The McPherson Chronicles

We squeezed in a quick road trip up the coast to Pismo Beach before school started. It was a relaxing and fun 4 days just the 5 of us. Thankfully, the kids were all really good in the car and we had fun singing, playing and sleeping on the drive there and home. Out hotel had beach access and a pool/spa so the girls were in heaven. The first 2 days we bounced back and forth between the beach and pool to mix up the shell hunting, sand castle building and swimming. The weather was mostly clear and breezy but warm, which is perfect for up there and also kind of unusual for this time of year. We went into town for dinner the first two nights and of course picked up some salt water taffy at the candy store. The girls favorite part was getting up in the morning and looking for sand dollars and se shells (we brought quite a few home). Olivia said one day the only thing missing from vacation was a park so after dinner Thursday night we stopped at a nearby park for sunset. Eve...

The kids and I went to Kevin's last evening soccer game a few weeks ago and had a fun evening watching him play and messing around with my camera phone. Selfies provided at least 30 minutes of entertainment and tons of laughter.

Sarah & Tim were in town this weekend for her early birthday celebration. We had a fun family day at Nana's house with swimming, dominoes, catching up and watching all the kids play. It was crazy humid with stormy weather so we were rained out of the backyard for a bit. It was still a fun day with the whole family celebrating together. Happy extra special birthday, Auntie Sarah! We love you and can't wait to  see what this year holds for you!!

Scoots/crawls/rolls to get around the house Chats, laughs, smiles and points like he's having great conversations Mimics us saying "hey duck"! (a classic Grandpa Bob joke) Pulls to stand up on furniture and wants to stand and walk around Loves bananas, cereal, graham crackers and cantaloupe (in his mesh feeder)

Now we can: -scoot on our butts (we've given up on crawling since this is way more efficient- we're already half way to standing once we scoot over to something) -wave -high-five -show you where our heads are (every once in awhile Lucy will also show you her bellywhen asked) -play peek-a-boo with just about anything or anyone -pull our selves up and even take a few steps while holding onto something Mom & Dad are so proud!!

What fun! We had a wonderful first Christmas with the girls and they were at the perfect age to be able to enjoy unwrapping and playing with their new toys. We were able to enjoy 4 days together when neither Kevin or I had to work, which is so rare. We made the most of every minute. Christmas Eve we spent with Kevin's family where the girls were spoiled beyond belief. So many wonderful toys and adorable clothes. We don't even know where to start with everything! . Christmas morning we spent at home just the 4 of us. It was nice and relaxing and allowed the girls to stay somewhat close to their schedule, which definitely helped by the afternoon. We spent the afternoon and evening at my parents being spoiled once again. Such lucky babies to have a large loving family! Some of our favorite toys so far (we still have a whole toy box full of stuff we haven't opened yet) -Laugh & Learn Puppy -Crocodile Xylophone -Piggy Bank -Learn n Groove Table Thank you to everyone for mak...

Figuring out how to open presents- CHECK! Trying on our dresses- CHECK! We're getting excited for our first Christmas!!

Tonight we took the girls to see the Mission Inn in all its Christmas glory. B.E.A.utiful as usual! With Christmas carols playing and more lights than you could ever imagine, it was the perfect way to spend an Advent night. There was a lot going on downtown, but there was plenty of space to stop, look around and most importantly, take pictures. Luckily it wasn't terribly cold either, so we were able to walk all around inside and out before heading home. The girls loved looking at all the lights and this will definitely become part of our family Christmas traditions. The Mission Inn has always been a magical place at Christmas and it is especially meaningful for Kevin and I since this is where we were engaged almost 4 years ago. My how time flies! **Thank you to Sarah for accompanying us and being our photographer for the night! She works for food!