The Living Desert

While we were on vacation we went to a zoo just outside of Palm Springs called the Living Desert.

We got there just in time to feed the giraffes.  They have the weirdest tongues.

My parents.

Alice rode the baby warthog.

Louis rode the big warthog.

At the petting zoo.

Riding a lizard.

Alice was shushing everybody..

because the cheetah was hanging out right in front of us.

Look, I'm a nature photographer.

Christmas 2013

Here are Alice and Louis putting out some cookies and milk for Santa, and carrots for the reindeer.

 Showing off their Christmas jammies.

Christmas morning.  Louis was up first, and promptly woke up the entire household. 

Hector was really excited about his super socks.

Christmas Eve 2013

We came down to California to spend some time over the holidays with my side of the family this year.

Here are a few pictures of Christmas Eve.

Alice and me in our red party dresses.

Louis and my Grandma Alice (whom Alice is named after).

Louis and Santa.  Alice feels about the same way about Santa that  she feels about horses:  she loves the idea of them, but finds them way too scary in person to go near.

Christmas Cookies

Aunt Angie baked Christmas cookies with the kids last weekend. They had a good time, and we got the eat the tasty results. 

The finished product.

Here's our decorated Christmas tree (I forgot to add it to the O Christmas Tree post).  Hector already decided that next year we are going to go to the Christmas Tree farm.

Chistmas in 1835 Style at Fort Vancouver

Hector's sister, Angie, just moved out to Vancouver.  She drove all the way out from Massachusetts with only her cats to keep her company.  The kids are super excited to see their aunt.

We all went down to Fort Vancouver for their 1835 Christmas Celebration.

The Fort garden was a little bare this time of year.

The cannons are always a big hit with the kids.

It's a good thing those cannon balls are welded down.

An old time-y band serenaded us with traditional Christmas music.  There was lots of greenery decorating the fort, but no Christmas tree (they didn't become popular until later in the century).

Hanging out in the privy.

Yes, that is an outhouse built for two.

There were historic reenactors in all the different buildings teaching us about life in 1835.  Here is the blacksmith shop.

Louis really liked the black-powder demonstration.

More cannons.  Louis was ready to defend the fort.

O Christmas Tree

For the second year in a row we found our Christmas Tree close to home - in our own front yard!

Hector did the honors, with Louis' help.

We didn't realize that there were actually two trees planted right next to each other, and our tree had grown in a semi-circle.  It was basically half a tree.  It worked out quite well though; we just pushed the flat side up against the wall and we have the other half tree for next year.  I think this could be a new thing in Christmas tree farming. 

Let it Snow, Let it Snow

We had a super cold spell earlier this month.  There were several days in a row where the weather didn't even get above freezing.  We were one degree away from tying the record for coldest temperature on record.  

The one upside was that we got a little bit of snow.  It was just a light dusting, but it was enough to get the kids super excited.  They had to run outside first thing in the morning to play in it.   

Louis is such an older brother.

Alice was enjoying it a lot more than it looks.  We couldn't get her to come inside, even though her poor little nose was so pink.