling colds over the past month and while it has been exhausting at times, it has also provided the opportunity for some rich moments together.  A recent cold snap in the weather, coupled with our less than stellar state and the coming holidays inspired a pajama day full of Christmas music and merriment.

Take a listen to my favorite holiday song, sung by the ever talented Harrison Jack:

Clearly, we should all be concerned about the baby who is cold outside.  

And this was take one:  Harrison was a bit too enamored with his own image in the camera to focus on singing.  

What a gift it is to behold and be a part of a child's learning as they experience and move through various developmental stages over the weeks, months and years.  Harrison's vocabulary and ability to communicate has exploded over the past few months which translates into a boy in a constant state of jabbering.  I love how curious he is about his world and language itself.

Our little boy loves talking about animals, skiing, Mt. Hood, and of course, trains.  Although he knows how to say his name, he refers to himself as "you".
A few statements in a recent conversation about what Harrison wanted to do went something like this:
"You learn to ski down the Mt. Hood...someday...probably soon"
"You ride Daddy's bike"
"You get strong - ride a horse"

And a final video of Harrison working on his counting and jumping skills...

Weekend in the Desert

 We continued the Thanksgiving celebration through the weekend with a trip to Palm Springs to visit my parents during their six week road trip through the West.  Beautiful skies, crisp mornings and hot afternoons were the perfect recipe for a getaway.  

 Harrison loved his daily nature walks with Gran Gran, spotting road runners and rabbits.  Lucia loved all of the extra attention,

 giggling at Gigi, 

 and getting to sport some rather styly outfits.  

 Here is a series of photographic attempts by my mom to capture that perfect family moment...and in a way she did - here is our family, pre nap time, unedited.  

 We spent a morning on El Paseo, admiring the shops and interesting artwork, 

 and riding escalators countless times just for kicks.  

 The pools were delightful, and Harrison loved his nightly dips and meditation, 

and wearing his new Tom's shoes sans pants.  

A Roar of a Thanksgiving

We were fortunate to get to spend the week of Thanksgiving with Andy's parents in town.  A trip to the San Diego Zoo on Thanksgiving day provided us the opportunity to be grateful for all of the incredible and unique animals living throughout our world.

Harrison was enamored with the monkeys, 

crocodiles, 

exotic birds, 

and an elephant tree.

Lucia rather enjoyed her visit as well, soaking in the sights and sounds of the zoo...especially from under her tent.

 The zoo was so impressive and we so enjoyed getting to experience the wonder of the zoo with Harrison and Lucia. 

 From pandas, polar and sun bears, to a whole host of monkeys, exotic birds, and big cats, we happily made our way through this magical place.

 and even convinced Andy's parents to ride a gondola,

with breathtaking views of the zoo and surrounding monuments.   

 We made it home happily exhausted and continued the celebration with a delicious, traditional Thanksgiving feast.  Thank you Harold and Karen for the great memories.